Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1876-11-25

this Customary courtesy at the hands Of that body.
+. {. HANCDCK, Chairman.
: N. p. HANDY. Secretary.
MN ORLFASs November 2.. 1876
May OR, Mr. President. that some action be
Governor WellS-Atonce We violated the rules
through courtesy to the gentlemen on the Demo
tieperaI Ailderson-The Republicans also.
ttcscInOr Wells-AHd granted them the privilege
oi having another reporter present which they had
selected. Ths' vOiaflcn has brought upon us very
scurrlOus charge by gentleman admitted as one OF
the correspondents. For that reason and many 9th
ers We must object to violating the rules. We viii
hive 20 read that article to which hare reference.
The clerk read the article from TIE Cincinnati Ea-
glt[c OF the eighteenth, headed The Scoundreis OF
the Returning Board" During the reading General
anderson denounced the author
Mr. DavenpOn-May ask the board foT infOrma-
tlon? Was the gentleman present at the meeting Of
the board when the aitcle was written We have no
disposition 10 enter into argument In relation 10 this
MISTER. merely thought OF suggesting that the rep
reservations might have been gathered outside by
the gentleman representing the paper In which IT
iirSt appeared
! Application was refused
! The returns from the three contested parishes
! East Baton Rouge, Sc. Tammany and Iberia, were
Z taken up. East Baton Rouge has fourteen polling
places, but the returns, when opened, were from
/ only seven. The law requires the commissioners
at each polling place, within wentyfouT hours after
the close OF the polls to make Tetuin of the votes
cast to the supervisor Of registration of the parish
who, within twenty hours after The receipt of
the re-urns from the polling places, is required to
consolidate such Teurns' 10 be certified TO correct
consolidated returns, with the originals received by
/ him. by mail TO- the State returning board. The
Ssdtements of violence Of Intimidation at any poll,
when Rtlecl. required 10 De attached 10 and for
Ralded with the consolidated returns. East Baton
/ Rouge is twelve hours distant from New Orleans
The returns from that parish were not sent by mail
/ and were not filed with the returning board until
November 2;}d. Many OF the adavitS sent with the
/ same charging intimidation were sworn to in New
/ orleans, some Of them as late az November 22d
The total vote Of the parish, rs ascertalned from
the returns cf HE commissioners at the following
! places. was 223S for Tiden and 1925 for Hayes
but the supervisors OF registration, by consolidating
the returns from only polling places. leaving
out the other seven and emitting TO send up the
original returns from some, make a return of
only l02 votes for Tiden and 1427 for Hayes.
Afidayits have been filed stating that the super
visor of this parish, and In every other parish in the
State is Republican; that returns from fourteen
parishes are still missing; that several Of the miss
ing returns were and had been in the city of New Or
leans for days, in the hands of persons who were
not supervisors
TIN the returns from East Baton Rouge were
opened 1t was unknown to the Democrats what affi
davts accompanied Il, or returns from what polling
places were rejected. The Democrats complain bit
terly Of the action of the returning board and super
ylsOrS in regard to this parish After much discus
sion the returns of East Baton Rouge we're laid aside
The only parish finished to-day was ST. Martini; Til
den. 1923; Hayes, 1897
The undersigned. acting counsel for the various
candidates upon the DemCcraticC Conservative ticket
State national and municipal. with respect show
that the returns from the various polls and parishes
are inspected by this board and the vote announced
By II merely that for the governor and electors. That
the tabuation Of all other votes is turned
over to corps of clerks TO be done outside
of the presence of this board. That a OF said clerks
aIe Republicans and that the acknowledgements
tive candidates have no check upon them and no
means 10 detect errors or expose fraudulent
tabuatiOn. on to call the attention of this board 10
any such wrong, If any exist. That by this system
the late OF all other candidates but those OF gov
eTnOr and electors Is placed in the hands OF body
OF Republican clerks, with no check against err0ne-
Gus or dishonest action on their part That fair
play requires that some check should be placed upon
IN
candidates against error or dishonest action on the
part of said clerks. Wherefore, they respectfully
three respectable persons. and that to
such parties be accorded the privilege OF
being present in the room or rooms where said tabu
laion IS progressing and OF inspecting the tabula
tiOn and comparing the same with the returns; and
also fully inspecting the returns previous TO the
adoption by this board of said tabulatOn, with
view to satisfy all parties that there has been no
tamlering or unfair practices in connection there
The board then adjourned until eleven o'clock To-
morrow
Professor Sumner on Louisiana.
