Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1877-12-08

q full ur.ce in blood and treasure they
bought this freedom for their children,
and l do not know one tolerable decent
American who would sell even his single
right on any terms whatever. AT the
critical period in the history of Louisiana
which occurred last year it was especial
" valuable to her people. for it furnlshei'
them the only legal, pcaceable, ana shir
measure of relief from the eNactions OF -
most corrupt ard oppressive government
The successful scheme to cheat thoso
people out OF their votes for State officers
and Presidential Electors is, therefore, II
crime of the greatest magnitude, and ont
which requires cheek of solid brass IT,
defend it without hlushing. 1t is fay
worse than II conspiracy to steal any
amount of Public money. Runnin1
crooked whis,iey for a lifetime would IL
an act of white-robbed innocence in COM
pariso".
The ultimate object of this crime give.
It's general aspect revolving III the last
degree hHt its features, when seen III
detail are hidcous beyond expression
Some returns were entirely suppressed,
and OF hers w"rc altered: votes actually
cast were. thrown ont, and Others put It,
and counted which We're known not IT,
have been PEELED. The whole proceed
ing was full Of false protences. Forgery
Of the most important documents was a,
part of it; perjury and subornation 81
these Things be. forgotten or contloncd
Do yea expect the cheated people of the
nation to say, like the eight commission
crs that this is as good u way us any t"
elect Il President 2
TIE ELECTORAL COMMISSION.
One OF yonr allie cations is that 1intc::d-
ed ''to convey the false impression that
the formation of the commission was tho
result of Republican conspiracy to
jx,,,t Ix.S
President :" and Judge Bradley, takiH>,
your word for it, has made himself inter
estiug hy Il puhlir cuinpl;int of the injury
to himself. l did not say this or any
thing like it. On the contrary, l referred
to the co,nnissoin us being proposed III
difficult circumstances to avoid the dan.
gers which might spring from Il continued
and final disagreement between the tive
ho,iscs, aud as being accepted by the
Democrats in the belief that justice wonit
be DONE and al honest decision rendered
against the fraud In all this there il
! nor hing about Il conspiracy i'll .tiie for"
nation Of the commission" l do not
know that you misrepresented this point
willfully. 1t is one Of your characters
tic inaccuracies, like that which charge,
Dante with the lndccencies OF the Dc
cameron.
No; the conspiracy was not in the f"t'
| ton of the commission, but in the
| those bogus votes. The commission re-
! fused to verify the votes and asrertain
! whether the cleo .ors that sent them ny
were duly appointed or not, and in th':
it bitterly Disappointed the friends or
truth, and grossly violated the whole
spirit as well rs the letter OF the Ia"
which gave it being. Whe her this was
| mere error. or something worse, is NOT
| for me or You to determine, but the gen
| eruI Judgment will no doubt adopt the
| charitable view which have given. and
say that the faculties Of the majority
were too much bcnumbed by party pas
sion to see the facts or understand the
law,
You claim that the certificate OF tire
Returning Board gave you ga poiltlcai
advantaye.'' In this YOU. are certainly
right. A party sued for an honest deb:
has II great advantage over Ills crcdlt"i
if he can produce Il fraudulent or forged
receirt upon the trial. The advantng"
becomes decisive if the tribunal trying
| the cause is willing to accept the false
paper. give it the effect of u true one,
and permit the plaintitf to be cheate't
out OF his debt. But would it be rights
legally or morally, for the debtor to tax"
such an advantage
| THE Peoples RIGHT TO ELECT.
Your technical argument in favor OF tho
| fraud deserves notice, because it IS al.
| NEST your only attempt at reasoning, an't
! because your conclusion wo"ld 10 1lli -
| YOUR premises were sound. ~
Yon declare. in broad and unqualified
| terms, that the American people nav"
..no right to elect their own Chlet NaGlS,
! trate''-that no such right is imbeddea
| in he constitution or elscwhcfe-thaf ;
! on the contrary, "tlie trainers OF the
constitution We're careful TO eSc!uoc lr"i.'
! the rcoplo the right to elect their own
| Chief Mamist rate.' / admit that this, II
true, ends the controversy in your favor;
| Tor if cannot have been legally wrong I"
defeat the attempt which the people
made TO exercise Il right from which they
We're carefully eNc!Hded by the CONSTITUTE
ton. But this opinion of yours IS to-
| tai misroncoption. ard will not be adopt
ed BY any human being who has the
/ funniest idea of our insti buttons.
You put your proposition with even
more directncss and speak with unwont-
! ell precision when you say, as ynu 40 on
! thc same page. that the people OF Lonls1-
ann and Florida have not the power tor
| onnoirt electors of President and vice
| prrSjlrut / his goes to the ROOT OF the
mattcr. 1t proves logically enough that
the election at which tho Tiiden can"' :
dates were fixed upon. chosen, appoint
ed. and named as electors, was IL mere
nhortion-:, Val, effort to perform n fuuc-
ton ultrn rirc9 and merely VOID: Ihe
Hrtu:uiu,r Board and the Electoral Com
mission were justified in treating 1T With
coutemrt. OF such AN election 1T was
20 harm to t;,isify the records; for in
their best estate they had no value OF
validity. To forge them was no citme'
for it prejudiccd no right. :.
But Is it trus that the people OF houisl-
ana and Florida have no power to appolht
| electors Iou deny the power OF tfe
people to appoint because that power us
by the supreme law of the land (meanlng
tic Federal constitutional vested i'll the
states, to be exercised in snch name az a.
the Legislatures thereof may direct.
| Now Tie InmislntnrcS of tbs two StatoS