The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-11-29

not revolution ana defiance OF even
radical law and constituted authority
then, we have poor conception of
what is revolution and defiance Of
law.
In Florida the only change is in the
assumption on the part of the Radi-
cal Governor, Stearns, Of the right
and authority to count the votes for
Electors in that State. His claim is
based on the omission in the law Gre
ating the Board of Canvassers Of any
mention of Presidential Electors.
The same law requires them to meet
within thirty five days after the cleo
ton, unless all the returns are re-
ceiyed sooner, and as the Electors
are required to meet and cast their
votes on the first Wednesday in De-
cember for President and Vice-Pres-
ident, it would seem that there might
be just enough of foundation for the
claim Of Gov. Stearns to satisfy the
manipulators who are thus seeking to
avoid the fair count which they fear
ed was about to be made by the
Board of Canyassers. 1t is what law
yers call a casus on,issus and As Elec-
tors are State Officers without any
express mention of their Office, fair
construction would necessarily lodge
the authority to count their votes
with the same officers who are ex-
pressly required by law to count all
other votes. We presume that the
law docs not expressly give the Gov
ernor the right to count them, and if
the omission is good as to the Board
of Canvassers it ought also to be
as to the Governor, and then it would
seem that the votes of Florida for
Presidential Electors can not be
counted at all. We would much
prefer this result to their being
fraudulently counted for Hayes. We
cannot tell what the result NAV be,
but the question is now narrowed
down to Florida and Louisiana.
In Louisiana, our latest advices
from our Returning Board up to the
time this is written, are that they
have counted eighteen parishes in
which there were no contests, and
had merely compiled the votes as &C.
tually cast. The Returning Board
figures in those parishes do not differ
materially from the returns made to
our Committee. They give Repub-
lican majority of six thousand, and
we have no doubt but that they will
now manipulate the returns from the
other parishes so as to gradually in
crease this majority until they over
come the Democratic Conservative
majority in New Orleans, and when
they have once achieved that result,
they will maintain it at all hazards,
by the use of any INSCRIPTIONS
means that will serve their purpose.
They now have laid their basis of
action, and in their secret sessions
they can change, forge, throw out
and otherwise manipulate things to
suit themselves. We do not consider
that there is any doubt as to what
the final result in the hands of Mat.
Wells & Co., will be. The character
of the men, and their action in 1874
with only one State officer to be cleo
ted, is proof of what they will do now
that the stakes are so heavy, and the
rewards so great. 1t is not an open
question as to what they will do, but
only as to how they will do it. 1t
will be no easy matter for them to
overcome our majority of eight thou
sand, but they are equal to the task
and will do it.
The enquiry is pertinent, what are
we going to do about it? With Grant
and his standing army to back the
infamy we can't fight. The Courts
are closed to any redress. Public
sentiment in the North is tardy OF
any tangible expression and we can
only wait until Congress settles the
matter in some way. We do not
look for any determination of the
present unsatisfactory condition OF
doubt and uncertainty until the sec.
ond Wednesday in February, when
the Electoral vote is to be counted
by both Houses of Congress.