, 1877-01-29

DEMOCRATIC U5uRPATI0N. |
The Democratic House has committed its
crowning act OF infa,ny and usurpaIon in |
tho imprisonment Of tho members Of |
the Louisiana l.oturning Board for re-
fnsing to produce tho records Of tho
1soarl, which are now in tho pr
chires of Louisiana, which they l,nvo not
tho physioal ability to procure, ns they hsvo
passed ont Of their hands into tho custody
Of tho Secretary Of the State, and which |
they have no legal right to touch, even II
they had tho physical ability. Tho reply
made by the members Of tho Doa1d before
thoy wero dragged to jnil in this hfgh.handcd
n,anner was sufficient ono, and. in Wow Of
It, tho action of the Democratic majority
was not only n personal Outrage upon Tho
members Of tho Bonrll, but 1t was also n
gross md ,nportinont interference with the
rights Of tho State Of Louisiana to donnana
that its original records should bo trans-
fcrrca to Washington, thonco into com-
mittce-rooa,r to ba manipulated by
pnrtisan inquisitors and tloir clerks. md to
be bnndlcd about in Stare Chambers for con-
ycnient alterations or ultimate abstraction
Tho action Of tho par tisan majority was In
violation Of tatc rights, Of ordinary comfy,
md of tho Conatitution,-Art. ~. So:. !. Of
whicl, provides tint "l'ull faith and credit
shall DO g;yon in each State to thu public
nets, records, and judicial proceedings Of
every other State" It was within tho power
of tho IIouso to havo scnt its messengers TO
Louiaiann ut Bmall expense and procured
certified copies Of nl1 the papers Of the Re-
turning Boar,l, and ~ q matter of comfy
they would havo been furnished. That they
did not do 20, is prstaa; }aeis evidence that
they wanted tho papers for improper pur-
roscs. Failing in this illegal demand, they
tako their revenge by imprisoning tho mem.
berg Of tho Board, who should ut onco DO
hnbcas-corpused out aud bring suit for false
imprisonment.
Whit does this partisan malignity mean7
Wlat Is tho object Of this high-handod out
rago upon tho liberty Of citizens Of the
Stato Of Louisiana, inflicted upon then, be-
cause they fail to produco records TINT ara
now tho property Of tho State, and, even II
they were so disposed, could not DO pro-
cured either physically or legally? ostonsi.
bly, they say thnt tho Returning Board
cheated a1r. T11pEs in the count. This
brings Us to tho question, WAat Inns tho Re-
turning Board really done? In answering
this question, lot US refer frat to tho Election
law itself. The third section OF tho law pro.
yitles:
II, hfter such examination. tho said returning
|
acts OF violence. Intimidation, armed disturbance,
bribery, OF corrupt influence did materially inter.
fere with tho purity and freedom OF tic e!cr.!on at
such poll or voting, pacc. did prevent sufficient
number Of the qunl1cl electors thcreat frula se.
istctin: ur voting TO materially change the 1esu1t
| Of tho election, then the said returning oE1cesJ
shall not CANVASS complete tue statement Of thu
yotrs OF such poll or totng.placc, but sadtl H.
eluds II from thelr r<furns.
This il tho law under which tho Returning
Board uero required to act, aud under tho
provisions of which they threw out the votes
| Of certain localities. In tho seooua placc,
let us consider tho testimony OF two Of the
most accomplished, impartial, and indc.
pendent observers. Gen. JAMES II. yAH
ALLEN, q Southern n,an md an ex.Confeder.
aso officer, after carefully Weighing the eyi-
denco, says:
In my opniun, the Returning Board Of Louts!-
ana could not hayo permitted the sote Of their
State to stand for tho Democratic Electors, "a ap.
pascnty II did On the fucc Of the returns without
yolatIu; tho statute by Virtue Of which they held
Office, mud sanetionins uasa Of Intimidation anl
fraud disgEaccful " republican lnatitutlons.
Mr. lsEpY1ELp, the correspondent Of the
Cincinnati Commercial, who rent to Iouisi'
aua with tho impression that the Democrats
had ca1r;stl the s;tasa, says;
in The rssithcs selected for buldozln. there wc1t
fully forty Republicans murdered, aud thusl
parishes in which the reau!t gasu thu TttDEN
ticket tic face of tho returns, for which cnctastt
virtue has TT tu1tI1y demanded all hDnrst conn..
were carried for the Democrats by murder, whip
pInsx. Intimidation, mud reign VI terror. ts
every ,1rsh wl.cso there wos Ut inst,ndat!un tht
Ilcpubl!cans rAfutd u thst degree thut the AIN.
percentage Of ralns In the hu1lduzcd part.hr'
would hive carried Tho State ,run,l1lentiy To-
HAYES. Eut In thoso dye parishes whcte 1MIsdc
md terror prevailed. and where there IL nsnally
Republican majority Ut L. 800. thu Democrats mad
the returns to TILpkS.
Now, let VI look q. the returns from these
five parishes In which tho lulldoz;ug VIZ.
rracsiced, contrasting the Republican tnAjor
i.ies of 1874 With tho Democratic najositie
Of l67G They ara East Pcliciana, IVES
Fe!iciana, Ouschita, East Baton houge, AMI
aiorchouAe, md the majorltios ars as follows
1871. 1870
E1riskfs. HfE. Dim
Ea4t frl:ctana...... ..,........ h4l l,7l
| Nrst FrlGl2ua. ,..........,.. $50 IL
Uusrhita ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. ts'8 1,U7
| Eatk Baton EUuy0 ,,,.,,.,.,,,,, TN uh
| AuQ5G4uust+ AN U&
4,f!l 4,50
4,hUd
TotAl foul PLAY. ..b, a@7
III the whols State there arc ffty-seye