The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-12-23
UNpLEAsANTLY HONEST.

Among the prominent republicans" iuvlt-
ed by Gen. Grant to visit the South and wit.
ness the count of the returning boards, was
Gen. Francis A. Barlow, former republican
attorney general OF New York, who was sen,
to Florida When John Sherman, on behalf
of the aforesaid appointment republicans
made his report to the President, it was no
ticed that It contained no reference whatever
to what Gen. Barlow had seen IN Florida
The reason for the omission Is now explain.
ed. Gen. Barlow's report, unlike that ofJohn
Sherman and his associates al New Orleans
told the plain, simple truth-to wit, that Til
den had honestly carried Florida OF course
Grant wanted no such report. Nevertheless
Gen Barlow's report has got into the papers,
to the dismay of the returning board conspi-
rators and makes decidedly ugly looking
case for them in Florida. We copyth main
paragraphs Of this honest and manly state,
ment
certainly thought l had made my own
opinion clear as to the points of the contest
of which | prOfessed to have knowledge. A
little calculation would have shown what ii
was. On the face of the returns the vote was
Hayes, "a 1927; Tilden, 24,2S1 Certain addi.
tons and deductions were agreed on unanl.
mously by the board, which we may assume
TO be correct. These conceded changes left
it: Hayes, 24,2S7; Tiiden, "a ,43S. Then
should have thrown out 2l9 republican votes
in Archer precinct No. 2, and also Friend
ship Church precinct, in Jackson county, as
a majority of the board did. They also re-
jected Campbell Church precinct. This Is
a county as to when do not know the facts,
but will assume that it was rightly rejected,
as 1t does not alter the result to which |
should have come. The two last precincts
disposed of 12l republican and 436 democrat.
lc votes, and deducting these and 2l9 in
Archer, you get the following result: Til
den, 240O2, Hayes, 23,945; Tilden's majority,
So. l should have come to this result after
passing upon all the cases before the board,
except Hamilton county. tits in this county
the official minutes OF the board state that In
some precincts names are not given, SO dem
ocratic and So republican votes were thrown
out | do not know the ground, but ALLOW
ing it, you still have democratic majority
of 80. Then comes Jasper precinct No. 2,
where the vote was democrats 1923; repubi
cans, 1876, as returned About this case |
know only what appears in the minutes of
the board, and in Cowglls letter, and Cooke s
protest, attached to my report, of Irregular.
ties complained of. Abandoning the can.
vass when half finished and turning 1t over
to two lawyers, who completed it next day,
would justify the throwing out Of the whole
returns But what | am in doubt about is
whether the inspectors were republicans or
democrats. Cooke says in his protest that
they were the former, and Cowgirl and the
minutes say nothing aboutit. l have heard
and Cooke also says, that they made atfidavlts
in aid Of the republican contest, and if so, l
presume they were republicans. In that case
it should be presumed that in the return as
made they looked after the interests Of their
own party, and at any rate | do not think
that the democratic majority should be
thrown out because of republican wrong do,
ing. If such were the case, il such precinct
be rejected, 1t would give q republican ma
! jOrily IN the state; otherwise, not. In the
latter case, the Tilden majority would be so
small that perhaps some Of the republican
contests which the board did not stop to con.
slider, probably because the majority had
been reached on other grounds, would have
changed the result If passed upon But
there is no use in specializing about this, as
the case must be considered as it was made
by the board, leaving out the Jasper precinct.
We, therefore, see that IN my opinion there
was Tilden majority even considering that
Campelton and the First precinct in Hamil.
ton county should be thrown out, which
do not say was rightly done In am not I'M
willing to express my opinions, nor do | Oh
ject to having any one to whom they are OF
any consequence know them.