The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-11-20
FLORIDA.
A Democratic View of the Situation


TALLAHASSEE, Nov Is The following seems
to be the situation in this state: Each party
claims the state on tho Presidential ticket 1t
is pretty well conceded that the Democrats car
~ the state, though the Republicans base their
claim of the electoral ticket on official returns
received here. The Democratic committee ar
ranged to have sworn duplicates made of the
official returns in each county and forwarded
They have received these from all save five
counties, all Democratic. Their estimates, bas-
Ell on these unofficial copies of the official re-
turns give Drew and Tllden both clear ma
jority. The Republicans will furnish no fig
ures, statng that they will await the official re-
turns, many stoutly claim that Hayes has car
ried the state however II is probable that Til
den ill have majority of some 300 or 400 on
the returns as made officially by the. county
canvassers. The Republicans claim that even
admitting this they will be able by proving
frauds to overcome thus prima facle majority
and establish the state for Hayes.
The fight before the state board will be very
bitter. The Democrats, besides defending their
majority for Tlldeu, Will attack the returns in
Jefferson, Alachua and Leon counties, which
are the Republican strongholds. They claim to
have discovered glaring fraud in Alachua,
where the returns of the election inspectors are
stated to have been raised 219 votes and their
names forged to new returns.
The Returning Board.
The board this forenoon declined to COM
mence the canvass Cooke, Democrat, voting
aye, and McL.n and Cowgirl, Republicans. vot-
10 nay. The Republicans declined on the ground
that the law reads that on the 3jth dav after
election or sooner if all the returns are in. the
canvass of the vote shall begin, and that as the
time has not yet expired and the returns are
not yet in, they cannot legally begin the work.
The Democrats claim that there is clause al
lowing the canvass to begin az any time, and
not closing the canvass to the exclusion of any
county for non-arrival until the 35th day has
come Steps will probably be taken to see if
there is not 10 the Supreme Court some power
to TO ice the canvassers to begin the work. The
Democrats avsr that the board meant either to
force the Governor to issue certificates without
a canvass when the sixth of December arrives
or to open the canvass at SO late day that
there will be no time for full and far discus.
sion of the frauds involved.
Prospect IhRt Gov Siearns will Count the
Vote.
TALLAHASSEE, Nov. 19. There is reason
able ground for believing that Gov. Stearns of
this state will assume that the state board has
no power to canvass the electoral vote, but the
power resides in the Governor. This assump-
ton will permit the Governor to decide all is
sues pertaining to the canvass, and issue his
certificate to which ever set of electors he de-
cides were elected His assumption is based
upon tbs fact that the act creating the return
ing board does not use the word electors in
giving the list of officers whose vote the board
shall canvass. The power to canvass not being
specifically conferred upon the board, the pow
er, he contends, resides 10 him, as he is re-
CURED by United States law TO issue the
electors certificates, and must canvass the vote
in order so decide who are entitled to certiii-
Gates. The Democrats are astonished that this
CLAIM should be set up, ard contend that the
word electors is not used in the act referred
TO simply because the electors are included IN
der the head OF state officers, which expression
is used in the act