New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-11-17
HANDS OFF I

HANDS OFF!
The Republicans who have come to
this city at the request Of the President to
be present at the counting of the votes BY
the Returning Board, have returned
very strong reply to the note Of the DEM
ocrats here for q similar object. 1t Will
be seen that they emphatically and very
properly refuse to consider themselves in
any manner q part of the political ma
chinery or Judicial system Of this State,
and refuse to join their Democratic cor
respondents in violating the principle of
State rights or interfering with our right
to local self government.
As observers, however, and intelligent
men, they have and will probably exercise
the right to examine the decisions Of the
Returning Board, and either approve or
disapprove them as their individual views
of the law and the evidence may lead
them. It is in one sense, therefore, for
tunate circumstance for US that we have
so many able and intelligent witnesses,
who are at the same time capable judges,
on the spot, to explain to their several
constituencies the reasons which will
control tho State Canvassers in their &C.
ton. Although many of the gentlemen
on both sides are lawyers of the highest
eminence, yet they are not here to manage
q case at law, and, if possible, secure q
verdict either for Tilden or Hayes. 1t is
barely possible that they may not be in.
vited or permitted to be present at the
deliberations of the Returning Board,
though when the decision is given to the
public, along with the testimony upon
which it is based, it will be matter upon
which every American citizen will be per-
fectly free to express his opinion.
We learn that orders have been issued
from the very highest authority to protect
the Returning Board from interference or
intrusion of any sort. The gentlemen
composing it are charged with grave and
responsible duties under the laws of
Louisiana, and there is no reason to doubt
they will discharge their important trust
with judgment and fidelity. They are
legally, physically and mentally capable.
and no more need q council of advisers to
assist, prompt or check them than the
judges of the Supreme Court need such
extraneous aids in solving great ques-
ton of constitutional law.
It was part of the law of this State,
which was or should have been well
known to every voter, that all the ballots
cast at general election are required to
pass under the scrutiny of the Returning
Board for the purpose of ascertaining
whether they have been fairly cast OF not.
Our election law is entitled can act to
maintain the freedom aud purity Of cleo
tons" To comply with this law, the
election in every polling place must be
perfectly free and entirely pure. Want
ing in either of these qualities, the cleo
ton is absolutely void, and it is made the.
duty of the Returning Board to reject
everything tainted with fraud. If the
Democracy Of Louisiana are able to show
q clear and honest record of the voting at
every polling place, they have nothing to
fear from the canyassers. But if not,
their protests, threats and inhcmmatory
appeals will avail them nothing. A bal
lot cast by force does not represent vote
and should and will be rejected.
The Northern Democrats who are here,
therefore, have more concern in finding
out whether their Louisiana political
friends have been cheating in the interest
of Tilden and reform, than eliciting the
opinions of Northern Republicans about
our Returning Board. For we are salts
fed the issue will be decided strictly &C.
cording to the law and the facts, and not
as the gentlemen representing the Ma
tional Democratic Committee may die
tate; not as the gentlemen who are here
at the request of the President, or even
the members of the Returning Board
themselves, may wish. We feel q much
greater interest in the record that was
made up on the seventh of November
than we do in the opinions of anybody as
to the probable action of the Returning
Board, and are willing to stand or fall by
that record.