The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-12-13

No eoetdS 1fotest can be entertai1sd;
lbeeaua evenA supervisory s'state nentp
/ c. fybiHey1no consider11loax " Ne
81 I'd nut LIT be wholly distegardod,
" ese nadesA t time and In : manner
which Ne ooe1iie party could possibly
comply with. His "statement" Tor that
OF his subordinate commissioner must
form a, .IntaGnl part Of his return and
onlcial report II cannot be made up at o
difloeent time aud place from the return,
to which the law requires lt to be at
taChed "by paste, wax, or some other
adhesive substance and o duplicate
thereto must be lodged BY him with the
clerk Of the court Of hls parish; It must
be made under oath; II must be clear
and full statement
s.. OF ALL THE FACTS
And OF the effect produced thereby.
4 Such statement 40 annexed and sent
by mall Is the only kind Of statement the
board can notice at all, SO as to institute
an inquiry into intimidation, etc. The
intent Of the law is plain and indispu-
table, that all the supervisors should be
engaged simultaneously, IN their several
parishes, IN completing their returns and
statements on the spot where the cleo
ton was held, without communication
with each other, or with persons beyond
the parish, and before they can obtain in
formation OF what has been done In other
parishes, or Of the general result.
And the reason for these minute, man.
datory, and imperative provisions IL
equally obvious. 1t was precisely TO
shut out from consideration by the re.
turning board al such er post faefo CON-
plants as have been
TRUMPED UP AND ILLEGALLY THRUST IN
Here at the last moment by MIR. Kellogg,
Mr.. Packard, MIR. Brewster, and even by
some OF the supervisors themselves.
The law has not been complied with ;
most of the supervisors who have put in
complaints have not written them at the
proper time and in the pro Der parish ;
they have not annexed them to their re-
turns sealed and sent them BY mail they
have brought down their returns to this
city with no statement so annexed, but
have patched up statements here at an
improper time and in an improper place.
They could only fulfill their duties &C.
cording to law by finishing their returns,
attached statements and all, and mailing
them, sealed up in one envelope, at one
OF their parish postofiices, within the
time required by law.
1t is appalling to think that statements
thus made contrary to law, after the re-
suit Of the election through the state was
known with approximate accuracy, made
as an afterthonght by disappointed cand-
idates and their friends, with an evident
view to cast a drag net OF suspicion over
parishes enough to reverse the
emphatic verdict Of the peO-
pie made too. at SO late day
and SO great distance from many of the
parishes struck at, that it is impossible
to have any fair investigation. should re.
ceive consideration.
Commenting upon the foregoing pro.
visions OF the Louisiana statutes, Messrs.
George +. Hoar, w. A. Wheeler and w.
p. Fry. in their report made February
20. 1875. said:
Upon this statute We are all clearly OF
opinion that the returning board has nc
right to do anything except to canvass
and compile the returns which were law.
fully made to them by local officers, ex.
cept 10 cases where they are accompanied
by the certificates of the supervisor OF
commissioner, provided in the third sec
ton. In such cases the last sentence o.
that section shows that il was expected
that they would ordinarily exercise the
grave and delicate duty of investigating
charges Of riot, tumult, bribery, or cor
ruption on hearing of the parties inter
ested in the Office. 1t never could have
been meant that this board, OF its OWL
| motion, sitting In New Orleans, at q dis
lance from the place of voting, and with
out notice, could decide the right OF per
sons claiming to be elected.
There Is no more dangerous form of self
delusion than that which induces men II
high places Of public trust to violate
law, to redress or prevent what the,
These references to the report Of the
congressional committee upon the actor
of this same returning board in 1874, anC
its construction Of the statute, are made
that the public may know how this board
| and its rulings were regard by promi
nent gentlemen, one Of them o candidate
for vice-president at the recent election
at time when its decision did not affect
presidential election.
WE REGARD IT AS INDIsPUTABLE
That the returning board has no jurisdic
ton to inquire into and reject the re.
turns from any voting place In the state
on account OF intimidation, acts OF VIC
lence, or other causes mentioned in thu
statute, unless the foundation for suct
inquiry and rejection Is laid at the time
and In the manner provided by the stat
| ute.
In no case did the supervisor of regis
tration deliver to the clerk Of. his par
ish, as required by section 26, dupli
cate statement made and sworn to by the
commissioners OF election, and corrObo
rated by three citizens, OF any riot, tn
multi, acts OF violence, intimidation ant
disturbance, bribery or corrupt ia
huences, and Of the facts relating thereto
occurring on the day OF election, nor an
like statement OF his own that any sucl
acts occurred during the time OF regis
tration or the revision Of registration
When the returns were opened by tn,
returning board such statements wer
found among the papers in few ia
stances, but not in relation to the par
ishes of Ouachita, MorehOuse, East BatoI
Rouge, East or West Feliciana, and sucl
were the manifest efforts on the part O
the officers Of election to conceal thei
acts and confuse and mislead persons In
terested in proper investigation of tn,
facts relating to the election that it wa
| impossible to determine whether any
such statements had been made by I'll,
commissioners Of election or the super
visor of registration and attached to tn
returns OF the supervisor In any parish
in the state at the time and In the name
required by sections 26 and AZ.
This fact leaves the returning bOart
| without jurisdiction to inquire into act
| of violence, etc., at the election or durins
registration, and with no other duty Il
perform except to canvass and cOmpil,
the votes returned, as the returning off
/ GERS of QnY other state would do and Of