OREGON. 



instead to E. A. Cronin, who had received 



tin- iii-xt highcm niiinber of votes. Thm- <<!- 

 tifled lists of doctors were accordingly sL r n. ! 

 by tho Governor, bearing the names of \V. II. 

 Oil. 11, J. 0. Oartwright, and E. A. Oronin, and 

 the grout soul of tin- St.-iti- win iitiixed by the 

 Secretary of State, and at noon the candidates 

 of both parties for electors met in a commit- 

 tee-room connected with the Senate-chain I n-r 

 in the Capitol ut Salem. The certified list of 

 electors, in an envelope, was handed in by the 

 Secretary of State, and taken by Mr. Cronin, 

 who refined to give it up to his colleagues. 

 Mi'--rs. Odell and Cartwright proceeded to or- 

 ganize the electoral college, and Watts, while 

 claiming to have been duly elected, resigned, 

 and was immediately elected by the other two 

 to fill the vacancy. Three votes were cast by 



STATE SEAL OF OREGON. 



them for Hayes and Wheeler, and certified in 

 due form, but the certificate of the Governor 

 to the appointment of electors was not an- 

 nexed, Mr. Cronin persisting in his refusal 

 to give it up. The latter then, assuming that 

 the virtual refusal of the others to act with 

 him caused two vacancies in the legal col- 

 lege, chose J. N. T. Miller and John Parker to 

 fill them, and two votes were cast for Hayes 

 and Wheeler, and one for Tilden and Hen- 

 dricks. The certificate of the Governor was 

 affixed to these votes. Both sets of votes 

 were sent by messenger to Washington, and 

 delivered in due time to the President of the 

 Senate. 



An indignation meeting of Republicans was 

 held at Salem, on the evening of December 

 6th, at which the following resolutions were 

 adopted : 



Risolved, That the conduct of Governor Grover in 

 attempting to rob the people of Oregon of their choice 

 of an elector to whom they had given over 1,100 ma- 

 jority of their votes is a g'laring outrage upon their 

 rights ; is striking a blow at the fundamental princi- 

 ple upon which the Government rests the free suf- 

 frage of the citizens is a direct violation of his 

 oath to support the Constitution of the United States 

 and of the State of Oregon and his oath of office, 



and for which conduct he has rendered himself un- 

 worthy to sit among honorable men a a Senator of 

 tin- Tinted States, und we request that he be, for 

 criminal, dishonorable, und unworthy conduct, re- 

 fused a sent in that honorable body. 



Ifaoleeil, That the Democracy of Oregon in at- 

 tempting to Meal the electoral vote of Dr. John W. 

 \Vatt wild transfer it to K. A. Cronin have proved 

 themselves capable of as great frauds as their rebel 

 confederates in Louisiana or Florida, and fully jus- 

 tify the charge made by President Grant in hi mes- 

 sage, that a large percentage of the people remaining 

 in the Union sympathized with the rebellion, und 

 made an enemy in the reur almost as dangerous as 

 the more honorable enemy in the front. 



On the 19th of December Governor Grover 

 published in pamphlet form an elaborate argu- 

 ment in support of his action. He took the 

 ground that Mr. Watts, being postmaster at 

 Fayette on the 7th of November, and ineligi- 

 ble to the office of presidential elector, the 

 votes cast for him were null. He maintained 

 that it was his duty to take notice of the facts 

 and the law, and cited numerous authorities in 

 support of his position. 



An investigation by a United States Senate 

 committee in January and February, 1877, 

 developed the fact that Governor Grover had 

 been in consultation by telegraph with promi- 

 nent Democrats in New York prior to his de- 

 cision, and acted under their advice. The de- 

 cision of the Electoral Commission in Febru- 

 ary, 1877, was in favor of the votes of Odell, 

 Cartwright, and Watts. It was maintained 

 before the Commission that Cronin could not 

 be elected by a minority of votes, and that the 

 ineligibility of Watts merely occasioned a va- 

 cancy which was to be filled by the other 

 members of the electoral college, and that 

 Watts, when chosen to fill such vacancy, was 

 not ineligible, having resigned the office of 

 postmaster on the 14th of November. It was 

 also claimed that the Governor's certificate was 

 not conclusive as evidence of legal appoint- 

 ment, and should not be regarded unless it was 

 in accordance with the result of the election 

 as shown by the official canvass of votes. This 

 was the ground finally taken by the Commis- 

 sion. 



LAFAYETTE GROVER, who has been elected by 

 the Legislature of Oregon to succeed James K. 

 Kelly in the Senate of the United States, was 

 born in Bethel, Oxford County, Me., in 1828. 

 He was educated at Bowdoin College, and af- 

 terward studied law in Philadelphia, where he 

 was admitted to the bar in 1850. He soon 

 after went to Oregon, and took up his resi- 

 dence at Salem. He was elected Prosecuting 

 Attorney of the Territory in 1861, and in the 

 following year Auditor of Public Accounts. 

 He also served three terms in the Territorial 

 Legislature, and in 1854 was appointed a 

 commissioner to adjust the claims of citizens 

 against the United States. Two years later ho 

 was one of the commissioners to investigate 

 claims arising out of the Indian war of 1855- 

 '56. In 1857 he was a prominent member of 

 the convention which framed the constitution 



