Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-12-02
COUNTING THE 'ELEcrORAL VOTES.


To THE EDITOR OF THE NEW York
HERALD: SIR The political situa-
ton seems to me SO very grave and its
discussion in many quarters so likely
to mislead the public mind that lask
space in your columns to present some
views upon the subject.
The extremities of the country, the
States of the Northeast, Northwest
and the Pacific, have adhered to the
Republican party, but with the great
body of the country this is otherwise.
Of the twenty three States that lie to-
gether south of the lakes, containing
thirty million of people, only three
pennsylvania. Ohio and Illinois, have
shown any desire to continue that par
ty In power; and the popular vote of
these three States gives Republican
majority of only about 10000 Cittle
more than their proportion of Federal
Office holders), while the Democratic
majority in the rest Of those States,
even if Florida, South Carolina and
Louisiana be excluded, exceeds 600,-
600.
There was no general cause why
these three disputed States should, not
like the Ssates about them, seek to be
rid of the party in power. What Mr..
Pinchback, at the Cineinnati Conven-
| ton, styled the corruption aud mis-
management which have come upon
the South at the hands of Northern
adventurers had united nearly all
the whites and many of the blacks
against that party. But it may be that
the first count of the election in Flor
ida and South Carolina, collected and
returned by the Republican officials,
is so close that the electoral votes of
those States may be successfully made
to appear as if given for Hayes and |
Wheeler. Of course the Democrats
will protest against such result as
| fraudulent. Where one party owns |
the Judge, jury and witnesses, the other |
party is likely to despair of justice.
REVERSING LoUIsIANA's VOTE.
But in Louisiana the case is differ
ent. The late election there has been |
conducted by officials appointed by
Kellogg, in connection with United
States supervisors and the election
thus conducted, according to the re-
turns from those officers, shows ma
jority in the State, as now reported, of
8,099 for the TiIden electors. This
result, it is announced, the Returning
Board will reverse. Should it do so
the effect will, it is claimed, be to will
fully and wickedly annul the verdict |
of the people of Louisiana.
To understand this it is necessary to
recall briefly the history of that State.
Such histories are apt in these days, to
be forgotten.
On the44th of December, 1872, the
governor of Louisiana proclaimed the
result of the proceeding November
election, and declared the Conserva-
tive, or McEnery, ticket elected.
UNDENIABLE FACTS"
The Legislature thus chosen was to
meet at the State-house on the 9th of
December. During the night of the 9th
the United States District judge, Du-
rel, issued an order directing the United
States marshall to take possession of
the S:ate-house and prevent the as
semblage of this Legislature. That
order was executed by the aid of the
Federal troops, the meeting of the
Legislature was thus prevented, and
and their Republican competitors, with
kellogg for governor, were by the
troops put into possession of the State.
These facts" said the Judiciary
Committee of the Republican House
of Representatives in the Forty-third
Congress, are undisputed."
OF course this order was utterly IL
legal and void 1t conferred no right,
power nor authority whatever. If Mr..
Morgan should claim to be elected ct
the election in this State, and the
chief justice of Canada should, on
New Years's eve, issue an order di-
recting the United States marshal to
put him into possession. and the mar
shall should do this by the aid of Fed
eral troops, Mr.. Morgan would be just
as lawfully made governor as Kellogg
was. This is undeniable.
DURELL' ORDER WITHOUT PARALLEL.
/ say undeniable, because, first, the
the Judiciary Committee of Repub-
lican Senate pronounced Durells's or
der without parallels and declared
that it was impossible to conceive of
a more irregular, illegal and inexcusa-
BILE act" And the Judiciary Commit
tee of Republican House declared it
to be the most fragrant offense and
abuse of authority, destructive of
every principle and right, in the high
est degree dangerous to Republican
90 oVernment and high crime and mis-
demeanor under the Constitution of
the United States (43 Con. III. 4.
Rep, 73e) for which crime and mis-
demeanor they recommend that Durell
should be impeached, Whereupon
Durell resigned his Office and escaped
impeachment.
M L. oP xhn |
who dissented from the recommenda-
ton, Judge Poland did so because he
thought Durell's order. though ille-
gal. nor corrupt; and Mr.. Lyman
Tremain subsequently recanted and
declared it deserved impeachment Re-
cord, january, 1876, p. 32l), while
Mr.. Frye's view will be found in the
minority report on the state of the
South (Record, February %, 1875, p.
$50, in which he, MIR. Wheeler and
Hoar declare that DurelPs order aud
the canvass in the interest of Kellogg
we're of no validity, and entitled to no
respect whatever" And it is the gov
ernment thus fraudulently and unlaw-
fully established which remains in
power. Once the Federal troops were
Withdrawn from LoEisiane and the
McEnery government was there4pop,
and by common consent OF the peo-
people, put In power.
GOVERNMENT BY BAYONETS.
The Federal troops were then re-
turned, apd McEnery deposed by them
and Kellogg restored to the govern
ment, which. by the aid of those troops.
he still retains. In the words of
Messrs. Hoar, Wheeler, and Frye, lit
is only the national government that
keeps Kellogg in place for an hour"
Congressional Record, February 1,
1875, p. 1919
Now, this Returning Board of the
Kellogg government claims the power,
upon pretense of intimidation at any
polling place, or other pretense. to ar
bitrarily reject the whole vote at such
polls, a rejection for which there is no
relief and from which there is no ap-
peal.
Only this autumn Governor War
moth said, at dinner in Connecticut,
that the Returning Board was the
greatest political contrivance ever in
vented and that 1T was due to the
genious of Mr.. Billings" the gentle
4 m 4 Il IL