The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-07-19
LOUISIANA RETURNING BOARD.


Jury, which indicted the Returning
Board of the Crescent State for forgery
and perjury the counting and declar.
ing Of the vote for State officers and
Presidential electors last fall, has been
the nubject of comment throughout the
United States for the past two weeks,
and the independent press of both politi.
cal parties agree that4he matter should
not be hushed up by anything short of a
full legal investigation, which will for.
ever settle the charges that have been
made about the vote Of this State rs true
or falae= The Democratic party believes
that this vote was cast for its candidates,
while q large mass of Republicans are
equally confident that the State went Re.
publican by fair majority. Il verdict
from o judicial tribunal is necessary to
put this ugly question forever at rest, b.,
either vindicating The integrity of the
menbeFs OF the Returning Board or by
inhicting upon them the punishment
their alleged acts deserve, thereby max.
ing public example of them to check
the perpetraiior of such crimes in the
future.
1t has been claimed by Judge Law.
renee, member of the commission sent
by Grant to New Orleans, that Governor
Nicholls promised that there should be
no prosecutions for political offe:cos, and
that this indictment is q violation of the
agreement. 1t is moro than possible that
Gov. Nichols made this promise, but it
clearly bas not the Significance which
.ae Republicans wish TO attach to it, un.
less it contained more than tho promise
mentioned, for neither perjury nor
forgery arc political offences-they are
crimes against the common and statute
lays of the land, and cannot be condoned
noE compounded by anything short Of the
punishment prescribed for all criminals
who perpetrate them. The fact that
officials of o State have committed these
heinous offences does not alter the state
Of the ess, ono particle, unless it is to
make II nraver and more dangerous as o
public example. The fact that Governor
Nichols opposes the indictment does not
amount to enything. He has no more
right to interfere than private citizen
until q conviction and sentence is rem
dered, and then he can only do so by
granting pardon, which IL is alleged by
some persons he will assuredly do If tho
members of this board are convicted.
We cannot believe ho has ever author
lied such o statement, for he must know
that such . course on his part would
probably cause his impeachment, and
would certainly render him an object OF
'tdetestation to all honest men. If Wells
and Anderson are guilty, he has no right
TO say that the laws shall not be executed
against them, for all law-abiding citizens
of both parties would prefer to havo such
crimes pps.shed for the security of our
government in future.
The trial OF this interesting case will
come of this fall, and its result will be Of
fhh greatest imnnrianca to PeaaidAni
Hayes. If conviction is had he can.
not afford longer to occupy tho Presi.
dencys for, although tho verdict Of the in.
famous eight etc seven commission may
in law give him. d titie to the Office capa.
Bile Of taing sustained before a court
reckless enough to have made the dc.
cision, yet he could not for one instant