The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-08-20
SPEECH OF HON. H. G. DAVIS
In Mineral County COnyen-
ton, Aug. Is, 1874.

Continued from yesterdays ftE"islEis'l
And now few words, as to the man
ner in which the bogus "Lynch Board
sscertained the result of the election.
The Warmoth Board having possession
of the legal returns, the Lynch Board
WAS compelled to take whateverirregular
returns it could get. Upon the pie"
that the votes ola large number OF NO
groes had been refused, they called for
aflidayits of the fact, and they were
supplied with thousands, signed by a
mark, and with ballots attached. The
man who performed this delightful and
delicate duty of furnishing atiidavitS, was
one Captain Jaques, from whose sworn
testimony, given before the Congress
ional Investigating Committee, i viii
read YOU few extracts. In answer t"
questions by the following gentlemen
he gave the following answers:
Witness issued about 500 duplicate
registration papers after the registration
closed; on the day of election issued about
$50 more; went to New Orleans after
the election and then returned to sign
atfidavits; signed the names OF 3OOper-
sons to Inc atfidavits.
By Mr.. Carpentcr-Did not sign
them in the presence Of the parties; they
authorized him to sign.
By Governor Warmouth-Signed l.
3l4 affidavits in all; took the names Of
all but 800 from the p"ll-list; the Com
missioner signed the atfidavits in blank.
BY Mr. .Carpenter-Signcd l,OOOnameS
to | 900 affidavitS; many ofthc names We're
men of straw; cant tell how many
names of existing persons he signed;
presumed he signed $50 names of cX-
isting parties without authority did not
know that it was forgery.
By Mr.. Morton-Got the atfdavits
from General Sypher; signed them in
New Orleans; got the 800 names by go
ing from plantation to plantation; some
said that they could not vote because
there was such crowd at the polls; 9th
ers that the polls were from ten to thirty
five miles of, and they could not so to
them; United States Marshal Prescott
said to the men, after the reading OF the
affidavit, "You swear" on the 10Th OF
December received letter from Syphcr
telling him to fetch down all the atii-
davitS YOU have got, the General Is 400
short; gave the atfidavitS to Mr.. Bovcc,
who said, Jacques, you're hell of a fel-
low" witness answered that he could sc;
more bv ten o'clock in the mornings told
the General and Captain Syphcr about
the way the aftidavits were got and they
approved it; General Sypher asked how
MANY names were on the book; l wit
ness answered 1000; told him to get
$500 affidavits; the day before Syphrr
went to Washington he told witness to
get at least 200 attidaWts and rs many
more rs he could; when Sypher returned,
he said he had done well; i'll 1868 and
1870, at the polls, names were put on the
registration lists for the purpose OF elect
ing Sypher; the parish was Democratic;
il was common talk in the Custom-housc
after the recent election that 1t did not
make any difference how the election
went enough afidavits could be got to
elect the ticket.
By Mr.. Carpentcr-The attdavitS were
printed ten or fifteen days before the
election. Exhibited n copy of athdavits
signed by Prescott in blanks.)
Bv. Mr.. Trumbull-Had about 1000
such affidavits; they were signed at Wit
ness's house in New Orleans.
By Mr.. Morton-Had no official sta
ton at that time; received no compensa-
ton for his work; had been in the Gus
tom House, and Sypher and Casey prom
ised to reinstate him; got $3.50 to pay for
the boat he used from Sypher; it was the
same boat used by the Republican Com
mittec for party purposes. -,
Not satisfied with these forged afflda-
Wits tie Lynch Board went to work To-
doctor the returns, such rs they could
get. and this is sample Of how they
did it:
In the parish of Roster the returns
showed that McEncry had 953 votes and
Kellogg $50. BY their ciphcring they
gave Kellogg 1852 votes, and McEnery
none. In the parish of Natchitoches the
returns showed that McEnery had 30
votes, and Kellogg 800 votes. They
ciphercd again, and 10! and behold!
Kellogg had 1,206 votes, and Mchncry-
none. Was there ever such arlthmetl-
clans? Yet this Board is not SATISFIED
with even this nice way of electlng their
men. For. as the testimony IN this case
shows, the Board, not satisfied with tn"
duplicate returns obtained from the
United States officials; not satisfied with
forged affidavits; not satisfied with news
paper accounts; (which they used) made
nm estimate based on their (the Boards
knowledge of the political complexion of
the country, as to what the vote ought 10
have been, if it had been fair, and count
ed it accordingly.
And yet in spite of all these facts be-
ing proven; in spite Of the fact that the
Republican committee of Congress, head
ed BY Governor Morton, as chairman. re-
ported unanimously that McEnery receIv-
ed some 1000 majority, Kellogg, who was
given control of that State by Durells
midnight order, has been sustained III his
revolutionary proceedings by the general
government and Republican Congress.
And he is to-day sustained and kept in
power by Federal bayonets. The taxes
of this State are about $4.75 on the 500
valuation. This is necessary In order to
give the party reigning money to pay
their tools and their own salaries, some of
which are enormouS-One official receiv-
ing over 800, 900 per annum, and several
others from $4,000 10 $4,000. The en-
penses of the Legislature alone for one
year, including printing, amounted to
over Sl,0OO,OOO. But Unjust hurry on to
other subjects, although have not said a
1.-THE scarcely of what could be said on
these two matters alone. But / cannot
leave this branch without referring briefly
to another State in the South, scarcely
less Oo.orassad than nuiSiap. I ,afa, , :,