The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-12-21


parte affidavits we're prepared and sw0rI
to In New Orleans, charging intimidation
and other illegal acts In distant parishes
we're then put into the envelopes inclo
sing the Supervisors consolidated eleC
tion returns, which had been brought B,
the city of New Orleans and kept opel
for the purpose. This was done to sup
port statements of intimidation or othe
illegal acts interpolated by Supervisors
long after their consolidated returns haC
been made out and sworn to as correct
and been filed with the proper Distric
Judge without any protest or allegation
of intimidation, &c.
The proceedings of the Board in exec
utive session, to which we We're admit.
ted, consisted in opening the returns
from each parish and examining the votes
for Presidential Electors. If no protest
or objection appeared among the papers
and there was no outside protest from
any one, the returns were sent to a pri-
vate room to be tabulated by the clerks,
all of whom were Republicans, who kept
their action secret If any protest was
found among the papers, or from outside
parties, the returns were laid aside to be
afterward considered by the Board in Sc
cret. In the few cases in which there
we're charges of fraud &c, the candidates
or their attorneys were permitted to take
copies of the charges, and testimony ta-
ken on written interrogatories was sub.
mtted in regard to such parishes.
December Sd, after all the returns had
been opened, the Board went into secret
session, and we were not permitted to
see the compilation of returns already
made, nor to know what rules the Board
adopted in passing upon contested cases
nor the processes by which it arrived at
results
We have been furnished a triplicate,
or certified copy of the duplicate staIe-
ment of the Commissioners of Election
at each voting place in the State, from
which has been compiled consolidated
statement of the entire vote of the State
for Presidential Electors.
From this statement, which we believe
TO be accurate, the majority for the high
est Tilden eleCtor over the lowest Hayes
elector is 1857, and the majority for the
lowest Tilden electOr over the highest
Hayes eeCtor is $500.
The returns in our possession CORE.
spond precisely in most cases with those
opened by the Returning Board. The
difference in the aggregate arises mainly
from the fact that the Board lid not have
all the returns before it. The lpervi-
sors, all of whom were Republicans, and
many of them employees in the custom
house in New Orleans, some non.resi-
dents Of the State, and one of them un-
der Indictment for murder, withheld the
of the Commissioners of Elec-
lion in some instances where Democratic |
majorities were given, amounting in the |
aggregate to about 1900 votes. The Re-
urning Board refused to receive certified |
copies of the duplicates of these missing
returns filed in the office of the Secretary
If State and the Clerk Of the District
Courts, or to take any effective measures
o procure the originals
The Returning Board, in procaiming
he result of the vote for the Electors,
makes no statement of the votes cast in
he several parishes, but simply announ-
,es the aggregate vote for each elector in
he State, giving the Hayes electors ma
critics ranging from 4.626 to 7l2.p
To accomplish which they distranchi
ed l3 35S Democratic and 2,042 Repub.
lean voters. This announcement is made
n the face of the fact that the statements
nade by the Commissioners of the EleC-
ion showed majority ranging from g.
90 to 1857 for the Tilden electors No
tempt is made to give reason for this
rbitrary action of the Board, nor is there
ny statement to show what votes were
ounted and what rejected. As we'll
hight the officers Canvassing the returns
f the election for Presidential Electors
l Ohio or Massachusetts declare the I'll.
en- Electors in those States elected, in
le face of the fact that the returns show {
majority for the Hayes electors. We
ave sh own that it is questionable
neither the Legislature of Louisiana has t
ade provision for the appointment of {
eCtors at all; that if it has made such
revision, it has not vested the Return
x Board with authority to canvass the
turns of the votes cast for such officers;
I'd if it were possible to 30 construe the
W as to Conterring such authority on
e Returning Board then the same law
nits the authority of the Board to the
nvass and compilation of the state :
ents of votes made by the Commission c
s of Election, without authority to re. {
1t any on account of intimidation or
her acts of violence unless the fOunda-
IN therefor he first laid as provided in .
e law; that the evidence does not dis n
Ose that such foundation was laid in
" instance. There is, however evil U
nee of attempts surreptitiously to lay O
Oh foundation after the consolidated p
turns were completed, and that the Su- n
rvisors of Election in many cases un
gfully within Id their returns for that
rpose, and interpOlated among them
parte affidavits, taken in secret in New
leans, before a U. S. Commissioner,
lich the Board has no right to consider g g
The evidences taken on both Sides so CT
as it has been accessible to us, disclo. G
a state of lawlessDess in certain par
les, not in the State generally, about n
3 cause of which parties are not agreed CT
70 Democrats attribute it to the neR- b.
ncy and imbecility of tie State Gov
which they allege to be usur- ca
ton, resting wholly for support on the
deFal army, without the confidence or
pect Of the people, and without the
position to prevent or punish crime n
Iich they can pervert to political uses. =
ch state Of things as might be expect
has led to disorder, and in some in &C
noes to the most shocking barbarities. to
The Republicans on the other hand, -
ribute the lawlessness to the hostili.
of the white against the colored race 20 ~
as largely due to politics. lo'} nj
rhe murders and outrages which have IL
in brought to our notice are frequent
committed by persons of the same OF
9 upon each other, and in many cases pa
70 no p litical significance. gu
dany such cases were brought to the
Ice Of the Board by eT parte atidavits,
hout regard to the time of their oc-
renee and when they did not have B.
slightest connection with the recent
ction. Strangely enough, it is assum. co
by the Republicans who have had cp @
nnletA control of the State Govern. III