A Republican's Views

Mr. Horacfi Wliite, formerly editor of the Chicago Tribune, universally recognized in the West as tho leading IUpublican journal weet of ' lio Alleghauioe, reaigned that position a year or two ago becauae of iil-'ieaKh, but ia slill a large stockholdor in the paper. Ah editor and public man Mr. Whitt's pinions havo been quoted as répreaenting the sound judgment of the bcsi elementa in his party. What he has to eay in the present juncture, therefore, is not only important as the views of a prominent E9publioan writor and politioian, but na representiug the sentiiuenta of men like bim in bis soction. Mr. White is at the liucki ïpham Hotel, and yesterday f reely couvereed with a World roportor upon tbo political outlook. 'From snch attention as ynu have given to the LouUiana case," Mr. Wliite, ''may I aek your opinión of the Ketnrning Board's action ?" was the first queslion, " I have given no othor attention to the liouiaianacase," was the reply, "than to carefully read tho reporte given to the public by both parties. My opinión ia that the Beturning Board's action ia au attempted swindle, bnt that it will fail of ace Mnplishiug ita object. If, hoirever, its object should be acaomplishod, and bo acqm'etcod in by tho people, it would amount to a subversión of oar system of government. "Do you think that intimidation took place in Louisiana 't" "Thero bas been no legal evidence of itfurnished, aa yet, and I presumo it will turn out very much as it did after the election of 1874, whon the same Ketnrning Board threw oul enough votes to reverse the result in üie State, and a committee of Congresa - a Ropublioan committee of a Kepnblican Oongreas - investigated the matter and reported that the charges of intimidation were f alee from beginning to end." " What commiitee was this ?" "Theoommitteeqf which Mr. Hoar, of Maasachuaetts, was ChairniHn. 1 presume that the ch8ies of intimitlation have no better foundation now than they had thori, but, however that may be, there oan be no law for throwinE out tbe votes of A, B, O, and D because E has intimidated F, excopt at the expense of subvorting oar syatem of government and inaagurating chaos in ita Btead. "When you give to a returning board the power to enter into the rocesses of the human inind and inquire w!mt motives wero oneratiug there when the votes wore cast, and to substituto their own notions of hoi? the people wonld have votod if the cironmstances had been different, in placo of tho votes actually and legally cast- when you do this, I say, you have aunihilated and dostroyed the foundations of a democratie republic. It is immaterial what tho Uw of Louieiana is, or whether it bas been rigbtly adminiatered by the Returniug Board. This U the net result that the American people havo to face, for it is not to be supposed that o cheap a method of cairying elections will be long coniined to Louieiana. Wo camo very near having a taste of it in Chicago three or four weeks ago, where uur Iteturoing Board threatened to throw out ome 3,000 voUa, and would undonbtedly havo dono ao jf they had not boeu restraiued by a wholesome public opinión." " You beheve that both Tilden and Nioholle had fair majorities in Louisiana ?" " That is the inference I draw from tho fact that the oppoeite result has been achieved only by throwiiig out six or eight thousand votes, and alao from the fact that in a similar case two years ago the throwiug out of votes to revorao tho resnlt was ascertained to bo arbitrary, unfair, and illegal." "Itis claimed that nlthough the thrówing out of votea may be arbitrary, unfair. and illogal, yet there is no power to go behind the action of the Returuing Board." 14 Of course, some such claim as this ia neceasary to complete tho overLhrow of the Americin system oí government. lts latent refinement ia that the residiag officer of the Senato is a returning board of one for tiio whole country, and that there is no powor to go bohind liim. If that functionary should declare himself elected, instead of either Hayes or Tilden, probably power would be found to go behind L.im with a boot. Tho tlioory that there is no power to elimínate a f alsohood from the electoral vote of the nation is precise'y tho theory that tho people are now callod on either to acquiesce in or to repudíate and stamp under their feet. If they iicquiesce in it, they will havo sanctioned a radical and vital chauge in the character of their Government. But it is important thoy should know tho logicai effect and consequence of what they are called en to do. I think they will soon find out what it all signifios." "You think, then, that Congress has jurisdiction of disputed votes in the Electoral College?" Certainly I do. It has alwaya takon juriBdiotion, aud must neceFsarily have it. The doctrine that it ha no jurmdietion was never heard of beforo. The conatitution of" the United States had its origin in tho necossity of enabiing the General Govornmont to reach and deal with individuals, instead