Daily Republican., 1879-05-24
Preparing for u steal.

Preparing for u steal.
The Democrats in Congress having
failed in their efforts to repeal the Fed
eral election laws to enable them to
carry the next Presidential election by
fraud have now introduced a bill in
Congress to enable them to steal the
next Presidency by not counting some
of the States voting. The bill declares
that where there is contest over the
electoral vote of State, the decision
of the highest judicial authority of the
same State, shall be accepted as final
unless both Houses of Congress shall
concur in reversing such decision. This
adroit bill further provides that where
there is no such judicial decision, the
electoral vote of that State shall not be
counted unless both houses concur in
ordering it to be counted. This is pipe
LAYING in earnest and no doubt would
amount to something for the Democracy
if President Hayes did not occupy the
Presidential chair, but of course if such
bill were passed now and it was
sent to the President, it would be sent
to keep company with the army appro'
priation bills and their political riders.
Let us see for a moment how such law
would work in the present Congress,
for it would have the counting to do
under the newly proposed law. Every
body who remembers the fanatical at
trupts of the Democrats in the Forty
F IA Congress to defeat the electoral
c}lnt in the House in 1877 by trumped-
u charges Of ineligibility against cleo
to of Sta'es which had east over
WI lining Republican majorities, can
easi'y imagine what might be expected
in 1881 under such a law from the
D ent Congress. The same curious
relationship of the great parties to the
q ,rstion of genuine State Rights is
presented now as was presented then.
Senator Edmunds' bill, which was
passed by the Senate in the last Con-
gr 8, and for which Senator Bayard
an Others of the more far minded Dem
ocratic Senators voted, but which was
defeated in the House, declared that
the de ,ision of the highest judicial au-
hol ity Of a Statn ,as to which is its true
electoral vo.e, should By final, This
right # the ~t..,. anl the State alone
to say what its electoral vote shall be
Was upheld by til" Republicans during
tn rle"tcra, controversy, and would nc
dou be upheld by them now while
the Democrats, who are the prOfesseC
champions Of State Rights, have entire
ly abandoned their former position ant
are nav trying to take away from thu
States the righs to say who shall b.
their Presidential electors in the ca
of contest. Should this bill, which tn
Democrats have proposed, become law
then would the voice Of the peop!
in Pre- sidantial elections be entirD
ignored if the present State Of politicf
excitement is kept up and the Judicit
~ If tle States become partisan i
character as other departments Of Stat
governments have become. ndtr thj
law, the States of Pennsylvania, Nnl
mont, Wisconsin, Oregon, south Care
lima, Florida and Louisiana, all Hr
publican, AMI the State Of Misson
Democratic wouli have been throw
out of the count, and Tilden would no.
hpy. been President instead Of Hayes
Uuutr the newly pxp sed law, Thea
would be no difficulty in throwing Il
election Of any State into the court
anu LIen IL WOulu be stliI all tdSl'
matter for the partisan Judiciary to di
agre+, AMI failing to decide throw tt
matter into i still more partisan Hou'
of Representatives,, Just where IL
present Congress- wants it. There
fortunately Tor tue peace and prospe
ity Of the country one little object
the way of this disAones. and adroit
drawn BILL from becoming law, al
that is President Hayes sitting in Il
Presidential chair, saying to the threa
ening waves of the Democratic fanat
cism: "Ihus far shalt thou come al
no farther, and here shalt thy prof.
wave, be stayed.'