The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1876-11-23

New ORLEANS, Nov. IL
To the Hon. Stanley Matthews, James Garfield,
J. Irwin Ditty, John II. Shoenbereer W1n NJ
Kvarts, B. ". stoughton, John A. Dix, snd
others
The undersigned arrived here Yesterday.
They came in answer to telegram from Hon.
Abraham s. Hewitt, Chairman of the National
Democratic Committee, dated at New FORK.
Nov. 10. 1876, as follows, viz The citizens
OF New Orleans urgently request that a
delegation OF prominent gentlemen come
there at once to counsel peace and fair
and honest returns. You are earnestly re-
questsd to be one of ten or fifteen gentle
men, all widely known, to meet at the Louis
vile Galt House, on Saturday evening,
proceeding directly south, or, if more con-
venlent meeting at the st. Charles Hotel New
Orleans, on Monday morning Your prompt
acceptance by telegraph is requested This
emergency appeals to your patriotism" Tie
Undersigned are informed you have come
mere at the request of the Presi-
! dent OF the United States to see that
| the Board OF Canvassers make fair count of
the vote actually cast. While in the late can
| vass you gave your support to Hayes and
| Wheeler as candidates for President and Vice
PRESIDENT, and the undersigned gave their
support TO Tilden and Hendricks for these
offices, they feel assured that all good citizens
OF all parties regard an honest count and tue
returns or the vote cast of greater moment
than the success of any candidate for Office,
and are ready to do all that honorable men
should do to secure such return Of
the vote cast at the late election in
the State of Louisiana, which assumes more
than ever before a national Importance, and
upon which in this crisis NAV depend the very
existence of constitutional government
The undersigned, therefore, in view of the
unhappy controversies which have heretofore
arisen from the action Of the Returning Board
&h<nO loco
event change the result of q Presidential cleo
ton, and in view of the desire of all good men,
that effect should be given to the will of the
majority as lawfully expressed, respectfully
ask you, or such OF you as are present, to
meet and confer with them personally or
through committees, as may be deemed most
wise, in order that such Influence as we possess
may be exerted in behalf of such a canvass of
the votes actually cast as by it's fairness and i'm
partiality shall command the respect and ac-
quiescence of the American people of all par
ties. Yours respectfully,
John M. Pe mer, Lyman Trumbul William R.
Morrison, ILL ois; Samuel j. Randall A. J. Cur
tin, VIM. Biglar Pennsylvania; j. E. Mcdonald,
Indiana J. r. oolttle Geo. B. Smith, Wiscon-
| sin; Geo. W. u an, M. d. Manson, John Love, In
l1cHenPy, KENT ky; Oswald Ottendorfer, New
York: j. B. Stallo, Ohio; Lewis " Bogy, James O.
Broadhead @. Gibson, Missouri; John Lee Car
roll VIM. F. Hamilton, Maryland; W. S. Summer,
Connecticut
THE ANSWER.
The following is the reply of the Republicans
| to the communication of the Democrats invit-
! ing a conference:
New ORLEANS Nov. 49,
| To Hon. John III. Palmer Lewis V. Bogy, Lyman
Trumbull, James o. Broadhead, w. R. Morrison,
| and others, present at the request of the Chair
| man of the National Democratic Committee.
| GENTLEMEN The majority of the under
signed, to whom your note of the 14th inst.
was addressed, only arrived in this city yester-
| day evening We have. therefore been unable
to reply until this morning, and can only regret
that your communication should have been
/ given to the press immediately upon it's de!ly-
| ery and without the possibility OF an answer
accompanying it. You remark that you are in
| formed that we came at the request of the
| President to see that the Board of Canvassers
| make a fair count OF the votes actually cast,
| and ask that we meet and confer in order that
such an influence as we possess may be exerted
on behalf of such canvass of the votes actually
cast as by its fairness and impartiallty shall
| command the respect and acquiescence of the
American people of all parties. We join heart
lily with you in counsels OF peace and in the
expression of an earnest desire for q perfectly
honest and just declaration Of the results Of
the recent election in Louisiana by Its lawfully
constituted authorities, and we may add that
we know of no reason 20 doubt that such a
declaration will be made, but we do not see
the propriety or utility of a conference on the
basis and subject to the limitations you pro-
pose, for we have no such duty imposed on US,
and, as suggested by the clause of your note
FIRST quoted, we are st most requested to be
witnesses of what shall occur in the canvass
of the votes without power or legal influence
over the result or over the means by which
under the laws of Louisiana the result is to be
determined We cannot doubt that you upon
reflection will concur with us. We are here as
private citizens with no official powers. we
therefore cannot supersede or modify any
laws of that State, nor have we any right to
control or influence any of it's officers as to
the manner in which they shall perform minis
terial or judicial duties imposed upon them by
the law, and should we, being strangers and
without official functions, attempt this, we
should be condemned by the people Of every
State in the Union for all improper interior
ence with local administration.
The following extract from the laws of
Louisiana shows that the Canvassing Board is
expressly required in certain cases to exercise
judicial as we'll IS ministerial functlons:
SEC 3. That in such canvass and compilation the
returning officers shall observe the following order
They shall compile first the statements from all
polls votingpaces at which there shall have been
fair free and reasonable registration and election.
Whenever, from any poll or voting place, there
shall be received the statement of any supervisor of
Registration, Commissioner OF Election, Ill form
as featured by section &c of this act affidavit of
three or more citizens, of any riot, tumut, acts OF
violence intimidation, armed disturbance, bribery
or corrupt influences which prevented, or tended
to prevent fair, free and peaceable vote of all
qualified electors entitled to vote at such polls or
voting-place, such returning officers shall not
canvass. count or compile the statements from
such poll or voting-place until the statements
from all other polls or voting-places shall have
been canvassed and compiled. The returning
officers shall then proceed to investigate the
statements of riot tumult acts of violence ntimida-
ton and armed disturbances, bribery or corrupt IN
uence at any such poll or voting place. and if from
the evidence of such statement they shall be con-
yinced that such riot tumult acts of violence, in
timidaton, armed disturbance, bribery, or corrupt
influence did lot materially interfere with the
purity and freedom of the election at such poll or
yoting-place or did not prevent sufficient number
of qualified voters thereat from registering or voting
to materially change the result OF the election, then
and not otherwise said returning officers shall can
vass and compile the vote of such poll or votingpace
with those previously canvassed and compiled; put
ite said returning officers shall not be fully satisfied
thereof it shall be their duty TO examine further tes
tmony regard thereto, and to this end they sRal
sI7c, eva rinaton the said returning officers shall