The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-03-27
| CONGRESSIONAL ARBI-
TRAITORS.
How They Manipulated Louisiana
Election Returns.
Very Little Difference Between
the Proceedings of the Hoar
Committee and the
Returning Board.

In pledging themselves to accept the award
ma lie by the Congressional Select Committee,
the Conservative Representatives evinced 0
singular faith in the probity OF the Republi-
can members thereof
The opinion seemed to prevail that how
ever partisan these gentlemen may have
shown themselves in investigating the late
election, they would, when burdened with
the self-imposed duty Of canvassng the re-
turns OF that election, act squarely and award
justice to those rightly entitled to it. This,
it was thought, would be done although it
should email everlasting ruin upon the Re
publican party of Louisiana.
| 1t was really very pleasant to look at the
matter in that light, and certainly very cheer
full to contemplate such result. Only those
possessed OF an unusual amount Of credulity,
| however, were elevated, as it were, by the
prospect, and We're sanguine Of getting that
| to which they are Justly entitled.
1t was well understood that the Congress
sional Committee We're utterly disguised with
the proceedings of the Returning Board, as
developed during the investigation, and in
both the majority and minority reports made
it was asserted that the board had committed
the grossest frauds, and had acted wholly
without the law. These reports gave salts
factory assurance that when the Committee
canvassed the returns with view of making
the award, they would be guided wholly by
the returns that there would be no raanpu-
lation, with a view Of arriving at certain de-
sired results, as was the case with the Re
turning Board.
That there was very little difference in the
proceedings of the committee and that Of the
Returning Board, in some instances, we now
propose to show: and that the former beganl
its labors in New York, (that is, the majority
OF the committee,) determined to arrive at :
conclusion satisfactory to the authorities il
Washington, and Kellogg in particular, thee
is now no question. |
The Returning Board in canvassing the e.
turns threw out over one hundred votesin
the parish OF Natchitoches, where no protest
had been entered; three hundred votes in de
parish OF Ked River; Seventy-nine votes in
the parish of Sabine in order to elect Smith
over Self, and threw out the entire parish Of
DeSoto, where 1910 Conservative votes mad
been cast, thereby defeating Elan, the Con-
servatlve candidate for Senator by 63 votes,
and electing Twitchell
This worthy gent seems to have made a
most favorable impression upon Messrs. Eoar,
Frye, Wheeler aud Foster, jadging from the s
manner in which they manipulated the re-
turns in order to award him seat in the
Senate.
The Returning Board, it will be remem-
bered, declined to canvass duplicate returns
rom the parish of De Soto, the original hay ,
ng passed into the possession of the notori- ,
ous Lou Dudley, although the former were
oroffered by the clerk of court Of that parish
The Congressional Committee, however, a
these duplicates as legitimate re- s
urns, and from them awarded to the Con- !;
sentative candidates for the House their
seats; but, strange to relate, failed to CONT j.,
single vote cast for Elan, and by manipula-
ions similar to those prscticed by those F
worthless, Wells, Anderson Co., managed to
tx Twitchell permanently in his Senate seat q
The counting out Of the Representatives
rom Caddo, Mr.. Schwing from Iberia, and
Ir. Max Cousin from st. Tanmany, in the face e
t the established majorities received by b
hem, proves to be most glazing and un-
7orthy imposition. The award made by the "
rbritrators is certainly poor return for the
onfdence wasted upon them. s.