The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1883-07-11

HE HAS no WISH TO EXPLAIN HIS COURSE
DURING THE ELECTORAL COUNT
ON 1877

OF 1877.
Ex-Speaker Samuel j. Randall is
again at home after an absence of ten
DAYS from Philadelphia. = newspa-
per correspondent found him busily
engaged In disposing of huge pile Of
letters which had accumulated upon
his table. Upon his attention being
called to charges recently made public
that as Speaker of the House he was
responsible for the failure of Mr.. Til
den TO secure the Presidency in 1877,
because heIrefus ed to allow Democrats
in the House to nlibuster in order to
carry the counting of the electoral
vote beyond the fourth of March, Mr..
Randall said he had nothing to ex-
plain concerning his official action
during the trying ordeal of counting
the electoral vote of the States whose
returns were in dispute. He further
said the creation of the electoral Com
mission was the W rk of Democratic
House and Republican Senate, and in
framing that commission it was made
mandatory that there should be no de-
lay in either body in making the
count. 1t was his duty to obey, not to
defy the law, and no matter how
strongly the sympathies of his heart
were with his party during the per-
Torrance of an act without precedent
IN the history of the nation, his most
solemn judgment taught him that no
error, no deviation from the rugged
path of duty prescribed by law, must
be made by him, and he endeavored to
perform his duty to his country as God
gave him the light to see it.
FILIBUsTERING COULD NOT AID TILDEN.
One of Mr.. Randslps most intimate
friends, in speaking of this matter,
SAYS: "Had Speaker Randall per-
mitted the House to filibuster over the
disputed vote of Florida, Louisiana
and South Carolina, and the result of
the electoral vote had not been reached
until after noon of March 4th, would
that have seated Mr.. Tilden in the
Presidential chair? Not any more
than 1t would have placed Mr.. Hayes
there; it would have lett the country
without a President or Vice-Presl-
dent, and who can imagine what then
would have followed? Again, filibus-
tering was more certain TO work TO the
Injury of Mr.. Tlden than Mr.. Hayes,
and every principle of party consider
alton as well as the performance OF
solemn duty demanded of Mr.. Ran
dali a rigid compliance with the law
upon the subject, aud no man will ever
be made to suffer for Obeying the law
MR.. RANDALL SOUGHT DIVINE GUIDANCE
A distinguished lawyer of Pennsyl
vania, a gentleman who expected te
be a member of Mr.. Tilden's Cabinet
and who was at Mr.. Randall's side
during the greater part of the time the
subject of the disputed electoral VOTE
was under consideration, says: "WheT
the grave responsibilities imposed by
the electoral Commission act were
thrust upon Speaker Randall he fell
that "A wisdom greater than that OF Q
man was requisite under the great or
deal-he knew that Divine wisdom wa
necessary-and walking into thu
Speakers private room Mr.. Randall
closed the door behind him and there
solitary and alone, communed with hi
Maker-he called upon the God of Ma
tions to aid IN guiding him Alright
aud from the moment Samuel J. Kan
: dali returned from the communion
with the Great Master he never swerv
ed hairs breadth in the performance
of his duty, and no criticism, howeve
unjust it may be, can ever iniure hin
In the minds of the American peopE
who will take the trouble to review
this whole subject of the Electora
: Commission"