New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-13
NGERsoLL ON POLITICAL MORALITY.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSE.l


WASHINGTON, MAY 1.-THE room of the House
Committee Elections was crowded this morning
with committeeman and spectators 10 listen to an
argument by Colonel Robert G.. Ingersol in the
contested election case of StrObach against Her
bert, of the Id Alabama District. Colonel lnger-
soil appeared for Strobach the contestant. While
most of his argument was devoted to the dry de-
tails of the testimony he entered INTO some discus
sion of the general principles involved in contested
election cases, and spoke with great eloquence and
force. In part he said:
THE mere personal controversy, as between
Herbert and StrObach, is not worth talking
about. II is o question "a to whether not
the republican system Is failure. Unless the VIII
of the majority can be aacertained, and surely ascer
taiaed, through the medium OF the ballot the ioun-
da aiOn of this Government rests upon n0thlng-the
Government ceases TO be- had thousand tIme5
rather Democrat should come 10 Congress from
this district, or from any district, than that he
publican should come who was not honestly elected
| had thousand times rather that TINS country
should honestly 20 to destruction than dishonesty
and fraudulcntly 90 anywhere. We want 1T settled
whether this form of government Is or Is not lall-
ure That is the real question, and 1t Is the question
at issue IN every one of these cases has Congress
power and has Congress the sense 10 say, lO-uay,
that no man shall sit maker OF laws Tor the peo-
pie who has not been honestly electedi Whenever
YOU admit man to Congress and allow hlm To V0te
and make laws, and there is any doubt as to his
title, YOU poison the source OF justice you
poison the source OF I0wer and the momente
Congress are there through fraud that moment they
cease to have respect for the legislative depart
ment Of this GOveTnment-that moment they cease
10 have respect for the sovereignty OF the people
represented by fraud.
Now as L have said. care nothing about the per-
sona part of 1T, and, maybe you will not believe
me- but care nothing about the political part OF IT,
The question is, who has the right On-hls side Il
who Is honestly entitled to this seatf That Is
infinitely more important than any personal or
party question. My doctrine is that majority or
tho people must control-that we have III this
country king that we have in this country
sovereign, Just as truly they can have IN any
other and, as a matter OF fact, "A republic Is the
only country that does in truth have sovereign. ana
that sovereign is the legally expressed VIII of
the people. SO that any man that puts III fraudu-
lent vote is "A traitor 10 that sovereign; any man
that knowingly counts illegal vote is traitor to
that sovereign, and Is not fit 10 be citizen OF the
great Republic. ANY man who fraudulently throws
ont q vote knowing it to be legal vote. Hampers
with the source of power, and Is IN TACT, false to
our institutions. Now, these are the questions 10 De
decided. and 1 want them decided. not because thus
case happens to come from the South any more than
if 1t came fiom the North. 1t is matter that con-
Germs the Whole country. We must decide III, lhere
must be a law on the subject We have got TO lay
down a stringent rule that shall apply TO these
cases. There should be--there must bc-such
thing as political morality so far as voting Is con-
tpuO