The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-12-28
But the explanation is very simple

But the explanation is very simple
The voters of Louisiana elected four
Democratic Congressman to two Repub-
licans, and even after the board had
cooked over the "bull dozed" parishes,
the ballots still elected four Democrats
Something more was necessary to elect
the Republicans in two of those districts
the other two Democratic districts de,
flying any tampering by the conclusive
proof of the fairness of their elections
and 80 the board proceeded to "revise"
lot of the parishes in them, apparently
without the slightest regard to any con-
sideratiOn but the necessity of counting
in the defeated Republicans.
The ten parishes which compose the
Fourth Congressional district cast 7,247
Republican votes in 1874, and 1920
Democratic-a total of IL ,967, and Dem
ocratic majority of 473. The same par
ishes last month gave Smith, Republican
ll,540, and Elan, Democrat, l2,137-a
total of 1886 or nearly six thousand
more than in the "free, peaceable and
full" election Of two years ago-and a
Democrat C majority Of but 500 against
3,473. Could there be stronger evidence
OF the fairness of the election, or at least
of the lack of fraud or intimidation on
the Democratic side2 Yet the Return.
ing Board picked out five of these par
ishes (Bossier, De Soto, Natchitoches,
Vernon and Webster, where the Repub-
lican vote had increased from 3,6i8 to
to 1854, while the Democrats had only
added 80 votes to their $500 oftwo years
ago, and threw out Democratic votes suf
ticient to leave Elan but 1914 while
Smith had lO,S6S-a Returning Board
Republican majority Of 1874, pgainst
popular Democratic majority of $685.
But the arbitrary" character of the
boards action was even more clearly IL
lustrated in the Sixth district. THIS in
cludes three of the "Dull-dozed" parishes
East Baton Rouge and East and West
Feliciana-and gave Nash, Republicans
III, ,l47 and Robertson, Democrat, 10 .52O.
Even after revising" the votes of three
parishes, Nash was still some 500 ahead
OF Robertson. SO the ofthree parishes of
Livingston, st. Landry and Tangipahoa
parishes each which showed large Re-
publican gains and smaller Democratic
since 1874, casting in all 8, ,l31 Republican
votes now to 2,l8O in 1874 while the
Democrats had increased their vote only
from 5,058 to 5,445-were seized upon,
and Democratic votes enough thrown out,
on what pretense will probably never be
known, to just count in Nash by 1O,797
votes to l0,703 for Robertson. And this,
too, in the same Congressional district
that contains the strong negro and Re-
publican parish of Point Coupee, which
by the way, Immediately adjoins Saint
Landry, where the board had already
approved returns which reduced the Re-
publican majority from 1870 to 907, and
established the peaCeable change of
hundreds of negro voters from the Re-
publican to the Democratic party.
Governor Hayes enjoys the unique dis
tinction Of being the first man in the his
tory ofthe United States whom Return
ing Board has illegally tried to elect
President in opposition to the popular
vote, and he must be very different
man from what he has been supposed to
be by the people who supported him if
he can contemplate his Returning Board
majority with atisfaction-would it be
too much to say, if he can accept the
Presidency when gained by such unjust
illegal and arbitrary actior%-SprinQfeId
(Aa88) Republican, (Rep.).