The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-09-23
The Commission by vote Of s to 7 re
fused to receive this evidence. Mr.. JUS
tiCe Bradley, in giving his opinion, said


cannot bring my mind 10 believe that fraud and
misconduct the part of the State authorities, con-
stituted for the very purpose Of declaring the final
VIII oi the m slate Is subject oyer Whlcn the tw0
examination
Gen. Garfield, who was one of the
Electoral Commission, in his opinion in
the Louisiana case, said:
The determination of the Board, If not overruled
BY the courts Ct the state s the final and conclusive
nor the Commission has any authority to inquire
whether there was fraud or error In the process by
which the determination was reached
In the Florida case, where the deter
%ination,o ofthe State canyassers was over
ruled by the courts of the State, General
Garfield held that it made no difference.
These decisions of Gen. Garfield we're
made under an act of Congress which re
quired him, as member of the Commits.
sion, to decide what persons ware duly
appointed electors" from the States of
Florida and Louisiana, and he took an
oath that he would ''impartially examine
and consider all questions submitted to
the Commission" l have shown you
how he performed that duty. How he
kept his oath let him answer to his con.
science and his God; but for that fraud
praCticed upon the American people they
will hold him responsible
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY BRANDED WITH ITS
FRAUD.
Tne facts have stated in regard to
Florida and Louisiana are substan tiated
by official documents. 1t was thus by
the fraudulent and false count of the
votes cast by corrupt State returning
Boards, sanctioned and confirmed by the
subsequent decision of the Electoral
Commission by vote of eight to seven,
that the managers of the Republican
party succeeded in forcing into the Pres.
idential Office man whom the people
of the United States had repudiated
Could greater crime be committed
against the rights of the people and rep.
resentative government What becomes,
my CouEtrymen, of your boasted right
TO participate in the election of the Chief
Magistrate of the Nation, or any other
officer, If effect ia not given to your votes
when cast? Why go through the farce
of an election, when the result is to be
determined not by the majority of votes
cast, but by the false count of corrupt re.
turning CanvassersP lam sure the blood
of all honest men who hear me, no mat.
ter what their politics, will boil with in.
dignation at the thought of being gov
erned by officials placed over them by
the false and fraudulent count of corrupt
Returning Boards, and yet this is just
what the people of the United States
nave submitted to, 80 far as relates to the
Presidential Office, since the 4th of March,
1877.
Suppose the election OF President this
year should turn on the vote of Indiana,
and that majority of the votes cast in
that State should be for the GMfeld
electors, Notwithstanding which, her
State Canvassers and Democratic Govern.
or should falsely and fraudulently certify
to the election Of Hancock electors, how
many Republicans in the land would
sanction the outrage and uphold the &C.
ton of an Electoral commission appoint
ed to ascertain who was duly elected in
Indiana, which should decide that the
certificates of election given by the Dem
oCratiC Governor and State Canvassing
officers, however false and fraudulent
were conclusive upon Congress when it
came to count the electoral votes. And
yet this is just what the managers of the
Republican party did In regard to the
count of the votes cast in Louisiana and
Florida four years ago.
THE REWARD OF THE CRIMINALS.
Nay more, the very persons Who par.
ticlpated in or made the false count have
since been rewarded with i'm oortant of.
fees. Wells president of the Louisiana
Returning Board) and Anderson Zone of
the members) were both appointed to
Offices by President Hayes-the former
Surveyor and the latter Deputy Collector
of the port of New Orleans. The other
members of the Louisiana Returning
Board, except one, whose relative re.
Ceived an appointment, with their clerks,
many of their relatives, and others con-
neCted with the Louisiana iniquity, have
been appointed to Offices. Stearns and
MCLin, the two members of the Florida
State canvassers who gave false certi6-
Gates of election to the Hayes electors,
we're both subsequently appointed to Of
fee by him. Of the :" visiting states
men" sent by Grant to New Orleans, and
who by their presence gave sanction to
the false count of the Returning Board
of that State, if they did not actually ad.
wise it, Hayes has appointed Sherman
Secretary of the Treasury, Stoughton
Minister to Russia, Kasson Minister to
Austria, Noyes Minister to France, and
Wallace Governor of New Mexico. The
total amount of salaries paid annually to
the various persons connected with the
Returning Boards Of Florida and Louisi.
ana is $23l 900
Now, my Republican friends, do you
approve Of thisP If not, how can you
vote for Gen. Garfeld2 He was one of
the visiting statesmen sent to New Or.
leans by Grant to witness the counting
of the votes by the Returning Board,
and knew, for he could not help know
ing, of the false count. He subsequently
sat as one of the Electoral Commission,
and decided that the certificates of elec.
tion given the Hayes electors by this
Returning Board however false and
fraudulent, we're conclusive, Ifyou vote
for him under such circumstances, do
you not endorse and approve the action
of the Returning Board in making
fraudulent count in the first instance, and
the Electoral Commission In afterward
declaring such fraudulent count to be
conClusiVeP
Both parties claim to be for honest
elections. I have shown you what the
controlling influence of the Republican
party means by honest elections-that is,
elections supervised and controlled by