New-York tribune., 1876-11-21


Board, which has been justified hitherto on
the plea that in many cases it would be apso-
lutely impossible to elicit public testimony
from men whose lives were threatened, Is not
now i'm question. The board has agreed, 1t Is
now stated, to permit each party to be repre-
sented by chosen committee OF flve men,
and as the only object of admitting any is TO
enable them to report as to the fairness OF
proceedings and this duty can be better DIS
charged by few carefully selected men than
by crowd composed in part OF persons unde-
serving of confidence, this arrangement appears
to remove all honest objection on the score OF
secrecy. All that part of Mr.. Stickney's letter,
therefore, seems to be based rather upon his
prejudiccs than upon facts
Mr.. Stickney acknowledges that he does not
quote our "exact words" in the assertion that
we maintain that the Returning Board can be
depended upon to decide "nOt what the vote
"actually was but what it probably might or
"wOuld have been if no such intimidation mad
"existed." This is neither an exact nor an
inexact statement of anything we have main-
tanned nothing of the sort has at any time
been claimed by THE TRIBUNE, and IL he mas
arrived at such q state of mind that he can
not more correctly understand or quote what
he reads. he is decidedly disqualified to judge
what ga fair reader would understand" our
words to mean. We have asserted that the
law must be honestly and faithfully enforced.
The law requires that the Returning Board,
if it finds that there has been material fraud,
vitating the election at any precinct, shall
not count the return from that precinct. But
the law does not empower the board to de-
clare or to count "what probably might have
"beenn the vote. Repeatedly we have called this
power very dangerous one, and have there
fore. with great earnestness, insisted that it
should be exercised only with ample proof,
great caution and strict honesty. The trouble
with Mr.. Stickney is that he does not want
the power exercised at all. Therein he wishes
to nullify the laws Of the State of Louisiana,
which, be they bad or good, wise or unwise,
he has no more right to ignore and the Con-
servatives there have no more right to set
aside than they would have here to bid deli
ance to any law of the State of New-York.
1t seems to us most pitiable thing that any
one should in such a grave and even danger
Gus national crisis be uncOnsciously led
by his strong feelings into an argument for
the notification of q law which does not please
him. On what ground2 Because he has no
confidence in the personal uprightness of the
men who are charged with the enforcement OF
the law. The rebels of 1861 res0rted TO a
treason which ought by this time 10 have
been made infamous, because they had no con-
tidence in q President whom they termed ian
"Ulnois baboonn Men who want to set aside
all law whenever the men chosen to execute 1t
do not suit them may as well migrate 10
Me leo at once. That we have very slender
confidence in the Louisiana Returning Board has
been repeatedly stated. That does not change
the fact that this board is the only tn
bunal empowered by law to determine what
was the legal vote of Louisiana. No law
abiding citizen WILL at this alarming Juncture,
set himself to break down in advance the
only tribunal. His proper business should be
rather to surround it with such scrutiny
that il dare not go wrong. We are bound
to hope that it will realize the vast response
bility now resting upon it, that 1t Will not ven
ture upon any step which cannot be sustained
by proof and which really candid men will
not accept as just. To presume otherwise,
when the honor and peace OF the country de-
mend upon an honest decision from tins
board and Il peaceable acceptance OF the re-
suit, would be a gross wrong. Those VINO
labor to prejudice the public mind, III advance
of any evidence that wrong is done, against
the only body which can legally decide the
question mt issue in Louisiana, may suppose
that they are patriots. But in fact they are
doing whatever they can to kindle the flames
of new civil war.