Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 August 1877 — An Interesting Historical Fact. [ARTICLE]

An Interesting Historical Fact.

After the argument upon the Florida case before the late Electoral Commission in Washington, Judge Bradley wrote out his opinion and his decision in full. He completed it at about 6 o’clock in the evening on the day before the judgment of the commission was to be announced, and read it to Judge Clifford and Judge Field, who were likewise members of the commission. It contained, first, an argument, and, secondly, a conclusion. The argument was precisely the same as that which appears in the published document; but Judge Bradley’s conclusion was that the votes of the Tilden electors in Florida were the only votes which, ought to be counted as coming from that State. This was the character of the paper when Judge Bradley finished it, and when he communicated it to his colleagues. During the whole of that night Judge Bradley’s house in Washington was surrounded by the carriages

of visitors who had come to see him apparently about the decision of the Electoral Commission, which, as we have said, was to be announced the next day. The visitors included leading Republicans as well as persons deeply interested in the Texas Pacific railroad scheme. When the commission assembled the next morning, and when the judgment was declared, Judge Bradley gave his voice in favor of counting the votes of the Hayes electors in Florida! The argument he did not deliver at the time; but when it came to be printed subsequently it was found to be precisely the same as the argument he had originally drawn up, and on which he had based his first conclusion in favor of the Tilden electors.— New York Sun.