The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-01-12
Kellogg,s Board.

The returning board has been roundly
abused for stealing the electoral vote of
| Louisiana. The astonishing fact is now
disclosed that the returning board did
not, could not, with all its audacity, its
bitter animus, count cut enough votes to
defeat the Tilden electors. Sixty-nine
polls were objected to and counted out
| by the board, many on the himsiest
| ptetexts. Against these, and these alone,
was there a word of evidence? The
other polls were above suspicion. The
polls counted out, so the official dOcu
ments of the returning board declare,
contained 10, ,269 democratic and 1863
republican votes. The fall returns from
all the polls and parishes in the state
show SO, ,S59 votes for r. {. Wickliffe,
the highest Tilden elector, and II, ia
votes for w. p. Kellogg, the highest
Hayes eleetor. Deducting from this the
votes thrown out by the returning board,
and those counted in by 2 clerical error
inIVernon, the vote forelectors returning
board COUNT should be-
Wieklifies...- 75 500 Sheidon....52 a5I H. nai Ci5
3 g 1919 Joscpl yTz j. mag az
sietnery g. 20 AiarSs.-..,.l32ee =. m1l.... l3
i,eI & ,s6 isfs.ss ~ i msi l9
. = ( 3 9sss::sss ~ s.es -
Showing that Messrs Wicklife, Seay
and NJ Emery, democrats, and Messrs.
Levissee, Brewster, Joffrion, Burch and
Kellogg, republicans, were elected presi-
dental electors. Such would be the re-
turns OF the state vote to-day il the re-
turning board had insisted on in prac-
tlce, as it always has in words, that it,
and 1t alone, were the returning officers
of the state of Louisiana that it, and it
oil "a -rl,4
and count out votes. As soon as the
state vote became known, the republicans
saw at once that it would be no easy
matter to elect the Hayes electors. To
assist the returning board in its work,
the supervisors of registration We're in
structed to omit as many polls as pos
siDle from their report on any pretense.
Only seven supervisors were found un-
scrupulous enough to carry out this
dirty order, and these men, almost every
one of them under indictment for some
otiense, threw out enough polls to elect
all the Hayes electors. The returning
board alone did not count in the Hayes
electors it was Clover, Neazie, Ledet
and Backers who did the dirty work that
changed the vote of this state. These
men omitted from their report to the
returning board thirteen polls; con-
tanning two thousand nine hundred
democratic votes They have never ex- /
plained 20 the board, or 10 The people,
why these polls were omitted never at
tempted to give any reasons or eXplana-
tions therefore. The returning board
counted out enough votes to reduce the
majority of three democratic electors
from seven thousand to a few hundred
but it was the supervisors, who omitted
twenty nine hundred more votes, who
finished the work. defeated the Tilden
electors and gave the state to Hayes. 1t
is not claimed by any one that these
supervisors had this right. "They- are
open TO prosecution" said Wells, 'ior !
their conduct in not returning polls !
but IRE can not compel them to obey. Go
into the courts against Them Here /
then, are a lot of -disreputable characters, /
one not a citizen of the state, one /
keeper Of a snake show, another an ex-
policeman, etc, illegally changing the /
result OF the state by emitting polls with /
out any known reason against them, and /
without any right 10 do so vet there is |
no remedy. The democrats appealed 10 /.
the returning board to correct this evil. /
For the first time Iho- board found itself /
pOwerless. 1t could make presidents. |
governors, and legislatures; it was
and responsible to no human
court, but with tally-sheets, PolLlists,
votes and returns before it, il could not
correct an outrageous and acknowledged
illegal proceeding of a cheat and petty
gambler. 1t Is about time thai the
northern radical press dropped the
story about intimidation. The records
of the returning board of the state Of
Louisiana will show that with every poll
at which it is said, thought, suspected,
or imagined, that there was any in
or irregularities, thrown out,
tn ee of the Tilden electors are elected.
The count of the returning board does
not defeat them. To the scandalous,
illegal conduct of disreputable supervi-
:ors, Mr.. Hayes owes whatever claim he
may have to the vote Of Louisiana.