The New York herald., 1876-11-24
The Political situation.

Tho Political Situation.
In South Carolina the Supreme Court has
issued n mandamus to the members of the
Returning Board commanding them to show
cause to-day why they should not be COM
PEELED to compare tho managers with the
local election returns. One member OF tho
Board has resigned; another, the Secretary
of State, was busy all day yesterday issuing
certificates to the Hayes electors the men,
bers of the Legislature members Of Con-
gress, &c The Legislature assemblies next
Tuesday, and the Governor should be inau-
gurated on Thursday. The President is be-
lieved TO have promptly notified Chamber
lain that he means to support, him as he
did Kellogg in 1872, and indeed ever since.
The State is of course deeply excited, but the
excellent letter of General Hampton has
good effect, and there is an evident deter
mination among the democrats not to help
the republican party out of the dirty waters
into which it has got. A Southern out
break" would be thought .'providentiar
now by some of the republican managers.
In Florida the Circuit Judge heard argu-
restrain Governor Stearns from canvassing
the vote and giving certificates to the elec-
tors AS the Governors counsel opened the
argument with declaration that the Gov
ernor had no intention of doing so, the
whole proceedings seem, at this distance,
somewhat ridiculous. We notice with
regret that one of the most hope
tul of the visiting statesmen" Gen
eral Barlow, has become counsel
for Governor St,arns. We cherished
tho hope that he and Mr. Marble would act
down there MS counsel for the people Of the
United States, and take sides with neither
party. Meantime the Florida Returning
Board has not got to work yet although all
but three Of the county returns are In hand
Here in the North people are wondering
why the republicans down there are SO re-
luctant to begin counting the votes?
The Louisiana Returning Board also takes
matters very leisurely. 1t meets late, ad-
journs early and consumes q good deal Of
time in discussion. 1t has energetically ex-
cluded the press, and it now holds four
kinds Of sessions daily-an open session, an
executive session, to which, as we under
stand it, the ten visiting statesmen" are
admitted; secret session, from which
they are excluded and private caucus
in the evening, which the repub-
ican party leaders attend. The number
of parishes asserted by the republicans to
have been "bull-dozed" increases. Ten
days ago five were named now ten are
spoken of. The returns do not seem to "pan
out" as we'll for the republicans as they
hoped at first. The attention of the Return
ing Board was yesterday called to the curl
GUS fact that number of republican super
visors of election have been in New Orleans
for a week and even ten days with the official
returns in their possession and have not yet
handed them in to the board, which Is their
only legal custodian. In one case repub-
lican candidate for Congress conveniently
brought down the vote of q county, and has
retained it for q week. Even the most un-
suspicious people are reminded by this
incident of letter from the Secretary Of
the Republican Committee to supervisors,
which we printed on Tuesday, in which
these officers were admonished before the
election that they must return the repub-
lican vote fixed by the State Committee, and
it was significantly added :-"Yo must OBJ
tain the results called for herein without fail
Once obtained, your recognition will be
ample and generous" Possibly these recall
citrant supervisors are waiting for ''recog-
nition." In 1874 there was at least one
case where supervisor gave the returns to
a woman and sent her to sell them for
good price. The visiting statesmen" at
New Orleans are for the moment silent, and
the politicians have ceased guessing. 1t is
significant fact however, that the three
most trustworthy journalists from the North
now in New Orleans, all three republicans
and of excellent reputation for accuracy,
unite in saying that Mr.. Tilden has an un-
doubted majority in louisiana.
The notable feature of the situation is
that irregular and suspicious conduct on the
part of the republican managers seems to
increase. In the North republicans are
slowly making up their minds about this
Southern business, aud it may be said that
disgust and alarm increase.