The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-11-20
rhe Herald,s TallahasseeS special

Vne HefAld1S SIalLAnASseeSpee
NEW YoRK, November 1s.-Thl
HaalfS Tallahassee special says that th'
Democratic State Committee have ad
dressed communication TO the member
Of the Board Of State Canyassers, request
ing them to proceed at once to canvass
the returns so far as received. They set
forth the probability that the contests
will require some time for determination
and quote the law requiring the issuance
OF certificates by the Governor on Decem
ber the 9th. Interviews with the mem
bers OF the Board indicate an apparent
certainty that the Board will refuse tc
commence to canvass as requested, but
viii postpone it till it will be too Late for
the Democrats to secure 4 full hear
ing. This has put them to look
ing into authority under which
the Board is acting. II Is quite probable
that proceedings will be commenced
promptly to see II the Board can't be
forced to commence canvassing, or wheth'
er it can't be restrained by injunction
from exercising any judicial functions at
all. Mr.. Cowgirl, a member OF the Board,
quoted the law to the reporter, which
says: The Board shall meet on the thirty.
fifth day after the election or sooner il
the returns are all in. He said he
should be bound by that law, and added
that the returns were not all in. Judge
Cooke, another member OF the Board,
said we should agree to the request of the
committee and save the opinion that the
law admitted the right to make q
seriatim canvass OF the returns as they
come in, Mr.. ". E. Chandler says it ap-
pears as il the whole white population Of
Florida were police board, detective
force and affidavit workers for the Dem
ocrats, while we have only few wit.
nesses scattered about here and there.
In the oticial returns from the four
counties received yesterday Walton
shows Democratic gain Of 81 from the
committees estimate and Marion Re-
publican loss Of ten from the same esti-
mate. The others agree exactly with
what was claimed. ~
BOTH PARTIES STILL CLAIMING FLORIDA.
{ TALLAHASSEE, November 1S.-Both'
parties still claim the State on the Presi-
Dental as well as Gubernatorial ticket.
The Democratic committee has arranged
to have sworn duplicates made Of the
official returns in each county and for
warded. They have received these from
all save i've counties, all Democratic.
Their estimates, based on these unofficial
copies OF official returns, give Drew and
Tilden both clean majority. The Re-
publieans will furnish no figures, stating
that they will await the official returns.
It ia claimed that Tilden will have ma
iority Of some 800 or 400 on the returns
az made officially by the County Canvas.
sers. The Republicans claim that even
this they will be able, BY prov
ing frauds, to overcome this prina tacie
majority and establish the State for
Hayes.
The fight before the State Board will be
very bitter. The Democrats besides de-
Tending l4sir majority for .Tilden will
attack the Ireturns in Jefferson, ALA
chua and Leon counties, which are the
strongholds. They claim TO
have discovered glazing frauds in ALA
chua, where the returns OF the Election
Inspectors were raised 2l9 votes and
their names forged to the new returns.
The Board Of State Canvassers this
replied to the application Of the
Committee declining to com.
mence the canvass at present, Cooke,
DEM, voting aye, and McLain and
Cowgirl, Reps, voting nay. The Repub-
licans declined on the ground that the
law reads on the 35th day after an elec.
ton, or sooner ifall the returns are in the
canvass OF the votes shall begin, and that
as the time has not expired and all the
returns are not yet in they can
not legally begin work. The Democrats
claim that there is clause allowing the
canvass TO begin at any time and canvass
such returns as have arrived, and not
closing the canvass to the exclusion OF
ang county for non-arriyal until the
thirty.Gtth day has come. Steps will
probably be taken to see II there Is not in
The Supreme Court some power to force
the canvassers to begin work.
a NEW ISSUE N FLORIDA.
TALLAHASSEE, November. 19.-There is
\ reasonable ground for believing that
Governor Stearns will assume that the
State Board has no power to canvass the
electoral vote, but that that power re-
sides in the Governor. This assumption
will permit the Governor to decide
all issues pertaining to the canvass, and
TO issue the certificate to whichever set
Of electors he decides are elected. His
assumption is based upon the fact that
the set creating the Returning Board does
not use the word ELECTORS" in giving the
list Of officers whose vote the Board shall
canvass. The power to canvass this vote
not being specifically conferred upon the
Board, he contends It resides'in him, IS he
is required by the United States law to
issue certificates 10 the electors, and must
canvass the vote in order that he may de-
eide who is entitled to certificates.
The Democrats are astonished that this
claim Is set up, and contend that the
word ELECTORS" is not used in the act refer
red to simply because electors are includ-
ed under the head Of State officers, which
expression Is used in the act. The Dem
waited on the Governor
and notified him that II he contemplated
such 4 step they would ask permission to
tile protest. He stated that they should
have an opportunity to do SO, and this
morning informed them by letter that he |
should Be pleased If they would forward
In writing whatever they had to say upon
the subject. This is construed as an init
nation that he intends to move in the |
matter without delay. Elaborate opin.
ions are being prepared on both sides Of
the question.
There is some movement ordered in |
military circles tonight, precisely what
i Is cannot be ascertained. It is suppos-
ed the troops are going to some OF the
contested counties.
of the Lincoln Tomb
Robbers.