Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-02-15
Legal Returns and Legal Re-
turning Officers.

SIcdO SITcSS upon the ulNOTCCInen
OF the legal election returns from thu
legal returning officers, and cry ont
eXuItingly, "Ah, if you did have TIN
true board of returning officers W,
had the legal returns, which on
new and rather dear ally. GOverno
Warmoth, fOrcibly withheld iron
you. " In the meantime Warmotl
posts off to Warrington and testifie.
under oath that these abstractct
returns were made up and counted
and the declarations as to what Off
GERS were elected were made by Mr.
woodward, who had no authority
none whatever-tO NEEDLE i'm the
matter at all And here we have
the frail foundation upon which the
fusion government rests. 1t is q
concern cretaed alone by Mr.. Wood
ward, partly upon suggestions fur
nished by the supervisors of elec,
ton, and partly upon direct orders
of Governor Warmoth and the fiji.
sion leaders and candidates for of
fee. We submit that with such a
condition precedent it is not at all
extraordinary that members may be
found in both houses of the Odd
Fellows Hall Legislatures whose
names do not figure in the elect ton
returnS-neither in those furnished
by the State supervisors nor the
United State inspectors.
The reports of the officers charged
with the duty Of holding an election
have no force or effect until they
have been scrutinized and passed
upon by the proper officers. All re-
ports concur in the disreputable
tact that majority Of the registrars
and supervisors of elections were as
precious n lot OF scamps as were
ever hired by responsibility to do its
and no reliance whatever
can be placed upon any statement
they made 10 Governor Warmoth.
Mr.. Woodward or any body else.
The m0dHS 0pcyUndi was something
like this: The polls closed on the
fourth OF November, and he cicction
bcgdm Among the supervisors
were some expert hands ut figures,
but there were also many bunglers,
so that it took nearly three weeks,
under the immediate personal su.
pcrvisiOn of the Governor, the State
registrar and scycR prominent -
sion candidates ~ office, TO tx
these returns up to suit the fusion
leaders, who had Warmoth by the
button hole during all that time,
taking turn about at it. When the
tabulating business was finished,
WarmOth took the papers, handed
them over to Woodward and direct
I'd him to make fair copies for the
newspapers. OF course his orders
we're Obeycd, and this is the way
Woodward made the fusion govern
nent. So far as exercising any dis.
;retiOn in the matter was concerned,
'lr. Woodward had very little to
10 with it.
During all the time these proceed.
ngs We're taking place, candidates
N the fusion ticket had constant &C.
'css to the room where the returns
we're lying i'll confusion and disorder
Ipon the tables. After having
'assed through such an ordeal, there
vas an obvious propriety that they
hould pass under the revising scuti.
" OF careful Of1icers-mcn sworn to
discharge their duties faithfully
zen who regarded all oath as build |
ng. But these so called illegal re- |
urns" were forcibly withheld from
he legal returning officers, in dis.
egard of the law and in violation
( the oath of those who had pos
essiOn of them. When the return
IS officers made the proper demand
II the Governor for them, they were
let with a fiat refusal. So far as
hey had any official knowledge on
nc subject, there were no returns
'om the State supervisors Of cleo
on, nor any official evidence that
II election had been held and con
ucted according to law on the fourth
| November. Governor Warmoth
al been ordered to file the papers
! the Circuit Court, but he openly
isobeycd the order, and concealed
nc election returns until now, when
hey turn mp in Washington in pos.
'ssion OF three citizens who have
D business with them in any man.
cr.
Fortunately, the enforcement law
Congress had provided u remedy
advance TO meet such n contin
'ncy. In pursuance of this act,
ultCU STATES iugig,cfols. huu bcpu