The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-12-02
LOUISIANA.
Proceedsngs or the Returning Board

I New ORLEANS, December l.-Ther'
was the usual attendance TO day, e1cep
the Republican committee, who wer'
absent. Two ballot boxes of East Batcr
! Rouge parish we're opened, showing
: Tilden electors 437 votes and Hayes l9
But little was done, when the Board sd
journed till to morrow.
Address Of the Visiting Democrats
NEW ORLEANS, December 1.-THE
committee of visiting Democrats here
have issued the following address:
NIw ORLEANS, December /.
To the People OF the United States:
Or our arriving here in casting about
for approaches to the officials who con
troll the elections in this State, we dis
covered that they were all OF one politl'
cal party; that the Governor had ap-
pointed none but Republican supervisor:
OF elections, and that the returning
officers constituting the State board were
of the same political school. Influenced
by these insuspicious surroundings, our
thoughts and hopes were turned toward
the eminent gentlemen who had been
selected by the President TO be present
| and see that the Board OF Canvassers
| made fair count of the votes actually
cast on the 7th of November. We invit'
cd these gentlemen to meet and consult
with US. This co operation was declined
but we, nevertheless, have reason to be-
lieve that TO this correspondence may be
attributed the invitation to US, on the
10th ult, by the Returning Board, to at
tend and be present at Its meetings as
spectators and witnesses OF its proceed
ings. Through this courtesy, and the
services Of u competent stenogrspher, we
became possessed of all the essential facts
developed on the face Of the official pa
pers. We have been furnished with q
certified copy of the duplicate statements
of votes made by the commissioners oi
electlsn al each place of voting. From
these statements it appears that Tilden
electors received the following votes
to-wit: McEnery, SS.7l2; Wichlife
SO $50; ST. Martin, SS,676; Poche. SS,52si
DebiaBc, SS,667; Seay, 1882; Cobb
Cross, 81, ,652, and the Hayes electors re-
ceived the following votes, to-wit: kel'
logg, 77l52; Burch, 77,l44; Joseph,
1889; Sheldon, 1914; Marks, 1921
Levisse, 1880; Brewster, 75,457; JEFF
ferson, 1924, The result of the vote
for Presidential electors, rs disclosed on
the face of toe returns opened by the
Returning Board in our presence: Til
den electors-McEnery, 1929; Wick,
life, S2,325; st. Martin, 81, ,l29i Pache
S2,O36; Defiance, S2,065i Sesy, S2,242i
Cobb, 81, 1853; Cross, S2,0l9. For the
Hayes electors-Kellogg, 77023; BuTch
1888; Joseph, 1852; Sheldon, 1875
Marks, 75,087; LeVissee, IS ,l67; Brew
ster, 75,27O; Jefferson, 1880. In most
cases the returns opened by the Return
Ing Board correspond precisely with the
certified copies OF the state
ments .of-Athe commissioners o
election furnished US. The mos:
material difference arose from the failure
of the supervisors of East Baton Rouge
Tsnquipahoa of Orleans to forward
| the statements of votes from all the yot'
ing places IN their respective parishes. In
thirtv.fve out of the thrity-eight state:
IN the Union these figures would be con
elusive. No one wouid claim that I'll
| den and Hendricks were not entItled Il
| the electoral vote of the State, but II
! Louisiana a tribunal has been set up
which on former occasions has over
thrown the will OF the people Ms ex
pressed at the polls, for which
the power is now claimed
in its discretion to change the result O
the popular vote at the recent election
| In view however of the returns and th'
law and the facts which should contro
the Returning Board, with which W.
have made ourselves familiar, we have
no hesitation in saying that the resuI
shown by the votes actually cast canno
be chan ged without paIpable abuse o
the letter and a spirit OF the law govern
ing the Returning Board and mani
fest perversion of the facts betorei 1t. lr
regulsrlties have been committed
in some instances by othcer'
conducting the election and max
ing the return, shut what they are
about rs much on one side as the other
and as to intimidation, violence or othe1
illegal acts preventing free and fan
election, there is evidence on both sides
but not OF such character as to ettec
the general result In most instances
the acts OF violence proceeded from
mere lawiesshess, rs IN the case of Henry
and Eizs Pinkston, and had n
connection with politics. 1t Ii
significant tact that in the parishes
where It is alleged that voters were
kept from the polls by intimidation, the
total vote of such parishes was as large
AS at any time heretofore cast. An hon
eat and fair canvass OF the returns, ever
under the Louisiana law, cannot mate
rally reduce Tnlden's majority, as shown
on the face of the returns.
CSi.ned.1 john NJ. PALMER,
LYMAN TRUMBULL,
WM. BIGLER,
B. &. SMITH,
GEO. JULIAN,
II. II. WATSON.
Correspondence.