The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1876-11-25
A FAIR REPLY.

d
few leading questions to the Philadel
phia Tn,es. being in substance AS FOL
lows;
Suppose the Presidency should hanl
upon the vote OF louisiana
suppose it should prove true, as al
legged that in two or three Of the old
ku klux parishes the Republican voj,
was wholly wiped out by the practice
of the Mississippi plan
suppose the Returning Board, exer
cisine the power it unquestiouaily pos
.csses under the laws OF Louisiana
should throw out the vote OF those
counties
suppose the result OF such action
should be- to ,ive the electoral vote OF
the State to Hayes, and taus make liim
the legally chosen President or the
United States
What are you going tn advise y our
Dem1crnuc friends 60 in about it2
The able editor Of tDa Tmes ,loe~ no,
hssi,ats to reply to the-e uterro.ato-
rie.--that reply We sugoin. commend-
ing it to the careful pcrusal of cur
readers
The answer to Mr.. Smalley's several
iuterrogatories Is very simple and We
give 1t in a single paragraph
II such number Of legal voters of
Louisiana, who desired to vote for presi.
dent, as would clearly give the electoral
vote Of the State to Hayes upon a" hon
est return, and thus make hinthe legal
ly chosen president ofthe UnitedStates, "
have been forcibly restrained from vo-
ting. the country would cordially sus-
tain the lawful correction Of the return
and the right OF Hayes to the office.
He who would attempt revolution in
such case would be Justly execrated by
every patriotic citizen
But, when the vote Of Louisiana is
confessediy honestly returned as it was
actually voted, as is the case with the
returns which give the State to Tilden
by from eight 10 ten nthousand majority,
there must be absol Itely credible, CON
elusive and lawful evidence to set aside
legal retarn and confront a pop
ular majority OF three hundred
thousand Of the American people
The kellogg return board did, in
1872, Just what Mr. Smaliey suggests
that il may do now IL fabricated
thousands Of afidavits Of unknown
and not even living blacks. and on
foundation Of f,lsehood and perjury
reared the frauds which Republican
United States Senate rejected under
the lead of Edmunds, who declared
them a shame upon civilization. and
which republican house revolted
against when it eiscted from their seats
the creatures who bore Kelloeg's com
mission
The same return board repeated the
suggestion of Mr. Snaliey in 1874, re-
jected the Democratic legislators hon
estly chosen, and certified in like per-
Jury and fraud, the election Of ma
iority of Kelloggs dependents Again
u republican congress reys'ted, and Mr..
VIM. A. Wheeler, now republican can
ditlate Tor viee-president was one of a
committee that visited the State oefici-
ally, examined into the Kellogg return
board frauds. found them TO be utterly
without even plausible pretext, and he
was the suthor Of the Wheeler COM
promise by which he drove the pre-
tenders from their seats with their
fraudulent certificates aud seated "a
majority OF Democrats b4'eause they
wers the legally ehesrn' members
With what painfully prophetic lsn-
guage dia Mr. Wheeler then say ia his
report % Congeess. reviewing the un-
blushing frauds Of the K''Eoss retura
board. But the evil goes much far
ther Upon the elections ia Louisiana.
as in other States. depends the right 10
their seats Of Senators and Represents
tiges who are to aid in making laws for
the whole country, aud the choice of
Presidential electors. upon whose vote
may depend the title OF the office Of the
President of the United States himself
No party n ne Uated States iroaid ike 10
submit 70 result dseidcd BY The setss Of
siect0rs eiO,cz By sueh scars"
Is il to such seething cauldron
Of frnid that Mr.. Smalley would sub
NIT the arbitrament of nstion's des-
tiny7 For four years the 75i5sss has
taught the country that the Kellogg
elections Of Louisiana were but the
most violent mockeries Of justice, and
Mr.. Smalley has been among the
bravest in his contributions 10 that
journal in demanding that the Kellogg
fountain, with all it's putrid streams Of
consuming wrong should be effaced
from existence; and il is now to be
summoned to vomit out its frauds
afresh into the very temple of national
authority
There can be no legal return in Louis
lana tlIat Is the offspring of fraud,
Fraud and law have no common offices
they cannot assert coordinate power
When they cross each Others path, one
or the other must perish. and neither
,riIden nor Hayes can tc the legally
ehoscn President of the United States
il the Kellogg return board, under ths
dim color Of law, should make 8
fraudulent returns in bis favor that
disputes the actual vote o. polled
There would be the color OF law. with
OFT even the taint Of fran,l. in throwing
out one electoral vote OF Vermont. be
cause Mr. Henry n soliase, a ros,,nas
ter, has been chosen an tlector in dis
regard Of the constitutional clause de
claring ths, mo Senator or Representa-
tive, or person holding an Office Of trus
| or profit under the United States. shall
be appointed an eiector.r In that cas-,
the supreme Law of the land. construe.
fairiy, diafranchises Vermont Of on
4 electoral vpte. fpf the appointment,
void, and ! strict spforcernent Of tn
Law, in disregard Of justice and Of th
i u.t-f-. ...ty <.F l. 4.