Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-12-15
w hole Number 14O6

eglatered eolOred voters number ?. 1877. not
q, heP19etlcan vote for Eleetor was cast. In
hast Dat9h Rouge, counting 1852 colored
reSlseeIeu ana but l, ,SO1 whites. the Demo-
cratS i clSlin majority of 617, which. hut
for the rejection OF several polls bv commIs-
siOners and supervisors of eleofi3n ,-a,,i5
have been returned to the Retnrnin,- POorJ EoH.J
as votes actually cast. If to the Dsr,oora 0'rrol
tic majority of the four parishes. as o6o!-a
stated, we add the 617 thus claimed and in
sisted upon before the Returning Board q
Democratic majority of 4, 495 is the resuIt
of an election in five parishes containing
13, pa colored Republicans. and 5. f:}4 white
Democratic voters. The conclusion that
intimidation and violence alone could have
produced this is almost irresistible. and
that such influences were EMPLOYED and
were supplemented by murder when that
was thought necessary, as established by
the proofs already referred to. It but con-
hrms this conclusion to refer to the vote
cast IN these five parishes, q, ,974, when no
special motives. existed for the use of cruel
means means TO influence the election. The Re
tuollcSh .i majority therein was then 1919.
Z. ie5uI!'so suggestive of violence and in
tlini9atlon u was obtained by means the most
terrible and revolving. Organized elubs of
masked, armed men. formed as recoTnrosrJ-
ed by the Central Democratic COMMITTEES
rode through the county at night. marliney
their course by whipping, shooting. wound
ing. manning, mutilatiOn, and murder of
women and children and defenseless meIE
whose houses were forcibly entered whilst
they slept, and, as their inmates fed
through fear, the pistol, and the rifle, the
knife, and the rope were employed to do
their horrid work. Crimes like these, testi-
fed to by scores of witnesses, were the
means employed in Louisiana to elect a
President OF the United States.
The members OF the board. acting under
oath, were Roundaby law, if convinced by
testimony that riot, tumult, acts of violence,
or armed disturbance did materially inter-
fere with the purity and freedom Of the cleo
ton at aay poll or voting place, or did mate
rally change the result of the election there
at, to reject the votes thus cast and exclude
them frOmtheir final returns. fthe effect
of such testimonFth the board was the sole
and final judge, and if in reaching con-
elusiOn, il. exercised good faith and was
guided by an honest desire to do Justice,
its determination should be respected. even
if upon like proof different conclusion
might have been reached by other tribunals
or persons. To guard the purity of the bal
lot; 70 protect citizen IN the free and
peaceful exercise of his right TO vote: to Sc
cure him against violence, intimidation,
outrage, and especially murder, when he
attempts to perform this duty, should be
the desire of all men and the aim of every
representative government. If political
success shall be attained by such violent
and terrible means as were resorted to in
many parishes Of Louisiana, complaint
should not be made ifthe votes thus obtain
ed are denounced by, Judicial tribunals and
all honest men as illegal and void
TSigned1 JOIN SHERMAN, Ohio,
E. W, SToUGHToN, New York,
J.aH., VAN ALLEN, New York,
EUGENE HALE. Maine,
]. A. GARFIELD, Ohio,
CORTLAND PARKER, New Jersey.
W. D. KELLEY, Pennsylvania,
SIDNEY CLARK, Kansas,
J. G. WILSON, Kansas.