Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-16

AS the date for the opening of the
electoral votes in Congress drew
The Proposed March ago tension
on Washington. increased in
W a shington
and elsewhere. The situation was far
from being clear, and the possibilities
of conflict between rival administra-
tons were by no means discounted. In
The Star of January 8, 1877, is the
following:
THE Washington correspondent of
the Boston Herald sends the following
| to that paper under date of January Z:
"A prominent Democrat offers the
| following statement tonight: The mass
conventions of Democrats, to be held
| tomorrow In Columbus, Ohio; Indian
apolis, Ind, and Springfield, ILL.,, will
! be the largest and most enthusiastic
political gatherings ever known in
| these States. The program of the
managers of these meetings is to pass
resolutions tomorrow recommending
that TO- 900 to $4,000 Democrats from
each of these three States assemble in
| Washington on the 18th of February
| for the purpose of memorialiZing Con-
| gress in person for an equitable deci-
| sion of the presidential question. They
| propose to have here on that day not
! less than $4,000 Democrats from vari-
| Gus parts of the country, but chiefly
| from these three Western States. This
plan has been carefully discussed by
! the Western Democratic leaders, and
| they are fully determined to carry IL
out, unless Congress shall in the mean
| time adopt some rule for the counting
| of the electoral vote which Will oper-
ate in advance as a decision of the
question in favor of Mr.. Tilden.
/ Propositions have been received here
| from various parts of the South to
have such delegations of Democrats
present here on that day. but it has
been thought best to counsel them to
remain at home and to have the as
semblage made up from the West and
| North. The gentleman who makes the
| statement says that this great body of
| the Democracy will come to Washing
| ton unarmed, but with the intention OF
making their presence felt at the time
when the electoral vote is counted.
They propose, he says, IL the House
1 of Representatives is to be arrested on
account of any action it may take, to
be witnesses of the proceedings. The
result of this program, If carried out.
will be to bring here the most enor-
NOUS political gathering the Capital
| has ever held.
The telegraphic reports from the
different States where meetings were
| held yesterday do not so far show that
resolutions recommending this march
| of the Democrats upon Washington
were adopted, but Representative Wat
| terson of Kentucky in his speech at
| the Opera House meeting yesterday
made a remark that indicated that
such a purpose had been contemplated.
| He said:
"I expect to see here, on the day
| the vote is to be counted a hundred
| thousand unarmed citizens, exercising
| in their persons the freemans right or
petition and giving the honest Repub-
| licans of both houses of Congress two
| guarantees-one that the people want
only what is right. the other they will
| accept nothing that is wrong. In
other words, the presidential vote
shall be counted precisely as 1t always
| has been, and not by the President OF
| the Senate, who has no power what
ever except to open the certificates.
| If Mr.. Hayes has a majority. he is
| the lawful President. If neither Mr..
Hayes nor Mr.. Tilden has majority.
then the House elects. But If Mr.. Til
| ucIl HE'S d ilidJOll NY ILLS dS
''Old Hickory" would put it and mean
| it-by the eternal, he shall be in
augurated.'
| ut may be that resolutions of the
kind were really adopted and have not
been reported by telegraph. or it may
be that on sober second thought 1t was
held to be imprudent or impolitic to
recommend a move upon Washington
of this kind. The Boston Herald. COM
menting upon the above dispatch,
says bluntly:
Democrats who go to Washington
on the 14th of February will do a fool
ish thing. Honest people can find
something to do at home. while Office
seekers and party blowers can do no
good by going to the Capital to talk
politics and excite each other"