Professor Sumner who went TO New Orleans at the
request of the National Democratic committee, has
returned, and written letter to Mr.. Charles Inger-
soil Of New Haven, in which he expresses the deep
est contempt for the Radical leaders and machinery
in that unhappy city. The most important portion
OF the letter we subiOin:
New Orleans is to-day the most mOurnful city !
ever saw. The city itself is squalid and wretched in
appearance and the peOple are dispirited | saw no
probability at all that there could be any use for
troops, The grave importance of the election
seemed TO me to lie in its national aspects The
Federal power has twice interVened in New Orleans
10 sustain the returning board I'm settling aside the
viii OF the people as expressed by election, on
the ground that they did not coincide with the
will of the people expressed by the
census. Federal Interference is the key to
the situation. Without It the returning board would
have to exercise its great and dangerous power ul-
der eSpOnSibility to public opinion at least With
that interference the returning board is an engine OF
tyranny which IS the more frightful because 1t acts
4
meGt, The people OF the north have too long neg
lected the case of Louisiana, as If it were far of and
foreign. They have left Louisiana TO become, iii
side of Our own republic, an instance OF as ia
grant oppression and wrong rs any which, in
history OF foreign lands has ever enlisted our sym
pdthy. II has, however, been like Il cancer in our
body polite and at this moment when it IS eating
into Presidential election, the great nerve OF Cur
political system; when, too, the Federal admins
trtiOn and the Federal arms are still enforcing the
wong, We are told that the principles of State
rights and local self-gOyernment command us to
let il alone. We were told at New Orleans that the
returning board must act under the law. so
indeed it must be, for the forms of law are Saered
but there is an appeal which cannot be IN vain to
The sober reason and honorable VIII OF the Alner-
c2n people. The law which commands obedience
because it is the will of the government is one thng
the law which the people who live under it never
consented to and never made is another thing;
and those who rely upon its sanction for arbitrary
anduniust action bring law under the most danger
ols contempt. When the people OF the country ap-
precate the fact that II is their power which has I'M
posed upon Louisiana this mOnStrOuS tyranny, their
power clnilOt longer DE turned III tlaI 0lectiO IL
was this opinion OF the national importance OF the
Louisiana election which led me to accept the mV-
tatiOn OF the committee. thought that the interest
al stake went far beyond any question OF person 10
sit in the Presidential chair. | thought that 1t
touched the vtals OF the republican system Every
thing saw I'm Louisiana strengthened this opinion
hoped that we might avert the danger. Ill that
we did not succeed, but we succeeded at last,
and after persistent eXertiOn, In securing for the
northern people complete report Of all which may be
done. l came home believing that our institutions
are about to be put to test compared with which
the war was inSignitcdnt-One which VIII demand
that We gather together ali our manhood and patr-
Otiin and all our traditions Of civil liberty and self
government. Many learned notices have been writ
ten In criticism of the conflict between the north and
south showing that it is Il conflict OF aTstOcTacy and
democracy, of Puritan and cavalier, and | know
not What. Whatever the cause which the present
government OF Louisiana represents, the cause is
unfortunate in It's missionaries BY the facts of the
record, the government there existing Is base. cor
rupt, and contrary to every sound principle
yea" ago no one could be found who dared
then, and do not see how any honest man can
side with II or believe that il can advance any
good cause. | found no sentiment Of GiSuuiOu
among the men met. They only seemed to despair
of being trusted by the north. found no sentiment
In favor OF a solid south, and 10 ambitions to be
satisfied at Washington. The all-absOrbng subject
was the redemption Of Louisiana from misrJIle. |
found no hostility TO negro suffrage. People did not
seem 10 care about it, Or If they did they approved
of IT, They thought that If they could once get self
manage 70 live together without trouble. | presume
that there are many people worse than those met
but think those whom | saw would be as iniuen-
tial rs any In reconstructed Louisiana. Yours very
respectfully, W. G. SUMNER"
SOUTH CAROLINA.
The state Canyassers to Answer for