The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-09
THE PROPOSED ASSASSINATION OF
THE STATE.

: House made the proposition to the Congress
sional Committee, to submit the election re
- turns of 1874 to its arbitration, it was no
- assumed by these gentlemen, or the public a
large, nor could it have entered into thei
:. imaginations that the power to determine
under the law, who were elected, carried with
it the right to exact any sacrifices from thost
gentlemen as condition to the recognition
= of their right to seat in the Legislature. By
the proposed agreement the committee was
virtually to be Returning Board to count
= and compile the returns, to take cognizance
of such legal objections as might be made
> against the legality of any of the returns,
and to promulgate the result.
Under this arrangement, if carried into
, effect with what color of right could the COM
, mittee say to the gentlemen who compose the
Conservative portion of the Legislature, ''we
| have carefully examined the acknowledged
legal returns of the election of 1874. Exer-
cising the power conferred upon the Return
ing Board by your State law, we have weighed
every legal protest and the evidence upon
which it rests, and have ascertained beyond
all reasonable doubt, that you have a major
ity OF at least (say) twenty-five in the House.
This is your unques ionable right; but to
exercise this right, you must stultify your
selves by subscribing to .fdlsehood; and
pledge yourselves in advance to violate your
oath of Office by disregarding and ignoring
as a legislator the sacred obligations of duty
to your constituents.
To show that the committee might proper
ly use this language, the first condition which
they exact of the Conservative members for
the mere concession Of their indefeasible
rights, is the adoption Of the following
"Whereas doubts have existed and still exist
as to the legal results Of the election in this
State in November, 1872"
Now, we hold it to be impossible for any
man in Louisiana to subscribe to this CON
scientiously. He cannot rightfully approve
| it if ignorant Of the details Of that election
Ii acquainted with them, as every man in
public life should be, he cannot truthfully
sign it, as there is no ground for doubt
whatever as to the election of the fusion or
NIcEnery ticket in 1872.
In the discussion of this subject, it is use
less for men to shield themselves by a bubble,
and say that every moral question is open to
doubt, or as the idealists who say that nothing
is positive but self existence But these are
not the doubts that either law or common
sense contemplates. A legal doubt is not
that which is conjured up by the imagination,
Orc tod 1,,,ip u,
logically arise, and be deduced from the facts
Of the case as established by evidence
Now, it is notorious that the election re-
turns of 1S72, duly signed in duplicate, ac-
companied by their tally sheets as corrobora-
tive evidence, were, in accordance with law,
counted, compiled and promulgated by two
different returning boards, composed of gen
tlemen of recognized responsibility, giving
the Fusion ticket a majority Of from nine to
fourteen thousand votes.
La these returns there was no internal evil
dence of fraud; mono was established by oral
testimony in Washington, where the returns
were taken by the Forman board for the ex-
press purpose OF being counted and compiled:
but for reasons best known to the Radical
committee, and Kelloggs counsel, this was
neither done nor demanded. They must,
therefore, stand as pri3na facie evidence Of the
election Of the Fusion ticket, until set aside
by positive proof, which has never been done;
but, on the contrary, every circumstance con-
tributes to prove their general accuracy.
In the face Of these facts how can gentlemen !
say with truth, that doubt exists or has exist :
I'd in their minds in regard to the legal results
If the election of 1872? t
The approval Of this resolution would be d
elf qualification without parallel declara- 7
ion to the world that we have been contend
ng for more than two years to secure that to Il
which we now acknowledge we have no legal =
# equitable right 1t would be the most IN q
truthful and every way dishonorable conces- u
ion ever made by public body-it would be n
virtual recognition Of the legality of Kel- &c
ogg's Government, and quasi endorsement Sc
Grants military policy toward Louisiana
This committee demands as condition b
recedent to arbitration, more than has vet
cen conceded by either House Of Congress, =
r even by Grants Administration re- -
ignition of the legality of Kelloggs Gov
rnment, or that our members acknowledge
lat there is no proof Of its illegality which 90
false.
This arbitration would be worse than the No
ecision of Weiss returning board, which re
lerely swindled, but did not attempt to dis III
onor US. That decision has, at least, the 81,
of being just; this arbitration could in
y no possibility assume the appearance of lis
lstice.
The next abasement which the committee on
amands of our Representatives on condition M
acknowledging their right, is that they M
lall pledge themselves to abstain from the per wa