The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-03-13

Washington, March 2.-On saturday
Mr.. Potter, Chairman of the Investlgat
ing Committee, submitted report which
he had prepared, to the Committee, anc
it was adopted by vote Of eix Democrats
to three Republicans, General Butler be
ing absent. The three Republicans, Mes
srs. Hiscock, Cox and Reed will prepare
a minority report. Mr.. Stenger, the Dem
ocratic member of the committee WHIT
was chairman of the subcommittee IL
Louisiana will not make separate repor
but will add an expression of his view
upon certain points in the testimony tt
Mr.. Potter's report, Mr.. Potter's repor
is necessarily long, as it deals with all the
points that have been before the com
mittee except cipher dispatches, which
will be made the subject Of separate re
port and will be presented to the com
mittee tomorrow. Potter's report is re-
garded by Democrats who have perused
it as singularly impartial and Judicial
They say it is entirely devoid of rhetor
ical ornamentation and vituperative de
nunciation, and derives its force solely
from close and logical deduction of the
facts presented to the committee. Some
of the Democrats regard it as wanting in
color or not as strongly expressed as the
facts warrant, and it is not unlikely that
some members of the committee belong
ing to that party will present an addi'
tioual expression of their views.
The report of Mr.. Potter, in opening
sets forth what it was proper for Congress
to investigate and what not, and the diff
ficulty of conducting an investigation in.
to Conspiracies which have been SUCCESS
fully carried out while the successful par
ty remains in power. 1t admits that the
confessions of the conspirators who have
become dissatisfied is worth little, but
points to fact not generally understood
that about the essential features of the
election and canvass in Florida and Lou
isiana there is no substantial dispute be-
fore the committee, the Republicans hav-
ing called no witnesses in florida and
few in Louisian except as to the conduct
of the visiting statesmen and incidentally
about intimidation. 1t dismisses entirely
the testimony of Anderson, jerks, Mrs.
Jenks, Weber and that class of witnesses
and deals with the case upon general and
controlling facts alone.
The report is divided into three parts,
the first of which refers to Florida the
second to Louisiana, and the third to for.
ged electoral certificates.
THE FRAUDS IN FLORIDA.
Beginning with Florida it cites the law
directing the Presidential electors to be
appointed by votes cast, and the canvass.
ing board to canvass the votes cast, and
claims the Tilden electors having receiv-
ed majority of votes cast in this State
we're thereby necessarily entitled to be
declared elected, and that the Canvassing
board, by rejecting without warrant of
law a portion of the votes so as to show a
majority for Hayes, unlawfllly counted
Tilden out. 1t states that canvassers de-
layed their announcement until the
morning of the day electors were to meet
and vote, 80 that, although action was in
stautly taken to oust the HAYES electors
no decision could be had until the Hayes
had met that same day at noon and Vot.
ed, The report then reCites the judy
ment of the Supreme Court which subse
auently decided that the Hayes authori
ties were not elected nor entitled to cast
the vote of the State, and that the Tilden
electors were, and also the judgment Of
the court in the action brought by Drew,
the Democratic candidate for Governor,
to obtain recanvass where the court
directed reCanvass. aad decided that
the Canvassers, in refusing to count the
votes cast, had defrauded Drew and un-
lawfully seated S!earns.
A RECANvAss SHOWS TILDEN ELECTORS
CHOSEN.
The Legislature of the State thereupon
directed recanvass of the electoral vote
in accordance with this decision of the
Supreme Court, the judges of which were
Republicans, and a reCanvass showed the
Tilden electors chosen. The Governor
then issued his certificates to the Tilden
electors as the true electors, but the E &C.
toral Commission refused to consider the
Judgment of the court, the action of the
Legislature and the certificate given by
the Governor in favor of the Tilden elec.
tors, and held that it could not take no.
tice Of any action by the State after the
9th of December.
DANGERS IN FUTURE ELECTIONS.
The report draws attention to the fact
that such wrong might be repeated in
any State az any presidential election by
Canvassers Withholding the announce
ment of the result of the election until a
day fixed for the meeting Of the Elector
al College, and then declaring persons
who had never been voted for at all to be
electors, when, according to this decision
such electors would be emitted irrevoca.
bly, to cast the vote of the State. 1t there
fore recommends a law providing that
where there is dispute as to who we're
the real electors of any State, the judg-
ment Of it's court of lastresort, if certified
to Congress before the meeting of the two
Houses of Congress to receive and count
the electoral vote shall be conclusive as
to the right of disputing electors, and that
the vote of the State shall be counted un.
less the two Houses Of Congress shall 9th.
erwise agree.
The report then argues that the action
Of the Canvassing Board was not only il
legal but fraudulent, and cites an instance
in which they rejected Democratic votes
on unwarranted grounds and refused to
reject fraudulent Republican votes. 1t
deals at length with the claim of Repub.
licans that they we're entitled 10 the vote
Of the State on the face of the Returns by
reason of the Drigger fraud, by which a
bogus return from Baker county was fur
nished the Canvassing Board, which they
at first rejected, but which, after they
were ordered to count the vote as cast,
they frauduleutly took in place of the
true return. 1t then deals with the con.
duct Of the visiting statesmen and partic.
gIlarlU thot nf(la0o-oI Na..z.