The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-11-29
COMMUNICATED.
LOCAL ASPECT OF THE LOUISIANA
CASE,

CASE,
Besides the great desire the Loulsi
ana Returning Board have to give
the Electoral vote Of this State to-
Hayes, they are DESTROYS of counting
in Packard and a Radical Legisla-
ture, and no one who knows the char
acter of the men composing that
Board could doubt for a moment that
they would adopt any means: howev-
ever fraudulent, INSCRIPTIONS or VIC
lent to attain that result. They are
now counting the votes for Electors,
and are forced to complete that count
before the 9th of December, so that
the Electors may cast their ballots on
that day according to law. If they
should find themselves unable to
overcome the seven thousand major
ity for Ti.den, they may protract
their count for Electoss until after
that day or declare the result on the
day before, so as to defeat Tilden, if
they can't elect Hayes. I presume
that all of our Electors will be in
New Orleans and that they will in
any event meet and cast their votes
for Tilden on the first Wednesday in
December.
Men with any kind of regard for
themselves, their honor and the opin-
ions of their fellows would be gov
erned by whatever precedent they set
in the count for Electors, and we
ought to know what the result will
be as to State officers when the re-
suit as to Electors is announced, but
we can indulge no hope that the
members composing the Louisiana
Returning Board will be governed BY
either precedent, honor or regard
for the good opinion of even the hon.
est men in their own party. I shall
not regard the result as to Electors
as settling anything further than that
question. Should they be forced to
give Tilden his honest majority
they will I presume not try to swim.
die Nichols out of his elecLion-but
will then try to manipulate the Leg
islature so as to give them a MAORI
ty on joint ballot and enable then
to elect the two United States Sena
tors to be chosen by the next Legis
lature. They might succeed in this
through Grants bayonets, as he is te
hold on until the 9Th ofMarch. BuI
this is surprising an improbable case
that Mat. Wells & Co. can't over
come Tilden's fair and honest major
ity of seven thousand in this State
1t is as certain as any fact in the flu
ture can be that they will find means
to overcome that majority and thai
they will be sustained by Grant
bayonets. In that event it is more
than probable that they may attempt
to soothe our feelings by giving Il:
an officer here and there and thu
House Of Representatives. Tha
they would go so far as to declare
Nichols elected is not to be supposed
for moment.
Now what are we going to do abou
it when they have counted us out?-
We can't fight the United States ar
my and if they assist the Board ir
making swindling count, they viii
without doubt maintain the results
Of that count at the point Of the bay
onet. 1t is possible, but not proba
BILE, that Grant, the Dictator, NIGH
be satisfied with having secured the
Electoral vote of Louisiana for Hayes
and might withdraw the army anG
leave US to settle the balance in oul
own way. In that event the matter
would soon be satisfactorily arrang
ed. We would organize our State
Government which we have fairly
and honestly elected, call out the mi
litia to support its authority, and lei
Packard and his crew wend theil
weary ways homeward to the NORTH
from whence they came as carpet
baggers and to which they return
only as dishonored adventures anC
INSCRIPTIONS knaves. No such easy
solution of the difficulty will be giver
US, however, and when we are count
ed out, the only course left to us ex
cept abject submission will be to or
ganize our government as we did il
1872 and firmly and calmly appeal tt
Congress to recognize its validity
We will then have the same old fgh
over again, de facto against de j,we
and if Hayes is in the end Inaugural
ted as President, I presume tina
tbo rocu]t in 1877 will bo "A, ,,,,&;,