New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-02-11
LOUISIANA.
Report OF the ComrHitise-yhc Creeie,
Electors Certificate illegal = Grant
Certificate DeScctive-No Power in
Congress to Canvass Returns and sounr
SOtes-Statc Haws Resulate Method
ai IN AsRSIilt.

| Certificate De}cctive-NO Power il
Congress to Canvass Returns and s>oun
| SOtes-State laws Reguiate .MeIhOt
| Of AscertainiHg i;esult.
| WASHINGTON, It bruary l0-The Senate
| Committee ON Privileges and Elections to
| day presented their preliminary report il
| regard TO the electoral vote OF Louisiana
! The committee r.Citc the circumstances o.
| the election in Louisiana as brought out by
| the investigation. and in conclusion say
| tha: Governor Wa:moth had the whole ma
, chinery of election ia his hands, and that
| every means was TcsOrttd to to secure the
| triumph OF bis party.
Great difficulties were thrown in the way
| OF registration. Republicans in many par.
ishea were put 20 great Inconvenience to
tlld the registrars. and in many instances
were unable to do so. Places of register.
ing and of voting IN many parishes were
fixed az points remote from the centres OF
population. often without notice of the
place being given.
False registration appears: double voting,
stutfing ballot boxes ana other frauds aud
irregularities We're charged in majority of
the parishes, and there IS not much room TO
doubt that the Lynch returning board was
Of the opinion that upon fair election the
Republican party would have carried the
Stat". and that it had been cheated and
hindcred in every way pos ibe by the
power that controlled the machinery of the
lection.
But notwithstanding all this the Lynch
returning board. with the sort of evidence
which was before them. had no power un.
der the law of the State to inv ,stigate the
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 to by the Governor of the State,
but the official returns of the election have
not been counted by the returning board
created by the laws of Louisiana for that
purpose, aud the persons who in fact made
the examination in the count had no legal
authority to do 50. The election of the
Grant electors is certified by the Lynch re.
turning board. but that board did not have
the official returns before them, and their
election is not certified to by the 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
the constitution, TO canvass the returns Of
an election and count the votes to deter
mine who have been elected presidential
electors, but that the mode and manner of
choosing electors are left exclusively to the
States: and it. by the Law of the State, they
are to be elected by the people, the method
OF counting the votes and asctrtaininG the
result can only be regulated by the law of
the State.
Whether it is competent for the two
houses. under the twenty second Joint rule
in regard TO the constitutionality Of which
the committee here give no opinion, 20 90
behind the certificate of the Governor of the
State to inquire whether the votes for elec-
tors have been counted by the legal return.
ing board created by the law OF the State,
or whether in making such count the board
had before them the official returns, the
offer no suggestions. but present
only statement Of the facts as they under
-.and them.
AS to the other questions upon which Che
Is instructed to report touching
the existence of legal State government
IL Louisiana and the admission of Sen
ator from that State, they are not now pre-.
pared to report.
In an addendum to the report by Mr..
Morton, chairman Of the committee, be