The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-10
LIBERIA.


Another Movement for AnnexatiOn-A Crisis
in the LeRisInture-rrOuble over the Pres,-
1 Dental RlectiOn-lnr. WinwOod heed and
His African Opinions.
MoERovA, Feb. 3.--Some OF the leading
citizens of Liberia have been holding meet
ings lately to discuss the propriety OF annex
ING their republic to the United States. Per
haps il would indeed be better for the Libe-
rians to connect themselves with some coun-
try that has q stable government, and pa
triotic and wise statesmen, than commit to
weak and selfish partisans the destinies Of q
nation which is yet "groping blindly in the
darkness" of national existence and political
experience, but which we trust may yet
''Touch Gods right hand in that darkness,
And be lifted up and strengthened"
In May last the biennial election for Presi-
dent, Vice president, Senators, and Repre-
sentatives was held in this republic, and the
adherents of the Hon. E. ]. Roye obtained a
large majority in the county Of Since over
the adherents of the actual President, j. $.
Payne. Soon after the election the Sheriff
Of that county placed the votes and returns
of the election in the hands of a messenger
to be conveyed to Monrevia, the capital, and
placed in the office of the Secretary of State.
The liberal Constitution requires that "the
returns of votes shall be made to the Secre-
tary of State, who shall open the same and
forthwith issue notices of the election to the
persons apparently so elected Senators and Re-
presentatives." But, strange as it may appear,
a large crowd of excited men assembled and
declared that the returns should not be sent
by that messenger, and finally they concluded
to take possession of the returns and votes
themselves, which they did, in spite of the
Sheriff, and gave them in charge of two of
their number, who, as it happened, had been
judges Of the election at some one of the
,oo1lc ON a1aotioT dow Thaca man liant ,ooe
session of the returns and votes for a month
or more, and then sent them up to Monrovia
as a box of freight, on board of q vessel be-
longing to one of the foreign traders resident
here. When the box arrived at Monrovia some
of the leading men Of the Roye party tried to
induce the Secretary of State by persuasions
and threats to receive the box said to contain
the Since return. When it was brought and
opened the papers therein were declared to
be the returns from Since, and the persons
appearing by those papers to be elected were
ordered to be added to the list furnished by
the Secretary of State, and declared duly
members of the House of Representatives
The Constitution declares that ''the returns
of votes shall be made to the Secretary of
State who shall open the same and forth
with issue notices of the election to the per-
sons apparently so elected Senators and
Representatives; and such returns shall be by
him laid before the Legislature at its next
ensuing session, together with a list of the
names of the persons who appear by such
returns to have been duly elected Senators
and Representatives; and the persons appear
ing by such returns to be duly elected, shall
proceed to organize themselves accordingly
as the Senate and House of Representatives.
The votes for President shall be sorted,
counted, and declared by the House of Repre-
.sentatives," etc. etc.
The dominant party in the House would
not permit the roll or list of names furnished
by the Secretary to be read until they had
added to it the names of the persons appear
ing to be elected, by the papers found in the
box and although there was present q
quorum of legally returned members who
should have proceeded to organize, and then
attend to the matter of the Since members,
yet the dominant party would not permit it.
They were determined that their partisans
from Since should be admitted, and they, being
allowed to vote on the question, were willing
to go to any extreme, even the viola
tion of the Constitution, to obtain their
seats. The House then appointed a Com
mittee on Elections composed of one of the
Payne and four of MIR. Royes partisans, who
finally declared Mr.. Roye the President,
although it is the impression of nearly all the
citizens that Mr.. Payne had received major
! ity of the popular vote. What confirms this
impression is the fact that the Election Com
mittee made no report to the House as to
! how they arrived at the conclusion that Mr..
Roye was elected, nor would the House allow
any question to be asked of the committee
when they reported MIR. Roye the President,
but declared that the report must be voted on
without question or debate.
The box and contents remained at the store
of the merchant who had brought them to
| Monrovia until the last Monday in December
last, when the Legislature assembled, and on
that day the persons claiming to be elected
from Since county entered the House
of Representatives with the other men,
bers, and when the Clerk of the late
House called the House to order they took
seats with the rest. It was then ordered that
the Secretary of State should lay before the
House the returns of the election held in the
several counties in May last, with q
list of the names of the persons
elected, according to those returns.
This was done, and it being feared that
no returns from the county of Since had been
sent, another message was sent to the Secre
tary for them, who replied that no returns
from that county had been forwarded to his
office. question then arose as to the right
of the persons who had not been legally re-
turned to take part in the organization of the
House, but the Clerk ruled that they had
right to take part in the organization, ant
they were even allowed to speak and vote or
the question of their own right to seats in the
House Their admission gave the Roye party
decided ajority in the House, and they
stopped the organization of the House, anC
sent out q committee TO procure the returns
and issue the notices TO their partisans il
Since county; but the Secretary would not re
ceive the returns, as he held that they ha'