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

Inc business III llc oOu'h'iH i''"'h'h :
boards drags along so slowly as to show a
determined purpose not to examine all Inc re-
turns before the 9th of Dec, when the elec
tors must meet at their various state capitals
to cast their votes; but to have the returns IN
inst 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 rateo pro
gress. must take month. No one pretends
to doubt that on Tuesday next the board at
New Orleans will hastily foot up the returns
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.-Indeed, 1t ispalpa,
ble the pretended deliberations OF the board
and Investigations of returns is a bold broad
farce The dnimus of the board is sufficlently
evident from an occurrence last Saturday
Complaint had been made to the boaid 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
before the board. TO meet these complaints,
the board ON Saturday pretended 1t would
break the seals of the returns in presence OF
the whole audience. So a 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 af1ldavlts verified in New Orleans the
uery dan of the opening! The proof was abso-
lutte, and the fraud so indisputable that 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 a lying
theory he intended to set up IN explanation
of the other crime. And yet the republicans
tell US to trust in such a 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. s.
Judge had to interfere IN purely state mat
ter no one can explain. 1t was simply anoth-
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 1874 members. The returning board, by
out the counties Of Edgetield and
Laurens, left but 50 republicans elected-less
than a quorum-to So democrats but the Su,
preme Court had also given certificates to the
8 members from Edgefield and Laurens, so
that, had all the members been allowed TO
take seats in the house, there would have
been 60 democrats to so republicans To
prevent the democrats from the disputed
counties, therefore, from entering the house.
Gen. Kruger, of the L. S. army, stationed 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
of election from the returning board. OF
course the members from Edgetield and Lau.
rens being thus excluded all the other demo
cratic members refused to enter the house,
leaving the republicans without a quorum.
The clerk however, decided that there was
quorum present, and the trump" proceeded
to organize by electlng a speaker, &c. The
democrats met elsewhere and also organized
a legislature
That night Gen, Ruger, being apparently
frightened by the boldness of his revolution
AIRY 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
from Edgefield 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
the democratic officers or members, so that
two independent houses were in session at
once! The farce was kept up for several
hours amid a wild babal of noises and some
fun, and happily without any bloodshed or
lighting. And thus the muddle stands.
In Florida the returning board met on
Monday, aid commenced canvassing the re-
turns, all of which were before them. Every
rial footing they have thus far been able To