The true northerner., 1876-11-24

Of any election aud investigation. with no dis
cretion. az when the President OF the Senate
oounts and declares the votes or the electors
OF the several States In the election Of Presi-
dent and Wee President under the constitution
Of tho United States, a different case would
be presented IL Is, Ia our judgment vital TO
the preservation Of constitutional liberty that
the habt OF obedience 10 the forms of law
should be fedulously incucated and, d,cultivated,
and thatthe resort TO ocxtrs-coDstitutional modes
OF redress for even actual grievances should
he avoided and condemned a. revolutionary,
disorganizing, ana tending to disorder and an
archy. To reduce the whole question, there
fore, TO the mere clerical duty Of counting the
votes actually cast, M proposed by you. in die
tinction from votes legally cast aud returned
irrespective OF the question whether they are
fraudulentiy or violently cast or otherwise
vitiated, involves q publication OF the provis-
ions OF the laws of Louisiana. which have al
ready been adjudicated rs valid by the Supreme
Court. and would be wholly unjustifiable here
as we'll a. in any other State Of the Union
which had provided laws to protect the rights
OF voters and the putty of the ballot. We
cannot therefore, concur in your proposi-
ton for conference on that basis. Very re-
spectfuly.
John sherman, Stanley Matthews. ]. A. Garfield,
Ohio: Vim. d. Kelley. Pennsylvania; John A. Kas-
t
Ditty. Maryland; j. IL. Van Allen, New York
Eugene Hale, Maine; III. s. Quay, Pennsylvsnia
wiil Cumback, Indiana; Ed L. No,ts job f. ste
venson. Ohio; John Coburn, Lew Wallace, Indiana;
J. NJ. Tuttle. W. A. McGrew. j. w. Chapman. W. II.
Smith. Iowa Abner Taylor. s. X. Haven. ]. NJ.
Beardsley G. Is. rarweil, Illinois; Sidney Clarke,
j. q. Hilson, Kansas.
REJoNDER.
The Northern Democrats here make the fol-
lowing rejoinder to the Republican sddress:
NEx nprts aNrs.
To the Hon. John sherman, Stanley Matthew, j.
A. Garfield, w. ID. Kelley, John A. Kas son. Il. ".
stoughton. O. Irving Ditty, J. II. Van Allen,
Eugene Hale, IL. s. Quay, ALL s. Cum back, L. \.
Noyes, Job z Stevenson, John Coburn, Lew al
lace John Futile, NJ. A. McGrew, j. A. Chapman
Wm. Il: Smith. Abner Taylor, s. r. Haven, ]. NJ
Beardsley, c. u. Farwell, Courtlandt Parker Sid
ney Clarke, j. y. Wilson
GENTLEMEN: We are in receipt of your an
swer TO our letter Of the l4ch inst, in which
you inform us OF your determination not to
confer with us for the purpose of exerting suc
influence as we may possess in behalf CT such
a canvass Of the votes actually cast at the cleo.
ton in Louisiana az by its fairness and impair.
tiality shall command the acquiescence and
respect of all parties. We sincereiy regret
this failure Of our attempt to secure the CO
operation OF the citizens ffom 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-
pesrs to be based upon seIions msapprehen-
sion OF the language, 10 less than the spirit oil
our communication. IL can hardly have os-
capped your notice that our statement Of the
result to be attained by the cooperative action
which We sought to bring about was a SIMPLE
reproduction of the language of Presiden,
| Grant, at whose request, we understand. yor
are here. In his recent order to Gen. Sherman
that language was deliberately used, no doubt
foA
there can be no dispute, that the first ant
most essential prerequisite to All honest anC
| just declaration Of the result of the recen
election in Louisiana is fair and Impair
tisl CANVASS Of the votes actually cast and i
seems TO us that you do the President great in
justice in supposing that in speaking Of tht
votes actually cast he meant to include vote.
illegally cast, as you certainly do ns injustice b,
the imputatiop OF desire to insist upon such
marrow and vicious Interpretation. In oul
| judgment the expression, "Votes actually
cast" Of necessity desgnates votes legally cast
and as consequence OF such votes only did W,
desire to secure a fair and impartial canvass
We beg leave to cay, therefore, that you arr
mistaken in the belief that We sought undul,
| to narrow the basis on which We invited you
cooperative action, and you are no less in or
ror In attributing to us q purpose to interfer,
with the legal authorities of the State in th,
discharge Of their dutiee, to claim rights and Il
arrogate to ourselves powers which We do no
possess.
In writing our letter we we're fully awar,
that both the organization and action. whether
judicial or ministerial Of the Returning Boarc
of Louisiana were beyond any authoritative
control from without, and that 1t would be the
height Of arrogance aud folly to attempt e
alter the laws OF State Of which we are no
citizens, or TO obtrude our interpretation o.
these laws upon those whose duty it is to ad
| mir atl ham Init ho1 al
thelese, that there was an influence whicf
might be rightfully exerted, even by citizens
OF this republic who are strangers in thii
State, and we had taken it for granted that your
presence here in response to the suggestion OF
the President was a recognition OF this fact
We had supposed that it WAS not improper FOL
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 scquiescence 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 tC
depend upon the mere arbitrament OF one OF
the parties thereto; that before such decision
is made, both parties ought to be fully and
fairly heard; that all questions of law ought tC
be decided III conformity with its 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
trial of all cases involving public interests, a,
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 impartiaIiiy,
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, AK you say, sedulous
inculcaton 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 obe-
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 so
many citizens from all parts Of the Union at
this moment seems to be evidence Of widely
prevalent distrust Of the action Of this board,
and that such distrust has this foundation, at
least, that the constitution of the board has
not been changed since its returns were set
aside by Congressional Committee of
which the Republican candidate for the Vice