File:Samuel J. Randall.jpg

w:Samuel J. Randall

Identifier: ourgreatercountr00nort Title: Our greater country; being a standard history of the United States from the discovery of the American continent to the present time .. Year: 1901 (1900s) Authors: Northrop, Henry Davenport, 1836-1909 Subjects: Publisher: Philadelphia, National pub co.

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Text Appearing Before Image: e Democrats that, evenconceding the votes of Oregon and South these boards would return the vote of itsrespective State for the Republican candidate,and it was feared that this would be produc-tive of trouble, as the Democrats claimed amajority in these States. Immediately afteithe election, therefore, President Grantappointed a number of prominent Republi-cans to proceed to Florida and Louisiana towatch the counting- of the votes of those ^l6 ADMINISTRATION OF ULYSSES S. GRANT. States; and a number of prominent Dem-ocrats repaired to Tallahassee and NewOrleans for the same purpose. These gen-tlemen had no official character, and werewithout power to interfere in any way withthe counting of the vote. It was loped, how-ever, that their presence-as witnesses wouldact as a check upon the boards, and thus afair count be secured. Both States werereturned for Hayes. Investigations showed that the electoralvote of South Carolina had been fairly castfor Hayes, and it was generally conceded to

Text Appearing After Image: ^^^i SAMUEL J. RANDALL him by both parties. The Democratic Gov-ernor of Oregon attempted by a transparentfraud to give the electoral vote of that Stateto Tilden, and thus elect him ; but it came tobe the general sentiment of the country thatthe electoral vote of Oregon should right-fully be cast for Hayes. This confined the real struggle to the votes*of Florida and Louisiana. It was the generalconviction of the country that both of thoseStates had been fairly carried by the Demo-cratic party, and many earnest Republicansgave open expression to this belief. The action of the Return Boards, however, wasstill within the letter of the laws under whichthey had acted. The Republican party, there-fore, claimed that as such action was not con-trary to the laws of Florida and Louisiana itmust stand; that neither Congress nor anyother body had power to go behind the cer-tificate of the electoral vote of a State, prop-erly signed and authenticated by the Stateofficials ; and that when such certi

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