The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1873-02-15
Report OF the Committee on Privileges
and Elections OIL the Louisiana
Electoral Vote.

Louisiana.
The Committee recite the circum-
stances Of the election in Louisiana, as
brought out by the Investigation, and
in conclusion say that Gov. Warmoth
had the whole machinery of election
in his hands, and that every means
was resorted to to secure the triumph
OF his party. Great difficulties were
thrown in the way ofregistration. Re-
publicans in many parishes were put to
great inconvenience to find the registrar,
and in many Instances We're unable to do
SO. Places ofrogistering and of voting in
many parishes were fixed at points re-
mote from the centres of population,
often without the notice oftie places be-
ing given. False registration papers,
double voting, stuffing ballot boxes and
! other frauds and Irregularities were
! charged IL 81 majority of the parishes,
| and there is not much room to doubt that
the Lynch returning board were Of tho
| opinion that upon q fair election tho Re
publican party would have carried the
State, and has! been cheated and him
dcrcd i'll every way possible by the
power that controlled the machinery of
the election. But Notwithstanding all
this the Lynch returning board, with
tho sort OF evidence which was before
them, had no power, under the law OF
the State, to investigate these charges
OF fraud and injury, Or to act upon
| their convictions Of wrongs that had
been suffered
| The election OF the Greeley electors
was certified by the Governor Of the
State, but the official returns Of tho
election have not been counted by the
returning board created by the laws Of
Louisiana for that purpose, and tho
persons who i'll fact made the cxamiu-
| ton and count had no legal uthority to
do so.
The election OF the Grant electors is
| certified by the Lynch returning board,
! but that board did not have the official
returns before them, and their election
! ia not certified to by tho Governor of
the State, as required by the act Of
Congress.
The committee are of the opinion
that neither the Senate Of the United
States, nor both houses jointly have
the power under tho constitution to
canvass the returns of an election and
count tho vote to determine who have
been elected Presidential electors. but
that the mode and manner Of choosing
electors arc left exclusively to the States,
and by the laws OF the State they are
to be elected by the people; the method
Of counting the vote and nsccrtainins
the result can only be regulated by the
law of the State. Whether it is COM
pctcnt for tho two houses under tho
! twcnty-second joint rule; in regard to
the constitutionality:. OF which tho COM
mittoc here give no opinion, to go be-
the State to inquire whether the votes
for electors have ever been counted
by the 1cgai returning board created
by the law OF the State, or whether in
making such count the board had be-
fore them official returns, tho commit
'Sc cllct 1O SGS,s5cSlioilSt Dul present
only a statement Of the flcts rs they
understand them. AS to the other
questions upon which the committee are
instructed to report, touching the cxis-
lance OF legal State Government III
Louisiana and the admission Of q Sen
ator from that State, they arc not now
prepared to report.
In an adtlcndum to tho report by Mr..
Morton, chairman Of the committee,
he refers to the fact that n majority of
the committee were of tho opinion
that no reference should be made in
the report to the decision OF the ST.
promo Court of Louisiana as to which
was the legal returning board, and
states the fact that on the -- day of
january last, the Supreme Court Of the
State decided on an appeal from the
Eight District Court, that tho board
consisting OF Mcssrs. Lynch, Longstrcct
and Hawkins, together with Gov. War
JSnx-aH