The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-11-16
From the ". Y. World, 1sth.
THE Law AND LOUISIANA.
SENATOR BAYARD DECLINES Elk.
TRA-LEGAL MEDDLING WITH
THE Law.
Our Rights and Victory Secure With
Time and Patience--Seasonabl
Words of Wisdom.

Senator Bayard, who was in town yes
terday, at the New York Hotel. was waited
on by reporter Of the World. with whom
he spoke freely, as follows, about the sit
uation in Louisiana:
Reporter-Senator Bayard, 1 have called
from the World to ask if you are going to
New Orleans to be present at the session
of the Louisiana returning board?
Senator Bayard-C Certainly not. Sug-
gestions have been made from very re.
spectacle quarters that it would be we'll
for me to form one of a select corps of OBJ
serYation upon the action of the Louisiana
returning board, but as am in the habit
OF acting upon what | believe to be lawful
warrant, and see no such warrant in this
case, l cannot conceive in what capacity /
could be expected to act in furtherance of
an honest return Of the Louisiana vote.
What status a citizen Of Delaware, whether
he happened or not to be a member of the
senate or the house, or to hold any other
Office under his own state or the United
States, could occupy before q board OF
Louisiana state officials, is more than can
discover.
R.--You do not approve, presume, of
the presidents action in inviting certain
gentlemen of other states to visit Louisiana
for this purpose2
Senator B.-The action of the president,
in my judgment, is not only as much with
out authority as the suggestions Of my
party friends made to me, but it seems to
me to be still more improper than those
suggestions, because, being made by the
president, it implies an official power to
interfere in matters which ought to be and
are strictly independent Of him and of his
action. In my opinion it only makes the
case worse when federal official volunteers
by virtue of his office to create agents not
only unknown to the law, but in violation
of the law, because they are to assume
functions which are reposed in other
hands by the law. No matter what may
be the issue of the returns or the conduct
Of the returning board, either set of such
delegates would be totally without power
to, arrest the wrong IN teri or to remedy it
when accomplished. Neither the proven
ton nor the cure lies with them nor with
the president, but both do exist elsewhere,
ample and welldefned.
R.-Then, senator, you do not recognize
any value whatever in the action of such
extra-legal delegates, even if the president
had selected for the mission the best
known and most judicial men in the
country, and these had accepted the
mission2
Senator B.-The partisan or non-partisan
character of the presidents selections does
not touch the question of his want OF
authority or theirs to make inquisition into
Louisiana elections. Had the persons
named by the president been, what they
aye not, unbiased and disinterested wit.
nesses of an important historical event,
their testimony might have gone far tC
satisfy public opinion in regard to matter;
passing under their personal observation
But the president by emitting to name
even one Of those who have not supported
his administration has put the idea of i'm
paTtiality out of the question.
R.-Do you think, senator, that the
Democratic party should take action a!
matters now stand2
Senator B.-I hate the very name o
party in connection with such an emer
geacy as now apparently confronts thu
American people. Whether successful,
or not, should ask or seek nothing to
day from any other man, either as ;
Democrat or as a Republican, but simpl
try to control him by sense of his dut
as a citizen to the constitution and laws o
his country. have given my adhesion
to the Democratic party because / behev
1t to be the party of law and order, and
believe to-day that its success Is firmly in
trenched in both, and that it only need
that its candidates and its member
should stand by the law as it is written, i
letter and in spirit, in order to have tn
full consummation of its victory in the n
suits Of the presidential election of Tuesda
last Therefore it is that | strenuousl
deprecate any resort, no matter how we
intentioned, to irregular methods for con
trolling legal results. To apply these re
marks to the case in point Whether i
dealing with Louisiana, South Carolin
or Florida, what | mean to say is this
The elections in these States have bee
held; the votes have been cast, the ballot
are, or ought to be, in existence, and the
disclose, or did disclose, a majority on on
side or on the other. Which way thes
majoriues, or any of them, are, is a ques
ton Of fact, which is or ought to be car
able of distinct and positive proof if tn
laws have not been violated. 1t is by tia
fact that the American people must stan
and not by any false and counterfeit pre-
sentiment of that fact, whether prepared b
the fraud of an official hand or not Neve
was there an occasion more gravely cal
ing for an utter absence of anything lik
personal irritation or party heat; but, O
the same time, never was there an occasio
demanding more deliberate and grave d.
termination to insist upon the very trut
and right Of this question, under the al
thority of the law and of the law alone
Our path will then be plainly marked ou
for US, and we can and will tread it wit
an unfaltering step.
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Routh Caro1ina,a Vote