Evening star., 1940-11-03
count of the muddled situation, say
ing in its headlines
Hayes or Tilden?
That's the Question.
How About Florida?

THE Same in Louisiana"
Indeed, the tension became criti-
cal and acute, and all sorts of ru-
mors were af1oat, particularly down
in Louisiana, where the Democrats
accused the Republicans of trying
to steal the election and so alarmed
became Gen. Grant who was then
on the last lap Of hts second admin
istration and temporarily stopping
in Philadelphia, that he telegraphed
from that city to Gen. William T.
Sherman in Washington the follow
ing note:
Instruct Gen hugur, in Louisiana
and Gen. Ruger, in Florida. to be
vigilant with the force at their COM
mand to preserve peace and good
order and to see that the proper
and legal boards of canvassers are
unmolested in the performance OF
their duties. Should there be any
grounds of suspicion of fraudulent
count on either side it should be
reported and denounced at once.
No man worthy Of the Office OF
President should De willing to hold
it if counted ir " placed there
by fraud. Either party can afford
to be disappointed IN the result. The
country cannot afford to have the
result tainted by tire suspicion of
illegal or false returns"
For both political parties, and, in
deed. for the entire country, time
dragged painfully On while Congress
was trying to WORK out some plan
satisfactorily to sea. one of the cam
didates. The Senate was Repub-
lican. the House largely Democratic,
the President (GrarD was a Re-
publican.
Pulling 1angle.
1t was a situation calling for a
genius to untangle Under these
circumstances resolution was in
troduced in the House on December
7 by representative McCrary of
Iowa, a Republican, which was the
entrance wedge 70 the subsequent
passage by Congress of the elec-
toral commission bill introduced by
Senator Edmunds in the Senate, and
which provided Ior the commission,
in part, as follows
During the session of each House,
on the Tuesday next preceding the
first Thursday in February, 1877,
each House shall, by viva voce vote,
appoint five of its members, who,
with the five associate justices of
the Supreme Court of the United
States, to be ascertained as herein
after provided, shall constitute a
commission for the decision of all
questions upon or in respect to such
double returns named in this sec
ton.
"On the Tuesday next preceding
the first Thursday in February,
A. D., 1877, or as soon thereafter
as may be, the associate justices
of the Supreme Court of the United
States now assigned to the first,
third. eighth and ninth circuits,
shall select, in such manner as a
majority of them shall deem fit,
another of the associate justices of
said court, which five persons shall
be members of said commission, and
the person longest in commission of
said five justices shall be the presi-
dent of said commission.
After being passed by the Senate.
the bill was taken up by the House
on January 25, and passed the same
date, and approved by the President
four days later.
The Senate designated Senators
George F. Edmunds, Oliver P. Nor
ton, Frederick T. Frelinghuysen,
Allen G.. Thurman and Thomas F.
Bayard.
The House, by viva-voce vote,
appointed Messrs. Henry B. Payne
of Ohio. Eppa Hunton of Virginia,
Josiah G. Abbott of Massachusetts,
George F. Hoar of Massachusetts,
and James A. Garfield of Ohio.
The justices of the Supreme Court
selected to serve we're: Nathan Cliff
ford Samuel F. Miller, Stephen ].
Fields, w. Strong and Joseph F.
Bradley.
Hinged on Three States.
The three States upon which
hinged the election of one or other
of the candidates were Florida,
Louisiana and South Carolina, and
on March 2, at 4:05 o'clock am,
the report of the Electoral Commits
sion was approved by Congress,
seating Rutherford B. Hayes as
President and William A. Wheeler
as Vice President. The members
of the commission voting to seat
these candidates were: Senators
George F. Edmunds, o. P. Morton
and Frederick T. Frelinghuysen; !;
Representatives James A. Garfield
and George F. Hoar. and Justices
Samuel F. Miller, w. Strong and
Joseph F. Bradley.
Being desirous of knowing the
opinion of The Star on the outcome
of this, the most notable of all elec-
ton cases, the writer again turned to
the files of this paper, and there he
found under the date of March 2,
1877, the following editorial.
llC lOllS dSOlly 40 oNCi, dllo SOF.
Hayes is to be peacefully inaugu-
rated President of the United States
for four years from March 4. This
result, it must be conceded, has been
attained virtually through the good
faith and patriotic spirit of the
Democratic party in carrying out
the terms of compact, under great
temptation to repudiate it. After
this grand act of magnanimity and
concession in behalf of the public
peace, by a great party having the
supremacy in the popular vote, we
may safely dismiss all fears of the
country falling into anarchy and
revolution through the contests of
selfish men and selfish factions for
supremacy.
Campaign Of 1900.
But the Hayes and Tilden cam
paign is still within the personal
Lpou,ledpe of MANY of our WASH