New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-01-05

Practically, South Carolina, Florida and
Oregon are out of the way. In South
Carolina, it appears, even the House Com
mittee unanimously admits that there was
q majority for all the Hayes electors on the
face of the returns. In Florida the Board
of Canvassers has made two counts, one
with exercise Of judicial power, and the
other at the command of the Supreme
Court, according to the face of the returns,
and both result in a ma ority for Repub-
lican electors. In Oregon the Democratic
case is so weak and himsy that the Demo-
Gratis who have responsibility and good
sense admit that they can not expect the
CrOnin certificate to be accepted SIS having
any validity whatever. Even if it should
be, tee Senate will be prepared to show
that at least three of the votes cast for MI.
Tilden in other States were cast by persons
constitutiOnally ineligible. Thus the presi-
Dental contest narrows itself to q very
simple issue: Does the Republican certif-
cate from Louisiana represent the legal
vote of that Statei
The evidence is exceedingly conflicting
But the De nocrats are no longer able 10
deny that there had been many horrible
murders committed prior to the election
and candid men will form their own
opinion as to the purpose and effect of
these crimes. They will remember that in
the state of things existing then, every
man who gives important evidence against
the Democrats does so at the peril of his
life, while the members of that party are
abe to guarantee full protection to those
who testify in their favor. The d ference
which this fact ought TO make, and does
make in the credibility attached by candid
men to the evidence gathered by either
party, is inoalculable. 1t gives the best
possible reason for believing that every
fact calculated to help the Democrats can
easily be proved, and that ABUNDANT testi-
mn q. hn far H.
side with great ease, tending to support
statements which are not facts. On the
other hand, it is not easy to believe that any
motive can have been brought to bear upon
the thousands of witnesses on the Repub-
ican side strong enough to induce them
TO swear to lie, and thereby to
incur the vengeance of white Dem
ocrats and invite speedy death. Beyond
dispute, it must be exceedingly difficult to
get witnesses on that side W no will estab-
lish all the facts. The feelings of Just and
humane men all over the land will be
touched by the incident reported by tele-
graph as having occurred on Thursday. A
c"lored witness before the Senate's com.
mittee detailed several acts of violence,
and gave, with great reluctance, the nance
of the leaders, and in conclusion asked the
committee what protection would be given
to those who came here to testify" Senator
Mcdonald told him if any persons molested
him to report to the committee and th "
would be punished. The witness replied,
"If go home and get killed, can not re-
port to the committee" Senator Wadleigh
said, "Thst is 3 hard case, but we have no
power to help you" What honest man does
net feel that q great part OF the truth must
remain improved under such circumstances
Is it strange if Witnesses hide in swamps
until the inquiry is over rather than leave
home and family at the summons of the
nOmmittpa I'll fha fFntb NIL ha
victiOn that they may never be able to re-
turn at all or alive9 Yet the evidence is
overwhelming to prove that such a state of
terror does exist Who can believe, in the
face of such proof, gathered under such
difficulties, that there was free and fair
electiOni
This is the Louisiana case, as it appesrs
thus far. On the decision in that case the
result of the presidential election now de-
ponds. Democratic bluster and Democratic
claims ought to count for nothing. Until
recently that party has clustered Loudly
about South Carolina. demanding that
those must be considered scoundrels who
would not count it's vote for Tilden. The
unanimous conclusions of their own COM
mittee prove that those who set up these
impudent demands we're really the soOun-
drels, for they were trying to steal the vote
of a State and to rob the people of the
United States of the right to choose their
rulers Even now, though falntlY, the
Democrats bluster aud demand about
Florida, and yet they are defeated when
the board inquiries into the validity of the
returns, and equally defeated when it aes
upon the face Of the returns. At first the
Democrats shouted and clustered about the
vote of Cronin, but now they are advised
that they can not afford to propose openly
defeat of the popular will. The legal de-
cisiOn already rendered in Louisiana will be
sustained and obeyed, unless there is strong
proof that the Returning Board has acted
Unjustly. At present the balance of testi-
mOny, on the contrary, is strongly in favor
of that decisiOn.-Neso York Tribune.