The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-02-11

| nor OF the State as required by the act of Con-
| gress 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 cleo
| tion and count the votes to determine who are
| elected Presidential electors; but that the mode
and manner of choosing electors are left exclu-
sively to the States. As to the other question
| upon which the committee were instructed to
| report touching the existence OF legal State
government in Louisiana and the admission of
| prepared to report
A.. ne 1t report also says that Gov. Warmoth, I'M
ueI Tue ACT OF 1870, had the whole machinery
| OF election in his own hands !. He bad Tho on,
polntment OF Supervisors of Registration In
tne dlHerent parishes and the anno;ntmont
VI oinlssioners OF Election, and these off,
| GERS with but few exceptions wero os IN
| ed from the ranks of those who wero "ppoint
the Republicans party and we think froppp tSs
informal evidence before the return:ne hoa ane
| and from what this committee has learned i.
the course of this investigation there is Iittla
doubt that those advantages were used to tbe
utmost, and every means resorted to in order to
secure the triumph of the party with which
Gov. Warmoth was acting Great difficulties
We're thrown in the way of registration. Re
publicans in many parishes were put to great
| Inconvenience to find the register, and in many
cases were unable to do SO. Places of register
ing and of voting in many parishes were fixed
at points remote from the centres of popula-
ton, and often without notice of the place
being given.
False registration papers, double voting,
stutflng ballot boxes and other frauds and ir-
regularities were charged in majority of the
parishes, and there is not much room to doubt
that the Lynch returning board were of the
opinion that upon fair election the Republi-
can party would have carried the State and has
been cheated and hindered in every way posi-
BILE by the power that controlled the machinery
of election But Notwithstanding all this the
Lynch returning board with the 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 convic-
tons OF wrongs that had been suffered
Irumbull dissents from the portion of the re-
port in which the opinion is expressed that the
Lynch board believed that on a fair election the
Republican party would have carried the State
and has been cheated and hindered in every
way by the party that controlled the power and
machinery of elections.
The committee then resumed the session this
afternoon. U. S. Marshal Packard testified
There was a settled conviction among the Re-
publicans that the election was to be carried by
fraud, and it was generally admitted by the fu-
sionists that they meant to if possible In the
majority OF parishes the election was fair
though In some parishes it was not In New
orleans the count was pretty fair, but the reg
ward l26 votes were registered from one house.
IL was discovered that during the counting of
the votes that r. 81. Bennett & Co. were print
ing limitations of the Republican ticket bear
ing the names of the fusion candidates. 1t is
understood they were taken in Mechanics In
stitute. 1t was his opinion they were so close
~ Matched that they were not used.
=, Inc witness said he had deputy marshals at
t1e various polls; appointed upwards of 600 in
New Orleans: thinks two were appointed for
each ward sixty days before election; paid them
for only ten days, which was all the law allow
ed; increased the number of special deputies so
as to have one in each parish; had as many as
three or four.
He gave no instructions about tlfe election.
Don't know that they were about the polls dur
ing the election. Thinks he made reuuisition
on the Attorney General previous to the cleo
ton Tor paying the deputy marshal and super
vlsors. Don't recollect of any communication
with any official in Washington concerning the
election before it occurred Made reauisition
on Gen. Emery for troops to be stationed in
some outside parishes to aid the execution pro-
cess, which he apprehended would be opposed;
think the first requisition was made about two
weeks before election, and one Immediately be-
lore the election. AT the instance of the Unit
ed States Supervisor, troops were furnished in
every instance and at designated points during
the election.
Pending the examination of Packard. the
committee went into secret session of the
Caldwell examination and adjourned till. to-
morrow.
The Wilson Investigation.
ne wilson committee this evening eXamin-
ed Judge G. 7. Sherman of Ohio. He testi-
he'd that he was government director of the
Union Pacific railroad from the summer of
1864 till the summer of 1867. When the gov
ernment directors first met with the Union
racine board in New York, in 1864, they OBJ
Jected to the Hoxie contract The executive
committee did extend the contract for lat miles
without reporting to the board and government
directors. When they ascertaned the facts
they protested on the ground of the extravagant
price agreed upon. 1t was understood that DR..
Durant furnished the money to build the
road for some distance out of Omaha out
Of his own private means, and then the
Credit Mobilier made its appearance, but how
it appeared or when, it was kept concealed
from the government directors as much as
could be- The Hoxie contract was the only
one entered into while the witness held the po-
sition OF government director. The manner in
which the road was constructed under the
think $41 100000 an extravagant price for
building the road. Adjourned