The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-12-07
DOUBTFUL LOUISIANA.
The Chicago Tribune Again Warns the Re-
turning BOord-How Different From the
Way the Leader IaIkSi

The Democrats claim and insist that
they have 5000 majority in louisiana
Their footings of the parishes which they
say Tilden carried amount to 29 632, and
the aggregate of the Republican MAORI
ties by their count is 2l,S59, leaving Til
den net majority of 7,773. The official
returns of twenty parishes which have
not been contested, do little better for
the Republicans than had been conceded
by the Democratic unofficial reckoning.
The gain in those twenty parishes is
something like 750 votes, which would
reduce the alleged Democratic majority
to 1000 in the State Now, suppose the
Returning Board shall reject all the elec-
ton precincts of the five bull.dozed par
ishes, if that can be legally done, the re-
suit would be to deprive the Democrats
of 4,413 majority, which they claim to
have obtained in them, But after the
returns are thus purged the State is Dem
ocratic by 1900, unless the returns from
the other parishes shall prove more fa-
vorable to the Republicans than the
Democratic unofficial returns show. The
New Orleans Republican perCeives the
difficulty and says; III. NJ. +. tr.. .l
To merely throw out the reputed Dem
ocratic majorities in the above parishes
would not satisfy justice. To do that
fully it will be necessary to restore the
Republican strength which has been de-
stroyed by the civil war which has been
waged in them for the very purpose of
setting up this claim which the Demo
Gratis now urge. e.Ig.a.up,. 90 aiu. Nd
But this is something that the Repub-
liCan knows cannot be lawfully done. 1t
is wholly illegal to count votes for Hayes
which were never cast for him. The
Returning Board has no authority to re-
open the polls and hold a supplemental
election for President and Governor and
other officers subsequent to the 9TH Of
November. The most that can be done
is to reject, not the parishes where bull
doing was practiced, but the particular
polling precincts Of the parishes where
fraud and intimidation are proven to have
been practiced. Thus it may be that the
testimony will only show that intimida-
tion was perpetrated in half the voting
places in East Feliciana, and that in the
other half the Democrats got in 1000
votes with bull-dozing; and SO of all the
other parishes where bull.dozing was
done-msny Of the polling places may
be found to have been free Of illegal OBJ
struction or intimidation, and thus when
all the bad precincts are thrown out, the
Democratic majority of 4,4l3 votes in
these five disputed parishes may not be
reduced one.half In such case the State
vote would have to be certified for Til
den and Nichols. This is view of the
chances in Louisiana we have not lost
sight of for some time. t
As the case stands it is very doubtful.
But the vote will have to be canvassed
strictly according to law. The Republic
can visiting committee will never coun-
tenanCe or tolerate any swindling or ras-
cally counting or other performances. -
The thing must be done fairly. The Re-
publican party will accept nothing else
than that, and Governor Hayes has OPEN
ly declared that he will never accept the
Presidency if it comes to him tainted
with fraud or corruption.-Chicago Trb-
tIne, (Rep.) Nov, 18th,