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

H.
counts and declares the votes OF the electors
OF the several States in the election of Presi-
dent and Vice President under the constitution
of the United States, different case would
be presented It is, in our judgment, vital to
the preservation of constitutional liberty that
the habit of obedience to the forms OF law
should be sedulously inculcated and cultivated
and that resort to extra-coDstitutional modes
OF redress for even actual grievances should
be avoided and condemned as revolutionary
dlsorganizing, and tending to disorder and an
archy. To reduce the whole question, there
fore, TO the mere clerical duty of counting the
votes actually cast as proposed BY you, in dis
tinction from votes legally cast, and returned
irrespective of the question whether they are
frsudulently or violently cast or otherwise
vftiated involves notification OF the provis-
ions of the laws of Louisiana, which have al
ready been adjudicated as valid by the Supreme
Court and would be wholly unjustifable here
as we'll as in any other State of the Union
which had provided laws to protect the rights
OF voters and the purity of the ballot. We
cannot, therefore, concur In your PROPOSE
ton for o conference on that basis. Very re-
spectfully
John Sherman, Stanley Matthews. j. A. Garfield,
Ohio; VIM. d. Kelley, Pennsylvania; John A. Kas-
son, Iowa: E. w. Stoughton. New York; @. Irving
Dirty, Maryland; j. III. Van Allen, New York; ;
Eugene Hale, Maine; NJ. s. Quay, Pennsylvania;
VIII Cumback, Indiana; Ed +. Moves Job E. Ste
venson. Ohio; John Coburn, Lew Wallace, Indiana;
). M. Tutte, w. A. McGrew. j. w, Chapman, ". il.
Smith, Iowa; Abner Taylor, s. r. Haven. j. nj.
Beardsley, c. b. Farwel, Illinois; Sidney Clarke,
>. q. Hllson, Kansas.
A REJoINDER.
The Northern Democrats here make the fol-
lowing rejoinder to the Republican address:
New ORLEANS, Nov. IL, 1876.
To the Hon. John Sherman, Stanley Matthew'S j.
A. Garfield, W. D. Kelley, John a. Kasson, e. w.
Stoughton. O. Irving Ditty, j. H. Van Allen,
Eugene Hale. M. S. Quay, ill S. Cum back, E. s.
NoSes, Job Stevenson, John Coburn, Lew Nal
lace, John futile, M. A. McGrew, j. A. Chapman,
VIM. r. Smith Abner Taylor, S. r. Haven, J. NJ
Beardsley, G. B. Farwell, Courtlandt Parker, Sid
ney Clarke, j. U. Wilson:
GENTLEMEN: We are in receipt of your an
swer TO our letter of the 14Gh inst, in which
you inform us of your determination not to
confer with us for the purpose of exerting such
influence as we may possess in behalf Of such
a canvass of the votes actually cast st the cleo
ton in Louisiana as by its fairness and impair
TALLY shall command the acquiescence and
respect of all parties We sincerely regret
this failure of our attempt to secure the Co
operation OF the citizens from other States in
furtherance of the purpose which, as we sup
posed, had brought them hither at this juno
ture. We regret it all the more because your
refusal to confer and cooperate with us ap-
pears to be based upon serious misapprehen-
sion of the language, no less than the spirit of
COmUunlCdLlOus
capped your notice that our statement of the
result to be attained by the cooperative action
which we sought to bring about was g simple
reproduction of the language of President
Grant, at whose request we understand, you
are here. In his recent order to Gen. Sherman
that language was deliberately used no doubt
in view of the fact about which, as we conceive,
there can be no dispute, that the first and
most essential prerequisite to ali honest and
just declaration of the result of the recent
election in Louisiana is a fair and Impair
tial canvass of the votes actually cast and it
seems to us that you do the President great in
justice in supposing that in speaking of the
votes actually cast he meant to include votes
Illegally cast you certainly do us injustice by
the mputation of desire to insist upon such a
narrow and vicious Interpretation. In our
judgment the expression, "Votes actually
cast" of necessity designates votes legally cast,
and as consequence OF such votes only did we
desire to secure a fair and impartial canvass.
We beg leave to say. therefore, that you are
mistaken in the belief that we sought unduly
to narrow the basis on which we invited your
cooperative action, and you are no less in er-
ror in attributing to us q purpose to interfere
with the legal authorities of the State in the
discharge of their duties, to claim rights and to
arrogate to ourselves powers which we do not
possess
In writing our letter we were fully aware
judicial or ministerial, of the Returning Board
of Louisiana were beyond any authoritative
control from without and that it would be the
height of arrogance and folly to attempt to
alter the laws of q State Of which we are not
citizens, Or to obtrude our Interpretation of
these laws upon those whose duty it is to adj
minister them but we had supposed, never
theless, that there was an influence which
might be rightfully exerted, even by citizens
of this republic who are strangers in this
State and we had taken it for granted that your
presence here in response to the suggestion of
the President was recognition OF this fact.
We had supposed that it was not improper for
us to remind the authorities of this State by
our mere presence, at least that there are GER
tain rules of fairness and justice which underlie
all constitutions and laws, and upon whose
observance must depend the acquiescence of
the people of all parties in the declared result
of the Louisiana election, rules such as these:
That no one ought to be Judge in his own case
that the decision of any contest ought not to
depend upon the mere arbitrament of one of
the parties thereto; that before such a decision
is made, both parties ought to be fully and
fairly heard; that all questions Of law ought to
be decided in conformity with it's established
general principles, and all Questions Of fact,
upon evidence duly presented and weighed
under the rules which are of universal recog-
milton in all the States of this Union; that the
least, ought to be public, and that all the pro-
ceedings resorted to for the purpose of deter
mining the issues in the present electoral con-
test ought, by their manifest impartiality,
to disarm the suspicion that the forms of
law have been perverted into instruments
for the violation of it's spirit. In this
connection we may be permitted to observe
that while undoubtedly, as you say, sedulous
inculcation and cultivation of the habits of
obedience to the forms Of law is vital to the
preservation of constitutional liberty, it is no
less important than refusal to yield such ODE
dience be not provoked by using these forms
as means for subverting the very ends for
which they were designed. Without under
taking to question the sincerity of the belief
which you are at pains to express that you
know of no reason to doubt that the Louisiana
Returning Board will make a perfectly honest
and Just declaration of the results of the re-
cent election in Louisiana, we deem it not i'm
proper to remind you that the presence of 80
many citizens from all parts Of the Union at
this moment seems to be evidence of a widely
distrust of the action of this board,
ond thot e17oh diatri1at has this foundation at