The daily gazette., 1876-12-14

to conceal the methods by which the
three Southern States, so long in dispute
have been counted for Hayes. Demo-
Gratis may, in their honest indignation.
overstate the case. 1t is desirable that
every citizen, of either party, should
know just what has been done. This,
then, is an impartial statement ofthc facts
such as cannot be disputed:
1. LOUISIANA.
In Louisiana the vote cast gave Tilden
a majority of G,675 and upwards, to lear
ly 5000, five of the Hayes electors run
ming $500 votes behind the rest, because
their names were omitted from the ticket
This majority has never been denied by
the Republicans. The Returning Board,
when it met, did not fill the vacancy ex-
isting in the Board, whichthe law requir-
ed to be filled with Democrat, and that
vacancy remained until the adjournment
of the Board. The Board excluded from
its sessions all representatives. ofthe press;
all counsel of Democratic candidates, land
all Democratic candidates themselves.
They allowed, however, the Northern
delegations to be present, with stenograph
ers. These visitors could hardly be de-
MED admission, as one-half had come to
witness the count at the personal request
of the President of the United States.
The presence of stenographers secured a
report of the proceedings, but as bare
record of spoken sentences il threw a
little light ON the things done. During
the progress of the count, the Democrats
submitted evidence that fourteen Super
visors ofparishes were in New Orleans,
having the returns in their possession,
which they were Withholding from the
Board, and in which they had every op-
portunity to make fraudulent alterations.
Two instances were discovered where the
returns had been tampered with while in
the possession OF the Clerk Of the Board;
both sides admitted this, but hlr. Slough
ton, Of New York, declared that they
were ''clerical elrors.'
The Republicans submitted testimony
in regard to two "outrages," which they
declared was political the DemScrats,
however, introduced testimony to show
that the same witnesses had previously
given entirely opposite versions of the
same affair, and that the outrage was
committed by Republican negroes upon
a Democratic negro. When the hearing
of testimony was over, the Board went
into secret session without the presence
of reporters, stenographers or visitors,
and without the Democratic member
which the law required them to have,
and, after throwing out great numbers
of Tilden votes, declared a majority for
Hayes on the lowest electors of 3, ,i32 on
the highest, 1860, in both cases over the
highest Tilden electors. This was ac-
complished, not by throwing out the
whole vote of the five parishes where
Il
for that would still have left a majority
of 1000 in the State for Tilden, but by
throwing out the votss of the polling
places in five parishes where the Demo
Gratis voted in large bodies, and counting
those wheIe the negroes voted in large
bodies.
The votes at Democratic polling places
were thrown out, on the ground that the
Republicans were prevented from voting
by intimidation, but the votes of the
same Republicans who were prevented"
from voting at these places were counted
at the polling places at which they had
voted, the habit of negroes being to vote
In droves, and often to change their
places of voting; (the law of the State
permitting voter to vote at any polling
place he may select, within the Parish in
which he resides). This is literally the
explanation given by the correspondent
of the New York Tribune. The number
of Tildsn votes thrown out Sto effect this
result was about $1,000. The men who
composed the Returning Board now, are
the same men who composed it in 1874,
when Kellogg was counted in. Their
action was then denounced by both
Houses of Republican Congress and the
whole decent Republican press of the
North.
II. SOUTH CAROLINA.
In South Carolina the Republican vic
tory was achieved by still bolder means.
The Supreme Court of the State to whom
the question had been submitted, ordered
the Board of Canvassers to issue certifi-
Gates of election to all members elected
to the Legislature, including those from
Edgefield and Laurens counties, in which
the Republicans alleged there had been
"intimidation, and ordered them to sub
init the vote for electors to its approval
Hearing of this but before the official
mandate of the Court could reach them,
theBoardissuedc certificates to allthe Hayes
electors all lltheRepublieanSta Statetic and
all members of the Legislature, excluding
those from Edgetield and Laurens coun.
ties, thus securing n Republican majority
and adjourned sine die. The Court i'm
prisoned all the members of the Board for
contempt, but they We're released by
Judge Bond-an outrageous infri ngement
of the rights of Courts to punish for con-
tempt.
When the Legislature organized Fed