The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-12-13

yass Of the returns for such electors mus,
| u nnade by the governor, In the presence
Of the secretary Of state, the attorney
general, q judge Of the district In which
the seat OF government may be estab.
J llshed, or any two Of them. as required
4 by the act of 1870, and In making such
canvass they would be confined to an rs.
ceftainment OF the persops elected 40
coftiing to the returns, without authority
| to reject votes. In no event can the re-
| turning board have jurisdiction over the
returns of electors OF president and vice.
| president, and their canvass of the same il
| therefore a nudity and entitled to no re-
| spect from anyone. In another aspect II
may be important to determine whether
the net OF 1870 IL repealed, for II Il Il. the
statutes of the state provide no mode Of
| filling vacAnCaes In the electoral college,
and Il IL understood that two OF the cleo.
toral candidates on the Republican ticket
held offices of trust or profit under the
| United States ut the time Of the election,
aud could not therefore be appointed
electors. :.
Other objections were made to the ji.
risdiction OF the returning board. That
il was anti-Republican /; that it was in
conflict with the constitution of the
state, In that II undertook to exercise
judicial functions, and in that with only
four members 1t was not legally attended.
The election law declares: THAT five
persons, to be elected by the senate from
all political parties, shall be the return
ing officers for all elections in the state, q
majority of whom shall constitute a
quorum, and have the power to make
the returns OF all elections. In case Of
any vacancy by death, resignation. or
otherwise, by either OF the board then
tie vacancy shall be filled by the residue
of the board OF returning officers. hi
The present board consists OF only fonr
members, to-wit: j. Madison Wells, II.
G. Anderson, G.. Casanaye, and Louis M.
Kenner. one OF whom, TIC. Anderson,
the recent election on the Republican
ticket. All are members of the Republi-
can party. They are the same persons
who constituted the returning board in
1874 and canyassed the election returns
of that year, and OF whom committee
OF the house of representatives of the
United States, composed of Messrs. Hoar,
Wheeler, Fry, Foster, Phelps, Marshall,
and Potter, after careful investigation OF
its action, said 1--WE are constrained to
declare that the action of the returning
hoard. on the whole, was
ARBITRARY. UNJUST,
And In our opinion illegal"
The vacancy in the board, occasioned
by the resignation Of Oscar Arroyo, in
December, 1874. has never been filled,
although repeated applications by the
representatives of the Democratic conser-
vative party of the state and its candi-
dates have been made to the board to fill
the same. The foregoing committee Of
the house Of representatives, comment
I ing on the failure of the board to fill the
vacancy in 1874, when 1t occurred, said
"Your committee think the law as to the
| constitution of the board was not com.
piled with" II this view be correct, the
board is not so constituted as to have
authority to act at all. eH
The entire clerical force appointed by
the board at It's present session to com
| pile the votes cast Is also Republican
| and the board refused an application t.
appoint any clerk or to allow any person
| Of the opposite party to be present to
| witness the compilation, and even eX-
cluded the United States supervisors Of
election under the act OF congress.
The laws of Louisiana require regis
tration of voters every two years by Off.
GERS appointed by the governor OF the
state-the registration to commence The
last Monday Of August, pending the gen.
eral election in November. The election
law of the state contains the following
provisions for conducting the elections,
making returns, etc., to wit:
Sec. 2G. Be IL further enacted, etc., That
in any parish, precinct, ward, city, OF
town, in which, during the time Of regis
trati0n. or revision OF registration. or on
any day OF election there shall be any
riot, tumult, acts Of violence, lntiInida.
ton, and disturbance, bribery, or cor.
rupt influences at any place within said
parish, or at or near any poll or voting
place or place OF REGISTRATION. or revision
OF registration, which riot, tumult, acts
ance, bribery, or corrupt influences, shall
prevent. or tend to prevent, fair, free
peaceable, and full vote of all the quail.
| fled electors of said parish, precinct
| ward, city, or town, 1t shall be the duty
OF the commissioners of election, If such
| riot, tumult, acts Of violence, intimida
| ton and disturbance, bribery, or corrupt
influences occur on the day of election
or OF the supervisor Of registration of the
parish, If they occur during the time o
registration, or revision of registration
to make in duplicate and under oath
clear and full statement OF all the fact
relating thereto, and of the effect pro
duced by such riot, tumult, acts OF VIC
lence, Intimidation and disturbance, brib
cry, or corrupt influences In preventing
fair, tree, peaceable, and full registration
or election, and Of the number of quail
fed electors deferred by such riots, tn
multi, acts OF violence, intimidation ant
disturbance. bribery, or corrupt infiu
ences from registering or voting, which
statement shall also be corobOrated unde
oath by three respectable citizens, quail
fed electors OF the parish. When sucl
statement Is made by commissioner O
election, or supervisor Of registration
he shall forward 1t Ia duplicate to the su
lpervisor Of registration OF the parish |
in the city OF New Orleans, to the secre
tary of state, one copy OF which, IL mad
to the supervisor Of registration, shall b
forwarded by him to the returning Off
GERS provided for In section 2 Of this act
when he makes the returns OF election IL
his parish. His copy Of said statemen
shall be 30 annexed to hIs returns of cleo
zion by paste. wax, or some adhesiy
substance, that the same can he kent n
gether, and the other copy the superyl
sor Of registration shall deliver to tn
clerk OF the court OF his parish for the us
> Of the district attorney.
| Sec. ID. Be Il further enacted, etc., Ths
1t shall be the duty Of the commissioner
OF election at each poll or voting place :
keep list OF the names OF the person
voting at such poll or voting place, whic
list shall be numbered from one to tn
end; and said list OF voters, with thei
names and numbers as aforesaid, shall b