The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-01-04
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WHEELING, WEST Va, MONDAY MORNING, JANUARY 4

the counsel engaged in the Investigation
now taking place before your committee
that you have determined not to include
the election Of 1872 within the scope ol
your investigation. Permit me respect
fully 70 suggest that the question whether
or not Lonisiana was carried by the Re
publican party in the election OF 1879 has
been the principal disputed point which
for two years has agitaied the State Re,
ligiously believing that was elected by Q
majority Of the votes actually cast at that
election, have struggled TO discharge
the duties Of my Office amid difficulties
such as few men have been called npon to
encounter. Nothing but q sense of duty
has kept me at my post during all these
weary months Of obloquy and misrepre-
sent9tion, RecentlyI telegraphed to the
President urging that q committee Of
Congress be sent here, believing that such
committee being upon the ground, with
power to send for persons and papers,
could ascertain the right Of the question,
SO far as and the Government ! repre-
sent are concerned. / am intensely anx-
ious, and ! think Justly 30, that there
should be some solution Of this difficulty,
l believe an investigation that need
not last many days, would reasonably
satisfy any Impartial mind whether
/ was elected In 1879 or not,
But even by taking general view
Of the case, I think something might he
done 10 elucidate the question. For In.
stance II the committee were TO take the
returns Of 1879 as made by both Boards,
and contrast them with the returns Of
this year as made by the Returning Board,
"a claimed by the Democratic party, with
such facts and details as / think could be
readily obtained, ! believe righteous con.
clusion could be arrived at, The census
and relative registration, whites and
blacks, and The relative vote in.l S72 and
1874, would throw much light on the mat.
ter; and / submit that the returns from
these Democratic parishes, where by the
fusion count Of the former Board we we're
allowed our reasonable minority vote In
1879, but where no Republican vote, or
scarcely one was permitted to be cast this
year, might properly b. Be considered. g !, !
detail the returns OF 1879 az made by the |
fusionista. Those returns are probably
acceptable, and their authenticity or zen.
rineness l. susceptible Of proof.
"Allow me to suggest as another mode |
likely TO aid In reaching a conclusion, that
The returns Of 1872, as made BY the Flu.
sion Board, be taken as correct whenever
they do not widely differ from the returns
Of the Lynch Board, and where they do |
so differ let the returns from these same |
parishes thisyeaF, a. claimed by the Dem. |
ocratio committee themselves, be taken as
representing the vote OF 1879. For in
stance, take the tWenty-eight parishes
where both boards return the same candi.
dates to the House and adopt the returns
Of the Fusion Board. Then for other
parishes, where the two boards differed |
widely, take the vote this year, as return.
ed BY the Democratic committee. This
will be 10 consider the returns In which,
In many cases, The Republicans were not
credited with their full vote, but were dc. |
priyed Of votes actually cast by means. Of |
fraudulent practice, ,as can be easily
shown. '''- ''' - ~ y y ''''N
WThese aspects Of The case, with the
other evidence procurable, will, / believe,
20 very far TO elucidate the right Of this