The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-12-20
NEW ORLEANS BULLETIN
NEW ORLEANS, DECEMBER 20. 1874
THE PRESIDENT AND THE RETURN.
ING BOARD.

A06 11604U0N4 AMI AA0 As0A y AsAs
ING BOARD.
Despite the daily information, forwarded b
the travelling CULVER, from this point, tn
New York Herald understands the Louisian
case reasonably WELL In an editorial of tn
18th, the Herald says:
President Grant himself does not believ
that Kellogg was legally elected and legal,
declared Governor. He seems, in his las
Message, to indorse Senetor Carpenters opin
ion that neither Kellogg nor McEnery is legal
ly entitled to the Office, and says that he sup
ported Kellogg, because he believed on othe
grounds than the elect on return, that Kel
logg hsd majority OF the votes. Consider
ing that the election returns are the ONLY
admissible evidence in such cases this admis.
sion of the President is sufficiently remark
able.
That we may do him no injustice we insert
his language:-"I have heretofore called the
attention of Congress to this subject, stating
that, on account Of the frauds and forgeries
committed at said election, and because it ap-
pears that the returns thereof were never le-
gally canvassed, it was impossible to tell
thereby who were legally chosen. But. from
the best sources Of information at my COM
nand, have always believed that the present
State officers received majority Of the legal
votes actually cast at that election" The
frankness of this declaration and its freedom
from chicaning sophistry give it claim to
respect; but the confession OF the President
that he decided who was Governor of Louisi-
ana on different grounds from the election re-
turns is very noteworthy. The official returns
are the only legal evidence in any such case.
Attempts to decide who was elected on any
other data are mere conjecture and guess
work.
The impression may be very general, from
the report of the Senate Committee, that
neither candidate for Governor was elected,
and it may also be admitted that from the
same report frauds aud forgeries were COM
mitted by both political parties. But the
Senate Committee had not the proper and
legal evidence before it to arrive at either
conclusion. As the Herald says, ''the election
returns are the only admissible evidence,
and this evidence was not before the Com
nouncment of the result of the election from
perjured affidavits and from estimates The
estimates were based upon the registered ne
gro vote and upon the supposition that every
negro voter would go to the polls and vote for
the Radical ticket.
The President says: "And because it an
pears that the returns thereof were never
legally canvassed. it was impossible to tell
thereby who was legally elected"
Why then did the President interfere? It
was because disgraced judge issued mid
night order, and because the Marshal Of the |
United s ates to enforce that order procured
assistance from the army and filed the State
House with armed men and seated in Office
III those returned as elected, without canvass
ing the votes by the Returning Board. The
is condemned by his own admission
'or the course he took in sustaining the Kel-
ogg Government. In this he has not been
by the Senate or the House.
The House refused to count the vote of this
;tate for President Grant, though so re 'urned
y the board, and the Senate refused in the
anne way, to receive the vote of this State for
lice President Both houses, by this ac-
ion, decided that there had been no valid
lection in this State. This separate and dis
met avowal by each House surely is strong
condemnation of the stand taken by the i
resident.
But it is said that the House gave quail l
&. s. Recognition Of the Kellogg Government, ]
y permitting Sheldon, Sypher and othezs, to i
Ike their seats. Neither Sheldon, nor Sy- I
her, nor any other Radical Congressman a
rom this State had any evidence to show f
hat they or either of them had a majority of
ne votes as declared by the "returns legally b
They had the broad seal Of the e.
tate, with the autograph of Kellogg, and Il
it'll that they were admitted to seats, as prino D
cie evidence Their seats are contested.
But when the question was presented shall Ii
Q seat Pinchback, who also held the great D
nj of the State, the Senate and House de- il
med to act, and would not recognize KEEL
,g's autogra phi as prima facia evidence o
nchbacks claims, SO that up to this period, .,
ongress has not endorsed the action of the =
resident and has not admitted the validity G,
the Kellogg Government. al
The present Board of Canvassers are acting CT
nder the same law as the Lynch Board. But 10
ey are proceeding in a different manner. re
hey have the returns before them, and pur- pe
'se to accomplish the same object as the "
ynch board, by rejecting the legal Conserv- %
i've votes and majorities in various parishes
! the most frivolous grounds. We refer. as OF
amples, to DeSoto and St. Helena. IL
The returns from Carroll now before the w
ard are forgeries, and proved to be forge "
IS, and yet the board received and can A.
ssed those forged returns SO far as the candi- L.
ties for Treasurer and Congress were con- h'