The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1877-01-25
4 How Hayes was Counted In.

the story of tho Florida CanVassing
Board, from the Democratic side. II
is q. plain story, easily understood
and it is thought here that, before the
Republicans claim Florida for Mr..
Hayes, they ought to show this table
to be falso.
Florida has thirty-nine countless
Whom the Returning Board mot they
began by an attempt to ascertain how
the vote stood on tho face of tho re-
turns. But they met at once with
difficulty in Baker county, from which
two returns oamo up, ono OF which
gave the State to Hayes, tho other to
Tildon. Undor tho Florida law tho
County Canvassers arc required to
meet ut the Office of tho County Clork,
within six days after the election, to
canvass the vote and compile the Of
fetal returns. The board of canvass
efs are the county Clerk, the county
Judge, and Justice of the Peace or
Sheriff. In the case of Bakor county
che. Judge "a Republican, refused to
meet the Clerk, and, after waiting for
him, the Clerk called in a Justice of
the Peace and proceeded publicly to
canvass the official precinct returns,
and sent the result thus made by two
OF the three persons designated by
law to tho Secretary of State. This
return gave tho State to Tilden by
1OS majority. Tho county Judge, who
had rofuscd to meet tho othor two, ut
tho samo timo called in q person who
had been appointed Justice of the
Peace after tho election had boon
held, and these two canvasscd, not
tho sofficiah returns, but duplicates that
covered only two Of the four precincts,
and sent their returns to the Socre-
tary of State, which gave the State
to Hayes by forty two. Tho Returns
ing Board decided, rs was proper,
that tho Clerks return was tho COR
rect ono, and this was therefore al.
lowed and counted.
Next comes Clay county. Hore
the couNy canvassers, also Ropubli-
cans, left out one precinct, on tho
groun@ that it did not appear that the
inspector took the oath prescribed by
law. But they made statement with
their returns, showing that the pre-
cinct gave twenty four Democratic
majority, and the Returning Board
held that the objection was not good,
and, therefore, counted the precinct.
But, having gone so far, the Board
began to throw out votos. In Mon
roe county they threw out Demo-
cratic precinct on tho ground that the
canvass there was not completed on
the night of the election, as the law
demands. The inspector completed
the count aE one o'clock, but one of
their number, a, Republican, fell ill,
and moved to defer tho declaration of
the return until the next morning.
There was no pretense of fraud.
In Hamilton county the board flung
out Jasper precinct, on the ground
that during tho election two of the
inspectors, both Republicans, deserted
tho polls. Ono of these desorting in
spoctors-a Republican, bo it romom-
bered-himself made the affidavit Of
the irregularity on which the board
flung out the voto. Thcro was no
attompt to impeaoh the roctitude of
the vote. o
In" Jackson county tho board throw
out votos on the ground that the bal
lot boxes were placed so high that the
colored voters could not 500 into
them. But all tho election officers
were Republicans and the boxos were
all alike.
In MaHatee county the whole vote
was flung out on the ground that
there was no county Clerk to attend
to tho registration and other duties.
Tno circumstances wero these: The
Clerk of the county was Republican
appointed by Governor stearns; he
resigned shortly before the election.
The inhabitants appealed to him to
resume his duties, but he refused.-
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