The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1876-11-24
SfigJ o., thc Ragged Edge.

Another wecl, has passed, and mp to thi
"Wednesday afternoon the question is still
undetermined who is the legally and con
stitutionaily elected President of The United
States. That Samuel J. Tilden, as VIC sta
tel last week, received by the admitted re
turns 1S4 electoral votes, is conceded BY
c.mmon consent. Tiden therefore only
fails one vote below 1S5, the necessary
humber for choice. Hayes, the Repub
lean candidate, received 1GG votes, or Just
10 votes less than are required to elect
There isnodispute about these facts. The
vote of the three States of Florida, South
Carolina and Louisiana is yet to be finally
determined by that anomaly in ascertaining
the true and honest vote Of a State, called
and well and infamously known as-a Re
turning Board. One week ago yesterday
Gov. Hayes, in n speech in Columbus to a
serenading party, admitted his defeat, anC:
both parties throughout the whole country
fromoMainc to Oregon believed and said
the same thing.
1t was well known on last Friday in
in order to defeat Tilden, who had ma
jority of the popular vote of more than
three hundred and fifty thousand, it was n
political necessity to deliberately cheat him
out of one of the three States mentioned,
and by that process elect Hayes by giving
him all of them. Grant ordered troops to
be sent TO Tallahassee. the capital Of Flor
ida, where the returning board of the State
meets. Troops were also despatched to
Columbia, South Carolina, and to New
Orleans. In all this military business
Grant said and still says that his purpose
was to preserve the peace while The return
ing boards werc.n session counting returns.
1t may be, as the New York World says,
that Grant in his military order to Sherman
meant what he said, fair count Of the re-
turns, or it may have been deliberate
purpose on his part to ovorawe the solemn
verdict rendered through the ballot boxes
in Louisiana and Florida. The Louisiana
returning board met on Monday in New
Orleans for the purpose Of counting :he re-
turns Of the election in the different par
ishes of that State. The board is composed
of J. Madison Wells, Grants Surveyor OF
the Port of Y. Orleans, Anderson, and two
negroes, Casanaye and Eenner, all radicals.
Wells is man of infamous political roru-
.ation, and has been denounced on former
occasions for his corrupt practices as a
member of this same returning board, even
by Gen. Sheridan, the right bower and mil
itary satrap of General Grant in Louisiana
and every place else wherever Grant orders
him to execute his unlawful military de-
crees. The board decided by resolution 70
allow a committee of fire of each political
party from the North TO appear before them
and witness the opening and counting of
the returns. This business is now going on
in New Orleans and it will take some days
yet to definitely determine the true and
honest vote of that State. No honest man
Of either party doubts or denies that the
vote of Louisiana was cast for Tilden by at
least 5000 majority. Hence we ask, can
the honest voters Of that State be cheated
this returning board out of their votes, or
can the Democracy of Florida, who voted
for Drew for Governor and Tilden for
PRESIDENT, Oe Cneateu ana ulSlfahcnlSeG Dy
The returning board of said state?
OF South Carolina we speak elsewhere.
1t will take some days yet to ascertain the
actual result there, but in the meantime let
prudence and good sense control the feel
ings of the people, and the result, as final
ly determined, will vindicate The right of
the majority to rule and that their sover-
eign voice must and shall be obeyed.
p. S.-The latest and most encouraging G
reports to-day Thursday point clearly to
the fact that Florida and Louisiana will
have to be counted by the respective re-
turning boards as a clear majority Of tho
pcople'of those States decided at the polls -
in favor of Tilden and Reform. We believe
moreover, from the very latest dispatches
received from the two States named, that
the conspiracy to defraud Tilden out of his
election and to fraudu,ently count in Hayes.
will meet with miserable failure, and that
the overwhelming verdict of the people OF
the Union in favor of the election of Sam.
ucl J. Tilden will be peaceably submitted
to as the clearly expressed wish of the ma
tion.