Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-11-20
FLORIDA.

New YORK, November IS. A Tallahassee de-
spatch TO the Herald says:
The democratic committee have reques ted the
board of State canvassers to proceed to canvass
returns from snch counties as have been received.
No formal answer has been made, but two mem
bers of the board say the law compels them to
await the reception of returns from all the coun-
ties. The law reads:
"The Board shall meet on the 35th day after
election, or sooner, if all the returns are in"
TALLAHASSEE, November IT, The following
seems TO be the situation in this State:
Each party claims the State on the presidential
ticket. 1t is pretty well conceded that the demo-
Gratis carry the State though the republicans base
their claim of the electoral ticket on official re-
turns received there. The democratic committee
arranged to have sworn duplicates made of the
official returns in each county and forwarded
They have received these from all save five coun-
lies, all democratic Their estimates based on
these unofficial copies of the official returns give
Drew aud Tilden both clear majority. The re
publicans will furnish figures stating they will
await the official returns. Many stoutly claim
that Hayes has carried the State. However it is
probable that Tilden will have majority of some
800 or 400 on the returns, made officially by the
county csnvassers. The republicans claim that
even admitting this they will be able by proving
frauds to overcome this prima facie majority and
establish the State for Hayes. The democrats be-
sides defending their majority for Tiden will at
tack the returns in Jefferson. Alachua and Leon
counties, which are the republican stronghold
They claim TO have discovered glaring fraud in
Alachua, where the returns of the election nspec-
tors are stated to have been raised 2l9 votes and
their names forged 10 new returns. The board
this morning declined to commence the canvass.
Cooke, dem, voting against and McSin and Car
gill, reps, voting nay. The republicans declined
on the ground that the law reads: 'On the Both
day after the election or sooner if all the returns
are in the canvass Of the vote shall begin" and
that as the time has not yet expired and all the re-
turns are not yet in they cannot legally begin the
work. The democrats claim that thee is a clause
allowing the canvass to begin at any time and not
closing the canvass to the exclusion of any county
for non arrival until the 35th day has come. Step,
will probably be taken 10 if there is not in the
supreme court some power to force the canvassers
to begin the work. The democrats aver that the
delay is meant either to force the governor to is
sue certificates without canvass when the 9th of
December arrives, or to open the canvass at so
late day that there will be no time for full and
fair discussion of the frauds involved.
TALLAHASSEE, November Is. There is a rea.
sonable ground for believing that Gov Stearns of
this State will assume that the State board has no
power to canvass the electoral VOTE but the power
resides in the governor. This assumption will
permit the governor to decide all issues pertain
ing to the canvass, and issue his certificates to
whichever set of electors he decides were elected
His assumption is based upon the fact that the
act creating the returning board does not use the
word "elector in giving the list of officers whose
vote the board shall canvass. The power to can.
vass not being specifically conferred upon the
board, the power, he contends, resides in him, as
he is required by United States law to issue the
electors certificates, and must canvass the vote in