The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-12-02
THE SITUATION.


boards drags along so slowly as to show a
determined purpose not to examine all the re-
turns before the 9th of Dec, when the cleo
tors must meet at their various state capitals
TO cast their votes; but to have the returns in
lust that chaotic state that the boards In Louis
lana and Florida can do as they did in South
Carolina-hastily foot up enough to give
HAYES and Wheeler the majority and throw
out the rest Nothing is more palpable than
that this is the purpose in Louisiana. Up to
Thursday not tenth OF the disputed parishes
and precincts had yet been touched, though
but four working days remained in which to
do the work which, at the present rateof pro
press. must take month. No one ptetends
to doubt that on Tuesday next the b0ara at
New Orleans will hastily foot up thereturns
from such parishes as show majority not
only tor Hayes, but for Packard and the
whole republican state ticket and Legislature,
and that the Governor will issue certificates
of election accordingly .-lndeed, 1t lspalpa'
BILE the pretended deliberations OF the board
and Investigations of returns is bold broad
farce. The dninaus of the board is sufficiently
evident from an occurrence last Saturday.
Complaint had been made to the boa'd that
returns from various parishes, insteadof be-
ing sent directly by mail to the board were
in the hands of individuals in the city to be
opened and tempered with before being laid
l. e, al, To Nanff
the board on Saturday pretended it would
break the seals of the returns in presence OF
the whole audience So package was pro.
duced from an inland parish which Wells
said had been received by mail week ago
On opening it, it was found to containpapers
and afidavlts verified in New Orleans the
rery dan Of the opening! The proof wa abso
lutte, and the fraud so indisputable thai Sena
tor John Sherman, of OHIO, one Of therepub
lican advisers of the board, was constrained
to admit that denial would be useless. To
make the discovery more effective, IN the
midst of the conversation that followed, the
scoundrel clerk was detected in the very act
of "doctoring' his books to match lying
theory he intended to set up IN explanation
of the other crime. And yet the republ leans
tell US to trust in such board for an honest
count?
Nothing has occurred in South Carolina to
increase the chances of an honest countthere.
The returning board, who were caught and
imprisoned by the Supreme Court for con-
tempt in disobeving their order to make an
honest footing of the returns in their hands,
have been released by Judge Bond, of the l.
s. District Court, though what right L. 5.
Judge had to interfere IN purely state mat
ter no one can explain. 1t was simply inoth-
er Durell outrage, which under any but a
Grant administration would have been i'm
possible.
But the outrage of this unwarranted federal
interference was more than duplicated on
Tuesday when the newly elected Legislature
was about to meet. The legislature consists
of 124 members. The returning board, by
throwing out the counties Of Edgefeld and
Laurens, left but SO republicans elected-less
han a quorum-to So democrats; but the Su
preme Court had also given certificates TO the
D members from Edgetield and Laurens, so
that, had all the members been allowed 10
take seats in the house, there would have
been Is democrats to SO republicans. To
prevent the democrats from the disputed
therefore, from entering the house
X a
guard of L. 5. soldiers at the door Of the state
house, with orders to admit no members of
The Legislature except such as had certificate
IF election from the returning board. OF
course the members from Edgefield and Lau.
-ens being thus excluded, all the other demo
cratic members refused to enter the house,
eavlng the republicans without quorum.
The clerk however, decided that there was a
quorum present, and the trump" proceeded
% organize by electng a speaker &c The
democrats met elsewhere and also organized
l Legislature.
That night Gen. Ruger, being apparently
frightened by the boldness of his revolution
iry movement, said that the guard he had
stationed at the state house had misunderstood
his order, and that 1t had been no part of his
purpose TO exclude the democratic members
rom Edgefeld and Laurens. Accordingly
next day, the democratic members, half an
hour earlier than the hour TO which the re-
publicans had adjourned took possession ofthe
sentative hall and proceeded to business The
republican members coming in next, also
proceeded to business, refusing to recognize
he democratic officers or members, so that
wo independent houses were in session a,
,nce! The farce was kept up for several
hours amid wild babal of noises and some
un, and happily without any bloodshed or
lighting. And thus the muddle stands.
In Florida the returning board me, on
Monday, aad commenced canvassing the re-
urns, all of which were before them. Every
rial footing they have thus far been able To