The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-02-15
Report of the Senate Committee
ora the Louisiana Election.

N~~NAA3 = ~ ~NNE SAN& AANr
Millen, elected by our two legislatures
for the short term, and the other in re-
gard to whether there is a legal State
government, Or a Republican form of
government in Louisiana. The first re-
port was made on the 10th inst, and is
substantially as follows:
WASHINGTON, D.. c., Feb. 1O.-The
Senate Committee on Privileges and
Elections to-day presented their preli-
minary report i'll regard to the electoral
vote Of Louisiana. The Committee re-
cite the circumstances of the election in
Louisiana as brought out by the inves-
Governor WarmOth had the whole
machinery of election in his hands, and
that every means was resOrted to Sc
cure the triumph OF his party. Great
| difficulties were thrown in the way of
registration. Republicans, in many
parishes, were put to great inconve-
nience to find the Registrars, and, in
many instances, were unable to do so.
| Places Of registering and of voting, in
many parishes, were fixed at points re-
mote from the centres of population,
often without notice Of the place being
given. False registration appears,
double voting, shifting ballot boxes,
and other frauds and irregularities were
charged i'll a majority Of the parishes,
and there is not much room to doubt
that the Lynch Returning Board were
of the opinion that upon a fair election
the Republican party would have
carried the State, and had been cheated
and hindefed in every way possible by
the power that cOntrOlledthe machinery
of the 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, Of to act
upon their convictions of wrongs that
had been suffered. The election Of the
Greeley electors was certified to by the
Secretary of State, but the official re-
turns of the election have not been
counted by the returning board created
by the laws of Louisiana for that pur-
pose, and the persons who, i'll fact, made
the examination and count had 10 legal
authority 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 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 election and count the votes to de-
! termine who have been elected Presi-
dental electors. But that the mode
and manner of choosing electors are
left exclusively to the States, and if by
the law of the State they are to be
elected by the people the method Of
counting the vote and a~scertaining 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 con
, stitutionality of which the Committee
here give no opinion, to go behind the
certificate of the Governor of the State
to inquire whether the votes for Flee
: tors have ever been counted by the le-
gal returning board created by the law
. of the State, or whether in making sucI
| count the board had before them the
, official returns, the Committee offer NJ
> suggestions, but present only a state.
, ment of the facts as they understand
them. As to the other questions upon
which the Committee are instructed tt
!. report touching the existence of alega
y State government in Louisiana, and thu
: admission of a Senator from that State
n they are not now ~preparedto report.
In an addendum to the report by Mr.
. Morton, chairman. of the committee, HI
refers to the fact that a majority Of TIN
committee were of the opinion that nj
|, reference should be made in the repor
! to the decision of the Supreme Court o
. Louisiana as to which was the legal re
q turning board, and states the fact tina
on the-day of January last the Su
a preme Court of the State decided, on 81
appeal from the Superior Court, tina
the board consisting of Messrs. Lynch
LOngstreet and Hawkins, together wit
Governor WaTm0th, and Mr.. BOYee
q who was the Secretary of State, VIII
IS had been suspended by Governor War
moth when he first appointed Genera
Heron, andlso had been restored by
decision of the Supreme Court, eonsti
tuted the legal returning board, an,
q that MessFs. Da POnta, Wharton an
Hatch had no authority whatever.
TPumbHl1 also submits an addendat
g the report, in which he says in substanc
+ 4hat he believes the Wharton board wa
III the rightfHl one, and dissents from til
: following passage in the report of th
. committee: 1.-THE evidence submitte
q to the Lynch board, and which ha
been described to the committee, III
III doubtedlY produced the conviction j
! their minds that the election had bee
y an organized fraud. There is not muo
room to doubt that the Lynch rebnTnin
is hoard were OF the opinion that upon
10 fair election the Republican party Woul
]. hare carried the State, and had bee
y cheated and hindered in every wa
( possible by the power that c~ontrolle
il the machinery of the election.p ss.
- Mr.. Trumh1lll further says: I'll
- fact that the Lynch Board undertook
count in the Republican candidates /
elected without the selnblanee OF a
official return before them, and in SON
r instances upon spurious, forged an
false afffidaVits, as the evidence befol
:, the committee show, affords no ev
dence to my mind that they supposed
fair election had not been held.
lis