The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-05-04
CYPHERED OUT.

Mr.. j. Hale Sypher, who had
been voted into the House of Rep
resentatives as a member from the
First District of Louisiana, had his
aspirations reduced to cypher
lust as he was about to be sworn
in by an unexpected turn in the
parliamentary tactics of some of
his friends Sypher received about
three thousand votes out of thirty
thousand in the district, and Colo
mel st. Martin was elected by over
twelve thousand majority. Not
withstanding these facts the Radi-
cal committee decided in favor of
Sypher, and the House voted that
he, was entitled to the scat. Syph-
er came forward and offered him
self at the bar to be sworn in as a
member. But just at this point
some anti-tariff Western Radical
who had been cyphering up the
noses on the Tariff question, dis
covered that Sypher (who really
resides in Philadelphia) was COM
United to the Pennsylvania iron in
terests, and thought it a good time
to make one vote against a high
tariff. He moved a reconsidera-
ton of the vote seating Sypher,
and thus again opened up the
whole question ofhisright tc a seat.
Parliamentary skirmishing then
began and was kept up quite
briskly for a time amid much ex-
citement, at the cost Of Sypher.
Stephenson and his other Radical
supporters. Finally motion was
made to declare the seat vacant
and to send back the election to
the people. AS there was no hope
Of seating st. Martin (who had pre-
viously been declared ineligible)
the Democrats voted for the reso-
luton, which passed, and thus the
case was finally disposed of,
The first decision in the case in
favor of Sypher was a most glaring
outrage upon the rights of the peo-
pie of Louisiana. The fellow came
to Louisiana as an officer of the
Federal Army, and has never had a
bona fde residence within the linn
its Of the State. His actual resi-
dence is in Philadelphia, where he
is an editor of a Radical paper, and
a correspondent of the N. Y. Tri-
bune. AT the election he received
scarcely enough votes to indicate
that he was candidate at all.
The plea that there was violence
in the district has been shown to
be false, and supported only by the
affidavits of perjured Radical wit
nessess. Even Sypher's notorious
dishonesty did not operate against
him in Radical Congress. He
was among the first to attempt to
make money out of the disgraceful
traffic in West Point Cadetships,
and when confronted with the tes-
timony did not attempt to explain
his conduct. None of these things
were sufficient to exclude him from
the House, so long as the people OF
Louisiana were the only ones to
suffer by his admission. But as
soon as it was found that some OF
the Radical rings would gain by
his exclusion, that some Of the
Radical interests in the North
would be damaged by his admis.
sion, then indeed his rejection was
found to be very easy matter
Thousands of dollars of the public
money were spent in hunting up
testimony to bolster up his case
and every Radical was perfectly
satisfied with him until it was
found that, while outraging the
people of Louisiana, some of the
Radicals themselves might b t
caught in q damaging situation
Could anything better illustrate
the meanness of the Radical party
and the recklessness with which
the Radicals legislate for their own
private emolument ?
We congratulate the people q
Louisiana on getting rid of this
Carpet-bag representative, as un.
worthy as were the motives which
prompted his rejection. He will
probably never bring his carpet
bag from Philadelphia to louisa
ma again. If an election should be
ordered, which is very doubtful
the Democrats can carry the dis
trict with the same ease as in 1868
We only regret that, by the illiber