The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-08-07

partisan judges to cover great wrong to
persons and greater outrages upon the
almost sanctified government of the peo-
pie.
The evidence ready to be offered, but
shut out by the commission decision not
to investigate, and to allow the formal
returns from the state to decide the cleo
tion--no matter whether the Formally
was an ornament to honesty or cloak to
robbery beneath twas of such charact-
err as to confirm all the natural differences
from the commissions refusal TO admit it.
1t was such evidence as must have led to
the declaration of Mr.. Tilden's election
such evidence as could only incite such
men to such monstrous supervision of
constitunal law by an ever convenient
technically.
But if the cases of the states of Louis
ana, Florida and South Carolina, in which
the above decision was final and over
whelming. aroused the Indignation ot a
thinker who, once erawled ont OF his
she'll of prejudice. launched headlong into
the tide of inquiry. what shall be said of
the state of Oregon, where it was found
necessary to temporarily suspend the
operation Of the decision in order TO pre-
vent Mr. Tilden receiving the one vote
necessary to his election? What words
can express the horror an honest citizen
must feel upon reviewing this fact in the
history of our country?
On Feb. 8, 1877, the commission re
ported:
That it is not competent under the con-
stitution and the law to go into evidence
to prove that other persons than those
regularly certified to by the governor of
the state of Florida had been appointed
electors, or by counter proof to show that
they had not
This is the decision which first gave
Florida and then Louisiana 10 Hayes
There were grave doubts whether the
persons regularly certified to by the
governor as being electors had really
been appointed electors by the people of
the state, but the commission decided
that hinder tue constition and the Law"
no evidence as to that could be received;
the only thing to do was to receive the
votes of those electors holding the COVER
nOr's certificate
But when, in alphabetical progress,
Oregon was reached, it was here found
that presidential electOr, holding the
regular certificate of the governor of
Oregon, had cast his vote for Tilden for
president. This vote would elect the
democratic candidates. Did this great
commission, composed of the greatest
statesmen in a great republic apply the
same Constitution and law to Oregon
that it applied to Florida and Louisiana?
Did it do what itself had declared was
the only thing lawful and constitutional
accept the votes of those electors hold
ing the certificates of the governor OF the
state? MOI 1t declared that the man
holding the governors certificate was not
entitled to vote for president The other
persons vote was accepted, and counted
for Hayes.
Thus, the commission declared a per
son who had not the governors certificate
to be competent elector To make
such declaration, 10 even know the
name of this person, the commission must
have heard evidence; it could not have
decided a regular certified person to be
an imposter and non-certified one the
only true elector, without testimoney.
And vet this same commission had lust
declared
1t is not competent under the cons
titution and the law to go into evidence
to prove thai other persons than those re
gularly certified to by the governor had
been appointed electors"
The disgusting cup IS not yet quite full.
When South Carolina was reached, con-
dition of affair similar to those in Florida
and Louisiana was found. Here it be-
came Convenient to again use the original
OF Florida decision. 1t was resuTected
from its fostering grave and made 10 do
duty once mors in preserving the cOnsti-
tuition and the law" and in seating Hayes
and Wheeler.
To you sir, and to most citizens, this is
an old story. You have told it. and lis
tened to it, and deplored its circumstanc-
es again and again. But to me and many
thousands of other young men who be
came voters since the electoral commits
sion, it Is fearfuliy new and strange. This
LEGATION of this letter; that young men
may have their curiosity excited to the
end that they will read the history of the
electoral commission. as l have read it,
with eyes open. In behalf of the truth
of history. the brightly shining Sun,
which know has eyer looked with kindly
glances upon Young men. might throw
portion of one of its days world of light
upon this wonderful, buried but yet hv-
ing subject.
While | am republican by birth and
habit, and shall undoubtedly remain one
from convictions upon the tariff and other
questions, l shall never again vote for a
member of the electoral commission who
aided in the application of the preslden-
tial election of 1876, of those two sets of
Constitution and law. 1t is with regret
| recall that voted for Garfield, and have
for years idolized him in my heart. and if
Samuel j. Tilden, the noble man who, in
behalf of his cohntry's peace silently saw
one of earth's greatest prizes, fairly his,
wrested from him by robbery, should
once more become candidate for the
presidency, with associations not alb
tolutely dangerous to the country or its
in situations, should deem it an honor
to be one of his supporters
TWENTY THREE.
AKRON, o., July 49,