St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-25
THE E1ECToBAL CoMJuIss1oN.

THE ELECTORAL COMMISSION.
In has been generally understood that Mr..
Tilden approved the resort in 1877, to an
electoral commission to count the electoral
returns of 1876, and that he did this from
patriotic motives, as the times were critical,
revolution, civil war and bloodshed imm1-
nent. Excitement had reached pitch that
was alarming and the fierce passions OF men
were aroused to but one step short OF dis
astrous violence. The creating of commits
sion was an extra constitutional expedient,
acquiesced in by leading Democrats and Re
publicans to prevent deplorable and irrepar-
able disaster Mr.. H. B. Payne favored the
appointment of the commission, and was,
| also, member OF II. 80
did the late President Garfield favor it, and
was also a member of it. The design was to
have seven men on either side, with David
Davis as the ultimate umpire, he standing in
an equipoise between the parties, being nei-
Their pronounced Republican nor Democrat.
But just in that conjuncture he resigned his
| iudgeship to accept the senatorship OF Hi
nois. Had he remained on the bench and
been appointed on the commission doubtless
Mr.. Tilden would have been counted in, Tor
Judge Davis would have clearly seen the
equity of the case, unbiased by partisan in
fuences. Although regarded as more OF
Democrat than a Republican he was credited
with being capable of viewing with I'M
biased judicial fairness between the
parties. Nevertheless it seems to be quite
out of the question for any man interested
in politics, to maintain position OF positive
independence between parties, without
bias and war on the action, whether he allows
himself to be conscious of it, or not.
Though it has been understood that Mr..
Tilden favored the extra constitutional COM
mission, from patriotic motives, to avert
bloodshed, the New York Sun claims that he
never favored the commission or gave it his
sanction, and quoted from his letter to the
Democratic convention in 1880 in proof OF
its statement. In that letter Mr.. Tilden said:
1.-THE constitutional duty of the two houses of
congress to count the electoral votes as cast, and
give effect to the will of the people as expressed
by their suffrages, was never fulfilled. An cleo
| toral commission, for the existence of which
have responsibility, was formed, and to it the
two houses of congress abdicated their duty to
make the count, by law enacting that the count
| of the commission should stand as lawful unless
| overruled by the concurrent action OF the Two
houses. Its false count was not overruled, owing
| to the complicitity of Republican senate with
| the Republican majority of the commission.
"Controlled by its Republican majority of eight
| to seven, the electoral commission counted out
the men elected by the people and counted in the
men not elected by the people,
This was certainly Mr., Tilden's position in
1880 and yet, was he really opposed to the
commission in 1877, when it was understood
that he had rather yield the Presidency than
to fight for it, and plunge the country into
civil war. Grant was at the helm. 1t is no.
torious that he was massing troops around
| Washington, and the purpose was to hold the
Presidency at all hazards. Who will say
that in the evenly balanced contest, one adj
| hitting, and it may be to an extent specious
| agreements on both sides, Mr..
| Tilden did not do right
in refusing to assert his claims
to the extent of q dire extremity;
and who does not feel that even a
continued exercise of Republican power for
| eight years longer, with allits disadvantages,
is not preferable to a civil war, which would
have wrecked the government, and on its ruin
erected, perhaps, an imperial dynasty, with
"the first citizens of the United States - at
| its head, in the full exercise of " Cesarism,"
pure and simple.
But the supreme time has now come in
peaceful way, without civic discord,
to right the great wrong of 1877,
if not with Mr.. Tilden, who
refuses a nomin alton, by the nomination and
election of man, who justly enjoys the con
fidence of the people as man of business
capacity and competency, of patriotic i'm
pulses, of broad and ripe craftsmanship and
of absolute fidelity to the constitution and the
laws. However much Mr.. Tilden may have
disapproyed of the commission, which had
its origin in the patriotic impulses of leading
men of both parties, to escape threatened
peril, however much Mr.. Tilden and the
pure minded portion of the American
people may regret and denounce
the iniquities perpetrated by the result
of that commission IS finding, it is all past
now, and it remains for the people, by the
quiet, peaceful and bloodless arbitrament of
the ballot box, to atone for the great injus
tice, by placing the defrauded party in
power, and driving out the abusers of Off
cial positions, and Immediately sending to
the rear and placing forever in unofficial OBJ
security the John Shemans, and their cormo-
rant compeers and accomplices who have
abused the confidence and damaged the
real welfare of the American people, to a
point not to be forgiven.