The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-06-22

tAinty on the result, 40 uo.y uo9oy ~ !,
prtma facie character o. !. tne thst teao, hor 90
that. in order to be counted, tney must
~ -s,.taiocd nv evidence dltttndc. Where
I" ~ ~ Hpei,ker. 1t il not In the record
IN thjs case. The sitting member, IN
order to bolster up the dishonored ana
weakened returns OF these commissl.o,n-
III course they declare that all was
fair and right. But is their sworn
testimOnv "evidepce dti1nde 2" Is
their oath, taken months after
the election, any petter or stronger OF
more satisfactory than their sworn re-
turns originally were? a,,,aanca
o,,taide of. independent of, and distinct
fron the evidence OF the commissioners,
hut corroborative of their returns: With
What federation would court hear q
diaoredjted witness bolster his shaken
testimony by again swearing that what
re had testified to was true? Would MS
second oath be better than his first
If you are not going to take tnelr
original return, II the law declares that
the r,rinta facie character OF their sworn |
return is vitiated by their violation OF
law. then YOU cannot accept their mere |
sworn statements made six months
aftervRrd as to the conduct OF the cleo
tion as the aiiMnde evidence required py
tho lawi The contestee mas utteriy
failed to comply with the requirements
81 Ahe law to supply aliunde the EVIL
dauco which il required In regard to
tl1is poll, and 1t must be excluded from
ako count.
Hut glance for q moment at their tes-
timony. NY friend from. Tennessee
lMr. Housed has already referred TO II,
I will be pardoned for recalling IT.
refer to the evidence OF the commission
ers as TO how the tai sheets were kept.
When votes are called off at the polls,
sOfnebody keeps the tally. But Che
tally-sheets are no evidence OF the cleo
tion whatever. and no part OF the re.
turns. They are mere series OF stralgnt
marks and names, which may be multi
pled and prolonged indefinitely. THESE
commissioners do not know whether
the tally was correctly kept or not
They distinctly state that the returns
were calculated from these tally-sheets
kept by Tom, Dick and Harry, or any
idler or loafer who came into the room
during the count. This was the basis
on which they made their returns ana
when put to the test they declare that
"thoy do not know whether these tally
Hsts were correctly kept or not that
they were kept as we'll as they could be
under the circumstances" l contend,
therefore, that under the law and the
authorities there is not the slightest
legal reason or excuse for counting this
rE1ll. and that ii must be rejected. Re-
jsotfng 1t, Mr.. Spencer has . majority
II 1895 to entitle him to seat in this
House. =, ].
Now let us go to that "happy land" Of
Carroll o. sir. it is enough to make an
American blush to read the record OF
that election. The forces were we'll dis
sxibuted They were all the partisans
0xOnerate him In the fullest degree from
any completely whatever In the most
damning forgeries and frauds practiced
bv that precious set of seoundrels in
Carroll parish, as developed by the
record OF this case. The forces were
we'll disposed and arranged for frauds
David jackson, clerk Of the court, was
"ohief cook and bottle washer" at poll
No. 1. w. w. Benham, the forger and
perjurer, was the presiding genius at the
Second Ward. The third conspirator,
r, X. Anderson. presided at the Third
Ward; and, mark you, these were the
strong wards Of the parish. 1t must
strike this House as strange that in those
wards, where the vote was light and
and Morey, the majority either way
being small. everything seemed to be
conducted regularly. But where the re-
suit was decidedly changed and the vot-
ing heavy. every particle OF evidence in
regard to the election, except in single
Instance, is entirely missing, and fraud
and crime leap and lurk in every line OF
the testimony.
But am little ahead of my argu-
ment. The Returning Board counted
the vote of Carroll parish. That Board
SAYS of it's own action Il will not read 1t
It Is here In the record) In regard to Car
roll parish that there WAS evidence that
the returns were forged and falsified,
bat they took pains to ascertain what
she result was, and they counted it ex-
actly as they thought 1t should be
Lynch" did In 1879, when the State OF
Louisiana was stolen by the Radical
party. Honest John" said, 1--WE had
no return whatever before us. but we
took the census and such other facts as
We could get at and we fixed 1t up as we
thought il should be-" Ipresume that
NO intelligent man will give the slight
est weight to the action of the Return
ing Board of Louisiana. The damning
record OF Its infamy, its robber greed
and disregard of every written or un-
written law OF right or morals, its
shameless theft of a peoples birthright,
its falsehoods and it's perjuries, its
usurpations, form the blackest page of
the history OF this country. Twice has
~ tnW0ft0u ana OVeIInIoWu Iile Will y!
the people of Louisiana and fastened
the shackles upon them. It will not do
so the third time. The sublime faith Of
that people is exhausted, and the deter
mtnatfon to express their will and to
have II enforced and carried out is the
vatchword OF their hearts and dwells q
sublime inspiration in their every souL
In November the people, and not the
Returning Board, will elect.
Rut, sir, to the argument. The con-
testant comes to Carroll parish with 1896
majority. The sitting member alleges
no has some 1000 majority in that par
.ish: but when asked for the evidence he
fails TO produce it.
The law requires that the evidences of