The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-07-12
turning hoard was invented.

powers never before given TO any CrlDu-
nal in any State It's object was not to
return, but to suppress the votes Of the
qualified electors, or change them to suit
the occasion. By the terms of the law it
can exclude, suppress, annihilate all the
votes of parish for violence, intimida-
tion or fraud, which it finds to have been
committed and adjudges to have mate
rally Influenced the result the polls.
This is judicial authority so broad that
no court would consent to exercise it
inhicting the fearful penalty of disfran-
chisement upon thousands at once, with
out hearing and without legal evidence,
not for any ohense of their own, but for
the supposed sin of others over whom
they confessedly have no control: Of
course it is in direct conflict with the
State constitution, which declares that all
judicial power shall be vested in certain
ordained and established courts, and for
bids it to be used even by them except
upon trial before jury, and conviction
on the testimony of credible witnesses
confronted by the accused and cross
examined by counsel. 1t is, besides, a
most insolent afront to the fundamental
principles of all elective government, for
It makes the poll of the people mere
mockery, which decides nothing except
what the returning board is pleased to
approve, and elects nobody whom the
returning board does not graciously favor.
It's power to veto popular vote extends
to all elections, for every class of officers,
judicial, legislative, ministerial executive,
including electors of President and Vice
President. .i .u
HOW IT DID ITS WORK. ~.
The board consisted of five persons.
They were originally appointed by o
carpet-bag Senate, without end of their
tenure and with power to fill vacancies,
which made them close corporation and
gave them perpetual succession. 10 put
on some show of fairness, the law re-
quired that all parties should be repre-
sented. This was at first thought to be
met by the appointment ofone Democrat,
but when deed of more than common
baseness was to be done, the Democrat
was got rid Of, and the other four, desir-
ing to work in secret, refused TO tlll bis
place.
APPLIED TO TIE PRESIDENTIAL ELEC-
TION. -
The election came off on the proper
day, supervised and controlled at every
polling place by officers of the carpet-bag
interest. According to their own count
the result was a majority of 1858
for the Tilden electors. It has never yet
been denied that this majority was made
up of ballots cast by citizens legally quail,
fled. The vote was regularly taken and
properly counted, and true record OF ii
made in perpetuana rel anenaoriam. These
facts being undisputed, it, follows thai
the Tilden electors were duly appointed
if the people of the State have the ap'
pointing, power, which they certainly
have, unless the constitution and the
statute book are not to be relied on.
But the opponents of Tilden and Hen
dricks determined that the record OF the
appointment made by the people shoulo
be mutilated and changed so as to make
it appear as if electors for Hayes ano
Wheeler had been choserf: They pre-
tended to believe that violence and in
timidation had frightened the African
Hayes men from the polls, and that theil
cowardice ought to be visited, in the torn
of disfranchisement, on the heads o.
those who had intrepidity enough to per
form their political duty. The allega
tions were utterly false. 1t was made no
only>without evidence to sustain it, bu
in the face of overwhelming proof to th'
contrary. All the places of registration
and voting were guarded by the creature
of the Federal and State administrations
superintendents, commissioners, deputy
marshals, and soldiers, and all of thes'
with one voice said that the election wa
peaceable and free. Indeed, it is literal
" impossible that any intimidation o
violence could have been practieed. M
sensible person ever gave credit to it TO
q moment. Notwithstanding much men
tai anxiety about the result, various rea
sons combined to make the election il
Louisiana probably the most quiet ant
undisturbed in the Union.
THE CHARACTER OF ITS MEMBERS.
The personnel of the board justified tn
faith of the carpet-baggers and thei
allies. If the evidence concerning 1T
members be rightly reported by the in
vestigating committee, they were marke'
out by the history of their previous lives
noted and signed to do any deed OF sham
which might be required at their hands
Wells was custom house officer at Ney
| Orleans, and one of the worst of that ba'
lot; defaulter to the State OF lon|
standing, without character for integrit
or yeracity, and for thirty years regarde!
as unworthy to be trusted. Anderson
character for honesty was equally bad
he had earned it in part by aiding, Will
he was Senator, to put up a fraudulen
lob upon the State, and taking the in
iquitous proceeds to himself: OF the tw
mulattoes, one was indicted for larceny
and, after admitting his guilt, was al
lowed to escape punishment, and prompt
ly taken into the board. The other wa
too ignorant to know his duty, but III
testimony showed such indifference t
the obligations of an oath that he wa
deemed as safe for the carpet-baggers a
either of his colleagues.
They comprehended the situation, say
the difficulty of the work before then
and resolved to make it pay in somethln
better than mere promises of "recognl
tion," however generous and ample.
| Wells, who was their spokesman i'll pr
vate as in public, wrote in strict conf
dence to q carpet-bag Senator then a
Washington letter which, being con
densed into plain English, means this
"There's millions in it. See our friend
and act promptly. Buy us immediatel
or We will sell out to the other side
Talk freely to the gentleman who present
this; he knows the moves" To the bear
er of the letter he explained that it wa
hard work to count in the Republica
candidate-the Democratic majority wa
too large to handle-he wanted to serve hi
party, but he would not take this 10
without compensation; he must hav
$4,000 900 apiece for himself and Andel
son, and smaller sum for the niggerss.
On this basis he authorized his embassa
dor at Washington to negotiate with tn