of dealing with the States aa independent sovereigntica. Under tho old Coufodoration tho General Goveinment could only deal with the States, and had consequently fallen into bankruptcy, fsebltness, and solí-contempt. The real and vital difforocce betweon tho old Confederatiou and the present constitution is tbat the lattor euables the Government to deal directly with individuals in matter affecting itaelf, inatead of operatiug in a ronudabout aud uncerlain manuer through tho States. To say that it may uot deal with individúala in ascortaiuiog who has büen chosen to its own Chiof Magistracy is tho most alarmiut; amertion of íátate righta I ever heard of. Oalhoun never went so far as this, nor anybody else till the present year." " Have you read Sonator Sherman's report to tho Pre dient on the action of the Beturnlng Baard ?" ' ■ Y 00, I havo road with surpriao and pain that one holding so important and influentiai a ponition a3 Senator Sherman could cali tho ex! parto aftid.ivite in the lmndB of tho KeturniBg Board 'proofs,' when every lawyer knows tliey are not proofs ; and that he could spend so much time telling us what took place at tho elcctiou in Louisiana cight yoara ago, and nay nothing about what happonod at tho election two years ago, when, acoording to the report of the committee of Congresa, of whioh Mr. Hoar was Chairman, the President of the Louisiana Ii3turning Board, ex Gov. Wells, mudo an afiidavit of iutiinidation in a certain parish wkere he was not porsoca'ly present, aud where there was. in fact, no intimidation - tbe result of which was the thrówing out of tbe returns of that parish, and the rovorsal of tho political complexion of one branch of 1U0 Statii Lepslature. Slnce Senator Sherman bas goneat groat length into the election of 1868, and niñee no has given a quasi iudorsemout of tlie individual membera of üio Louioittua lltturniug Loaril, candor should have required hini to state tho f acts of recent elections as well as of romote ones, if anytbing In tho past is to be brought up as furnishing preaumptive proof of f&cta in the prosont. 'or thone roasous Mr. Sherman's report, in my jndginout, is not entitled to respect among fair-miided men." " What is yonr opiuií n of the tlan to refer this matter to tlíe Supremo Court ?" "I think it would be perfectly futilo. If we have lost tho power to couut votea and to teil what ia a majority, the Supremo Court oaimot euable us to recover tbat power. Mqreover, the court needs to have less politics inf used into it rtither thau moro. To mako the Supreme Court a national Returning Board would ultimately brei'.k down tlio court wit.hout in thO least degroo PurUyirjg politics. If tho court should step ono inch outaide of the arithmetical result of the ulocticn it decisión would be scoffed at by one party or tlio other. If it should not step outsido of tho arithmcticr.1 result its d f .:iM 011 h ould sioiply bo that two and two mako four, instead of five or throo or gome other uumber. But the ohancoa are that ere long tho court would gravely coneideï the question whethor two and two reaily make foor or not. aud would listen to tho argnments of counsel upou tbat point. For my own part, I ara glad the Sonate lias rejected this écheme." ' What remedy would you suggest for the existiDR state of thinge ?" 1 ' If Mr. Hayes in mstalled in tho Exeoutive Mansión, and put in poewOHSion of the treunury ard other departments by foroe, with uo better title than he now appeara to have, and if ho shou'.d decido to accept the office with snch a title, he would bo the do facto President, and his acts would be valid as againat third partiea. Hut ho ought not ta bericignizd aa President by Congres, and co appiopriation of money a.inuld be made during his umupation oxcept tuuli as may bo uecepsary to protect the public i credit, transport the maila, keep tho courtg J opon, colleot therevenue, pay the pensions, and íenerálly to hold society together. Lees than ,his the Demócrata oannot eafely do. More thau this tlioy ure not rtquired to do. "In ordor to preserve the ocntinuity of the GoverDment and to uaTe a Prf fiident de jure, it would bo necessary for Mr. Tilden to take tïie oath of ofiioe- tlii boing tho only form of inangnratiou known to the law- and to reside at ;be Beat of GovernmenL Any attempt at vioienco is to bo doprecited, and probably tüe aarty that örnt reeoit.í to violonce will be defeated, irroüpcctivo of the merlts of tho oon:roversy. Ie is poculisrly an Anglo-Bsxon trait lo eudure ovils while they are endurabie. The Dbmocratio party has everythiug to gain bv paying renpeot to tlii nationnl charactcrititio. "I believe, Mr. White, that yon voted foi Hayes and Wheeler ?" " I voted for the Hsyes electora and the Kopubücan State ticket i.n Illinois without excoption, but I aoknowledgo no allogiaooe or fealty to any party, and shall not vote the Republican ticket again if the aotion of the Loaiiana Returning Board rrwoives the sanction nd support of the party."