The daily gazette., 1876-12-19
The Florida Vote.

A MANLY LETTER FROM GENERAL BAR
Low VIRTUALLY GIVES TIE STATE TO
TiLDEN.
The following letter from General
Francis c. Barlow to friend has been
handed to lis for publication:
New YORK, Dec. 18th, 1876.
certainly thought had made my own
opinion clear as to the points of contest of
which / professed to have knowledge.
A little calculation would have shown
what it was. On the face of the returns
the vote was: Hayes, 24,327; TildeD, Pa
2S7. Certain additions and deductions
were agreed on unanimously by the board
which we may assume to be correct. These
conced d changes left it: Hayes, 24,2S0;
Tilden, 24,43S. Then / should have
thrown out 219 Republican votes in Ar
cher Precinct No. 2, and also Friendship
Church Precinct, in Jackson County, as
a majority of the board did. They also
rejected Campbellton Church Precinct in
this county, as to which 1 do not know
the facts, but will assme that it was right
ly rejected, as it does not alter the result
to which l should have come.
The two last precincts disposed of III
Republican aud 436 Democratic votes,
and, deducting these and the 219 in Ar
cher, you get the following result:
Tilden, 24,OO2
Hayes. 23,047
Tilden's majority, So
l should have come to this result after
passing upon all the cases before the
board except Hamilton County. Is is
this county which causes all the doubt |
have about it.
The official minutes of the board, as
published in the New York papers of
December IS, state that in some precincts
of this county (names not given) S3 Dem
thrown out. do not know the ground,
but, allowing it, you still have Demo-
cratic majority of 30.
Then comes Jasper Precinct No. .,
where the vote was: Democratic, 1928;
Republican, 1SJ, as returned. About
this care know only what appears in the
minutes of the board and in Cowgill's
letter and Cookies protest attached to my
report. The irregularities complained Of
abandoning the canvass when half fin.
ished, and turning it over to two lawyers
who completed it the next day. would
Justify the throwing out of the whole re
turns; but what am in doubt about i,
whether the inspectors were Republicans
or Democrats. Cooke says, in his pro
test. that they were the former, and Cow
gill and the minutes say nothing about it
} have heard, and Cooke also says tina
they made afiidavits in aid of the Repub
lican contest, and if so, l presume the
were Republicans. In that case it shoul
be presumed that in the return as mad
) they looked after the interests of thei
: own party, and, at any rate. | do nc
think that Democratic majority shoul
!, be thrown out because ofRepublica
wrong-doing, if such were the case. |
this precinct be rejected it would give
Republican majority in the State, other
wise not. In the latter case the Tildel
majority would be so small that perhap
some of the Republican contests whicl
the board did not stop to consider (prob
lably because the majorityIhad been reacl
ed on other grounds) would have changet
the result, if passed upon.
But there is no use in specuiatins
about this, as the case must be considered
as it was made up by the board. Leav-
! ing out the Jasper Precinct we therefore
see that, in my opinion, there was Il Til
den majority, even considering that Camp
bellton and the first named precinct iT
Hamilton county should be thrown out
which do not say was rightly done.
certainly never had any doubt as to what
my own opinion was, except as to thi;
precinct upon which it happened that
did not know fully what the evidence
was; but as do not have the assurance
to put my own opinions above those O
the board upon questions as to which
there was conflicting evidence, was moi
willing to give my own views without al
the same time giving this evidence: and
hence my report was $50 long"
| am not unwilling to express my opin
ions, nor do / object to having any one tc
whom they are of any consequence know
them. Yours truly,
FRANCIS c. BARLOW.