The Portland daily press., 1876-11-22
SILL WAIuNG.
The Louisiana Board
Making Slow Pro-
greSS.
Numerous Protests
from the Dem
OCratS.
Judge Matthews says
the State is Fairly
Republican.
GOV. STEARNS TEMPORARILY
ENJOINED FROM CANVASS
Ing THE RETURNS.
The South Carolina
Congressional
Delegation.
LOUISIANA.
Yesterdays Session of the Returning
Board.

LOUISIANA.
Yesterdays Session of the Returning
Board.
New ORLEANS, Nov. 21-The returning
board at 11.15 o'clock opened the doors to the
press There were only about twenty persons
in the room, including members of the board,
representatives of the two committees, steno.
graphers, clerks, sc. Messrs. Wells Casse-
naveo and Anderson arrived a few minutes af-
ter.
When the board was called to order Governor
Wells was anxious to open the doors and adj
nit the crowd outside This was done and the
Democratic Committee on Elections was adj
mitted behind the bar, followed by fifteen per-
sons who happened to be in attendance
Col. Zachare then filed protest that he had
given notice at a hearing on Monday on behalf
OF the Democratic candidates for Congress
The board conferred some five or ten minutes
when Mr.. Wells moved to 60 into executive
session. This was at once done and the hall
was cleared.
The committee of Northern Republicans to
attend the sessions of the board has been charg-
ed since Mondays meeting, and now consists
OF Beardsley of Illinois, Eugene Hale of Maine,
Van Allen and Stoughton of New York, and
Garfield of Ohio.
The board sits on all the parish returus in ex-
ecutiVe session. During this session the only
persons present are the two committees of gen.
tlemen from the North. The action during ex-
ecutlve session IS as follows:
The returns of parish are taken up and
placed on table where the chairmen Of the
two committees, Democratic and Republican,
are seated by the side of the members. These
gentlemen are then invited to examine them
and see whether they have been disturbed or
tampered with. The returns are then opened
and the consolidated vote of the parish for each
elector called off. Returns are then handed to
the clerks who verify the additions by the COM
mssioners of electors. If these prove correct
the members of the board sign and approve
them.
Judge 81. NJ Spofford, counsel for certain
Democratic candidates, filed protest against
being excluded from the room during the can
vass of the returns, and against executive and
secret sessions of the board.
Counsel for United States Supervisors of Elec-
tons filed protest against the exclusion Of
supervisors during the canvass and compilation
of the vote.
The following is the ground of the protest:
THAT under the 9th section of the United
States act of February %, 1871, they are to be
aud remain where the ballot boxes are kept at
times after the polls are open until each and
every vote cast at said time and place shall be
counted, and the canvass of all votes polled to
De wholly completed and the proper and requi-
site certlfcate or returns made, whether said
certificate or returns be required under any law
OF the United States, any state, territorial or
municipal law; that under said law s. Dis
trct Attorney j. r. Beckwith, under date of
October 30, 1872 gave his written official opin-
ION for the Instruction and guidance of persons
holding the offices now held by the professionals,
wherein said U. S. District Attorney said:
ut cannot be doubted that the duty of the
supervisors extends to the inspection of the en-
tire election, from its commencement to the
decision of its results. If the United States
statutes were less explicit there still could be
no doubt of the duty and authority of the SUI
peryisors to inspect and canvass every vote cast
Tor each and every candidate state. parOchial
ondf ndn fl,n Ion 81
vldes nor allows any separation of the election
for representatives in Congress-, from the
election OF state and parish officers. The cleo
ton is in the law single election, and the
powers of inspectors invested by the law in su-
pervlsors appointed by the court extends to the
entire election, full knowledge of which may
well become necessary to defeat fraud"
In this opinioH the Attorney General of the
state of Louisiana conceded, whereupon the
protestants claim admittance to all sessions of
the returning board and protest against their
exclusion, as unwarranted by law as informed
by their attorney has been done and is contem-
plated to be done hereafter in said proceedings
in said board.
Protests were also filed by counsel of candi-
dates for office against secret sessions sc.
Counsel for the Democratic candidates also
protested on behalf of the Democrats against
counting in the five Republican electors not
named on the tickets used in the 18th senato-
rial district. These tickets contained the names
of w. P. Kellogg, j. q. Burch, Oscar Jeffrn,
and 30 others. Counsel protested against first,
the counting of said ballots which have not
been cast in favor of said Joseph and others
named for any other electors, except those spe-
cially named upon said tickets or ballots Sec
ond, the permitting of returns from said par
ishes to stand, especially of Iberia and st. Mar
tin, showing all such ballots to have been cast
for said Joseph and others. they being in said
respect false and fraudulent, or to be consider
ed before the body, and said votes not to be
counted for electors said Ka11oon
Borch and Jeffrion, whose names only are on
said ballots.
The protest is based upon grounds as fol
lows:
That the title to position of elector can be
derived only from a vote of the people and no
vote can be given or counted except when
placed in the ballot box; that electors were
chosen under the election laws of the state,
which requires that the names of persons voted
for and the office shall be accurately specified
on the ticket.
The committee asked an investigation of the
facts.
A similar protest was filed against counting
ZzOo ballots bast in the parishes of Concorda
and Natchitoches fortany elector except those
named on the ticket-Kellogg. Burch and
brewster The parishes in the.1 18th senatorial
district are Iberia, st. Martin, Ibervile and
West Baton Rouge.
The board were in executive session about
three hours and in this examined the returns
in number of parishes, laying those aside in
which there were contests or protests for ac-
ton after the contested parishes are examined.
1t is found that there are contests in nearly all
the parishes. The parishes canvassed by the
returning board are as follows:
Ascension-Tilden 1900, Hayes 2074
Assumption-Tilden $780, Hayes 1922
Avoyelles-T ilden 1471 Hayes 1906
Calcasien-Tiden 1898, Hayes "a.
Cameron-Tilden 245, Hayes 50.
Point Coupee-Tilden 1880, Hayes 1887,
st. Bernard-Tilden 1856, Hayes SOL.
st. James-Tilden 952 Hayes 1887.
st. John Baptst-Tilden 743, Hayes 1887.
These figures 90 not differ materially from
the duplicate poll lists in the hands of the
Democratic committee.
OF the nine parishes canvassed only two
gave democratic msjorities, showing that most
OF the protests are by Republicans in Demo-
cratic parishes.
Jndge Matthews Says the State is Repub.
liean Beyond Question.
CINCINNATI, Nov 21.-Judge Matthews arriv-
ed here yesterday from New Orleans He says
that with free and fair election Louisiana is
beyond question Republican state; that fair
canvass OF the votes, according to the laws of
that state, and according to justice and right,
will give the electoral vote to Hayes but that
farce.
The returns, including those of the intimi-
Iated parishes will show majority for the
Democrats OF not over 4000 but revision of
the returns, as required by law, will give the
Republicans decisive majority The mistake
in regard to the Republican electors in one of
the parishes will not amount to over 400 votes,
and will not affect the general result. The re-
turning board he believes will act fairly and
impartlally, following the letter and spirit of
the law.
The evidence in regard to violence and ntim.
idation ip many of the parishes is overwhelm-
ing. AS an illustration may be mentioned the
case of one voting precinct where the colored
men we're marched to the polls between lines of
armed whites, and compelled to vote the Dem
ocratic ticket; and then marched to another
place where they received certificates that they
had so voted, which were to protect them from
violence.
The action of the returning board ought to
give the state to Hayes; and it ought to settle