Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-12-12
TANGLED POLITICAL THREADS
Louisiana.

IL.
the Tilden commissioners who attended the
open sessions of the kellogg return board in
Louisiana, has just appeared. IL is PAM
phlet OF seventeen pages, and reviews the law
and facts of the case. 1t is addressed To Hon.
Abram $. Hewitt, at whose request the COM
missioners went to Louisiana. 1t opens with
reference to and extracts from the republican
reports on the Kellogg frauds of 1s72and 1874,
and presents cOncisely the law relating to the
board, and disputes its Jurisdiction entirely,
on the ground that the act is unconstitutional.
and again because il was illegally constituted
for want of minority representative, as i'm
peratively required by law.
On the subject of intimidation, the report
says: "The evidence taken on both sides, so
far as IL has been accessible to us, discloses
state of lawlessness in certain parishes, not
In the state generally. about the cause OF
which parties are not agreed. The democrats
attribute il TO the inefficiency and lmbecility
OF the state government, which they allege
TO be usurpatiOn, resting wholly for sup
port on the federal army, without the conf
dence or respect of the people and without
the disposition TO prevent or pruish crime
which they can pervert TO political uses.
Such state of things, as might be expected,
had led TO disorder, and in some instances,
10 the most shocking barbarities. The re-
publfcans, on the other hand, attribute the
| lawlessness to the hostility of the white
against the colored race and as largely due
10 politics. * Another assumption
of the republicans is that all the colored men
| in the state are necessarily republicans. This
| is by no means true. We were visited by a
large number of colored persons from differ
| ent parts of the state, including the alleged
| disturbed districts, who made speeches and
| took an active part in the canvass in favor of
| the democratic ticket, and who gave, among
| other reasons for so doing, that they had
/ been deceived by republican officials, who
| had proved dishonest and corrupt, hal rob-
| bed them OF their school money, and bur-
| dened them with unnecessary taxes, and
that they believed il for the interest OF the
| colored race TO unite their fortunes with the
whites. whose interests. like their own, were
Unidentified with the state"
| reDOrf closes = f-E arc
| ago, when Fort Sumter was fired upon by
| men who sought disruption of the Union a
million patriots, without regard to party
affiliations, sprang to its defense. VIII the
| same patriotic citizens now sit idly by and
| see representative government overthrown
by usurpation and fraud? Shall the will of
pressed, be thwarted by the corrupt, arbitrary
| and illegal action of an Illegally constituted
returning board in Louisiana. whose wrong
| full action heretofore, in all respects similar
| TO its present action, has been condemned by
| all parties? 1t is an admitted fact that Mr..
million of the votes at The recent s ELECTION n
| This majority is ready and willing to submit
| TO the rule of the minority when constitu-
| tiOnally entitled TO demand such submission,
but is it willing that by an arbitrary and
! false declaration of votes in Louisiana
the minority shall usurp the power?
These are dark days for the American peo-
pie, when such questions are fOrced upon
| their consideration. If il were true, as some
insist, that neither the white nor the colored
voters have in all instances been lforded an
| opportunity to give free expression to their
| wishes at the ballot box, shall we, by sus-
| tanning fraudulent and Illegal declaration
| o. the votes cast, stifie the voice of the mill
| lions of voters who Rave freely expressed
| their choice, and thus seek to correct a great
| wrong by committing another immeasura-
| bly, greater wrong? Can we sanction such
| action OF the Louisiana returning board, and
| thereby form q precedent under the author
| ty of which'a party once in power may for
ever perpetuate its rule, and SO end constitu-
tionai liberty? shall such be the fate OF this
| republic at the beginning OF the second GEN.
| fury of its existence is the momentous cues
| ton now presented for the determination OF
the American people"
A dispatch to the New York Tribune from
| New Orleans, Dec. 10, says: The executive
| committee Of the democratic state central
| committee ard a number of democratic lead
ers held caucus yesterday. 1t is reported
| that they resolved 10 call together here at an
| early day the democratic members of the
| legislature shown to be elected by the returns.
| A subcommittee, composed OF state officers,
| elected on the face of the returns, was APP
pointed TO arrange a programme for an in
auguration, at the proper time, OF the demo-
| cratic state government.
| Florida.
| TRIAL OF THE CANvAssERS FOR CON-
TEMPT.
| The trial for contempt against Cowgirl and
| McI.in, of the Florida returning board, was
| continued in Tallahassee yesterday, pending
| the trial OF the mandamus ordering them to
|
ministerial canvass OF the returns. This
| cause will be tried to-day. The Congress
| sional committee had not yet arrived, being
4 delayed by an accident.
The secretary and controller of the state
wrote to William Lee Apthorp, clerk of the
BOARD or state canvassers, saying: ave have
been not a little surprised at seeing in print
what purports TO be protest of VIM. Archer
| Cooke, attorney general, member of the
board OF state canvassers, filed with the
board, protesting against the action OF ma
ri n rah
protest has, TO our knowledge, been filed or
| presented to us or any of US. Has any pro-
test OF any kind been filed with you as clerk
the board, or handed to you TO be filed? If
so, please inform us of the fact and of the
| time when"
The clerk replies "that no protest against
OF canyassers by Hon. w. A. Cooke, attorney
| general, member of that board, has been
MED with me as ERIK OF said board, or hand
! way received such protest"
South Carolina.
| THE STATE CANvAsSERs DISCHARGED
FROM JAIL.
Judge Bond has delivered decision dis
| chafging The board of state canvaSsers of
| South Carolina from custody, on the ground
mat the supreme Court OF the state had no
| jurisd ction.
| NO LYNCHING.
| POSITIVE information has been received at
| Columbia that the Lowndesville murderers
| were not lynched, as reported: The prison.
els We're ia ken from Lowndesville to Ander-
son ON Friday night, and removed thence to
| Walhaila, Oconee county, as a protection
| against violence, owing to threats made by
The people. Investigation discloses that q
plot 10 murder tie whites indiscriminately
was horrible, which aroused excitement
among the whites to the extent OF threaten
| ing summary punishment. The precaution
taken ayerted this, and everything is now
| quiet. One of the captured murlerers look
laudanum and died from its effects. A Jury
on his case rendered the following verdict:
we, the jurors, upon our oaths. do say that
samuel Benton came TO his death from vol
untary use of laudanum taken by himself
ana received by him from the hands of his
oro,her.m The prisoners are now safe in Wal
| halla Jail.
Oregon.
GOV. GROVER INSPIRED FROM NEW YORK.
"A dispatch TO the N. Y. Iriiuae from this
city says'-The Information received i'm Sec
retary Chandler's dispatch from Oregon, to
NE effect that Gov. Growers action was
% Sased ON a written opinion received from
New YORK some days before he gave the GER
tlhcate to Cronin, confirms the suspicion en-
,erialned here all along, that either Governor
Iliden or one Of his immediate advisers di-
rected this strategic move. The legal advice
IuInlsned 10 me governor proceeded, IL APP
pears, upon the enffrelv orrOs,oos, ~ccuv,r