New-York tribune., 1876-12-04
LOUISIANA RETURNING BOARD.
A CARD FROM U. s. SENATOR WEST OF
LOUISIANA.

THE PRESENT BOARD COMPOUNDED WITH PRENl-
Gus oNE-rTs JUDGMENTS REVERSED BY COM
MITTEEs OF CONGRESS, But ITS MEMBERS NEVER
ACCUSED OF DISHONEST MOTIVES.
70 the Edftor o. The Tribune
SIR: Your New-Haven correspondent 3D." who
favored us in The TRIBUNE of the 2d inst with
very valuable disquistion upon the heinous crime
of tamperng with the free exercise Of the ballot has
little or nothing to say in regard to the evidence
daily disclosing the Louisiana Democratic practice
in that regard, but confines his lamentation to the
decaying morality of the Republicans of that State
and assumes broadly that the Returning Board now
canvassing the returns in compliance with law, are
set of unprincipled knaves, at whose hands no
honest verdict can be expected. Your correspond
ent says;
I there no danger of fraudulent transactions by the
louisiana Returning Boardi II suspicious oi the
honesty of the persons composing that lenaIkaoie t
bnnsl learned my distrust from TIE TRIBUNE, which,
time after time during the past four years has de-
nouneed them as the most uAo cor4uP' so
Of seamps that ever held Office.
His expression time after time during the past
four years. shows that he has fallen into the very
common error Of cOnfoundng the present board with
the ono that canvassed the election of 1872 IL Lou
isiana. The TRIBUNE itself has not been exactly
free from the same error In reverting TO the history
of the board of 1872 it well to remember how its
action was viewed by the Senate Committee, which
in its report said.-
Though cannot approve OF such a canvass as
that mace by the Lynch Board who seem 70 have acted
upon tie principle of fighting the devil with fire. ana
Eelloggs government was elected, nevertheless be-
lieye that KellOggs government was defeated ana inc
popular reversed by the fraudulent manipulation OF
Inc election.
That is tho only censure that the board Of 1879
met at the hands of the committee. 1t and the law
creating it have gone out Of existence Are its SINS
if any. be visited upon its successor the present
boardf "B" evidently thinks so, for he says:
~, ~. .aFadE ElppfNa
and cOnhning the question 10 Louisiana say that IN
that State there is good reason for beeFng at IIdu9
car party and its candidates 70 be secured by over
turning and reversing the legally expressed VII oil tle
majority II my statement Is TOO strong, let me qnany
ifor wish TO be entirely within Do4hasDy % 2 SAYING
ing Board will hesitate at the perpetraton OF iraud
81 t shall found necessary and that the Republican
party cannot afford to take the election from their
hands while that reasonable suspicion exists. .
take II for granted that the board will stretch TO their
utmost tension all the laws general ana specid WiCh
have been passed meet these and when all THIS
is done, and all the measures adQpted tHat nave & Ig
set law aside and accomplish It's purpose IN spite Oh u,
These men have cheated before the temptation now is
greater than cver every step In ther proceedings ts
Tar advertSes their purpose 10 DO H. ana " Is Carrying
creduy far to ask US TO believe that they have no
such intention.
"B'sD ethics might make him an exceedingly up
right judge-they certainly could not be relied upon
to insure his impartality. His wholesale cOndcmna-
ton of the present board is nhmanly cruel UNJUST
to them unjust to the Republican name, and utterly
at variance with the facts. The majority OF the pres
ent Returning Board was elected by the Louisiana
State Senate in 1874. One member has in the mean
time been chosen to fill a vacancy and one vacancy
still exists They exercised their functions for the
first time in the State election of that year. No
member of the board of to-day on the board Of
1872. Their action in 1874 subjected to the
Investigation of committee of the U. S. House of
Representatives-a body that in the court of public
opinion subject alone to the revsOry authority OF
the people. The Returning Board of Louisiana was
less fortunate in that respect-their action re-
yised by au assumed higher authority this commit
tee who in passing judgment upon their acts did,
as is done constantly every day by revisory
courts reverse the judgment of the court below.
But this was done in unkind terms III "B." is
familiar with the case he assumes to treat Of his
audacity IN SAYING that "these men have cheated
before smaoks more OF the inimcal partisan than
of the outraged virtue Of the well-wsher of his
party affiliations His misstatement should perhaps
be aseIibed to his ignorance. The haTshest ex-
preston used by the Marshall branch of the
committee of 1875 in regard to this board was that
their action was unjust, illegal, and arbitrary -
and tins by men abundantly Supplied with a vOcab-
ulary of political denuncatOn. "B.s" ready use Of
the words fraud and cheat" found no sanction in
the minds of that committee.
There was another branch--the' Republican--of
and Frye, who, in dissenting from the proceedings
of the board, said:
The Returning Board claims that IN this proceeding
they acted under an honest belief that they right
in their construction of the law, and that they were
giving effect the true Will OF the majority OF the peO
Die Of louisiana and that in their construction they
followed the precedent set by the Democratic Fusion
Reulrning Board OF 1872. We believe they did follow
Ruch "A DreeedenE We have doubt that Aey believed
they were defending the people Of Louisiana against
fraud on their constitutional rghts But thoFe is no
dangerous form OF sefdeusOn than that which in
duces high places OF public trust to violate law TO
redress and prevent what they deem public In
own powers aud duties, and emphatic dlsapprOba-
flOn their proceedings, desire to state enphat
caY oar unWillingness 10 do them any injustice and
our full appreciation OF al the considerations which
NAV tend 10 paliate their conduct Several OF them
have held high position Gov Wes the President. had
been large and wealthy planter before this had
aaed loyal through the kebeOn, had been true To the
Dag OF his country when driven TO the swamps and
hunted with dogs Such a record entities him 70 our
Warnest sympathy and respeee
Let the respect" Of George Z. Hoar, William A.
wheeler and William p. Frye stand side by side
with "B's" conviction that such a man would
~cheat' Tho committee reported preamble and
resolution for the action of the House of Represent
ativesthe only allusion in these TO the action of
the Returning Board is conveyed in the following
words:
The Returning Board Of that State, in caDvassng and