, 1877-02-17
Latest Louisiana Disclosure.

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of the witnesses can be overthrown.
The evidence taken yesterday by the
/ House Committee on privileges and
electors will excite even deeper IN
,erest than the proceedings of the
electoral commission, because this evil
dence, unless successfully impugned.
will compel the commission TO reject
the action of returning board stepped
in villany and perjury. No body OF
honest men clothed with authority to
! decide, could make themselves accom-
plices after the fact OF such rascaiues
as have been sworn TO since the begin
ming of :his week. Not even Mr.. Nor
Ton and Mr.. Garfield will vote in the
commission TO count Louisiana for
Hayes if the credit of the witnesses is
not impeached. But inasmuch as
HAYES cannot be declared elected
without the votes of ali the disputed
States he will have no chance at all
unless this fatal testimony from Loui
siana can be demolished. 1t is salts
factory to know that it is to be exam
ined and judged by an upright and
competent tribunal.
1t is probable enough that the char
acter of those witnesses will appear 10
no great advantage after a through
scrutiny. They were aecomp!ices in
the frauds to which they testify, and
It goes without saying that they were
not employed on account Of their per
sonal probity. 1t is in the natural
course of things that J. Madison Wells
should have satisfied himself that they
had no virtue TO lCse before making
them his "pals" in a deliberate
scheme TO falsity the vote of Louisiana.
Honest men are not sought for such
service. We are accordingly pre-
pared to expect that their characters
will not appear to advantage on inves
tigatiOn. But that does not necessari
ly discredit the testimony of accom-
plices who turn States evidence. II
happens in this Louisiana case that the
statements of the witnesses are sup
ported by documentary proof The
committee which is conducting this
investigation are in possession of some
of the garbled and doctored retarns,
which bear on their face conclusive
evidence that they have been altered.
The committee is also in possession
of written communications which pas
sed between the parties to the frauds,
and the testimony of the witnesses tai
lies with the suspicious aud presump.
tions necessarily arising out of the
documentary evidence. What is sworn
to by the witnesses makes the docu-
ments Ineligible, and confirms the
impression which they alone would
have made. Moreover, the witnesses
did not volunteer their testimony; ii
was exorted. AT first they refused to
answer, and one of the most important
of them is still stubbornly contuma-
cious on the ground that be could not
answer without eliminating himself
a refusal On that ground being con
fe>sion of guilt Another confirmation
of the evidence exists in the previous
bad character Of Wells aud his associ
ateS.
General Sheridan, few years since,
denounced Wells in an official CON-
muncatlon as "a rascal and thorough
ly dishonest man, vino had not a
friend that was not thief" Congres
slCnal committees of investigation with
republican majorities have again and
again, IN recent years, exposed the
frauds, perjuries, and subornation Of
perjury practised in the Louisiana re.
turning board. 1t does not accord with
experience that tie successful perpe-
traitors of gaiuful frauds grow mora!
and scrupulouS IN the progress OF their
career. II is a strong circumstance
against the returning board that they
destroyed the heavy Tilden majority
which appeared on the face of the re-
turns. 1t Is another strong circum-
cumstance against them that they re.
sorted 20 skulking subtertuges, aud re.
fused the committee of Congress which
went TO New Orleans a sight of the
original returns.
Still another circumstance against
them is their refusal to fill the vacant
place in the board, which would have
introduced a democratic witness OF
their proceedings. They made their
final determinations in secret, shielded
from the observation of any witness
who was no: also au accomplice.
Those strange, skuiking proceedings,
so fitted to convey an impression OF
guiir, are fully explained by the ;eSti.
mony OF Littlefed, their secretary, ard
Of Pickett and Maddox, their accom-
plices. Il will be easier TO prove the
bad character of these men than 20
discredit TIER testimony, which is cor.
roboTated at every point by documen.
tary proofs and by contirmatory cir,
cumsIances derived from other sources.
Certain 1t Is that the supporters of
Mr.. Hayes have not a shred Of case
unless this ugly testimony can be
broken down.
Littlefeld swears that he deliberate
/ y altered and faI>ifed the returns un-
der the direction OF Wells, some of the
original returns having ther been
burned and others given to Litiieield
10 destroy. One Of those which he
promised to destroy, and told Wells
he had destroyed, he took to Mr..
opearlGg, his uncle, republican citi-
zen, who had voted for the HAYES
electors, Whose sense of Justice was so
shocked that he took measures for
having the fraud investigated He
induced Littlefeld 10 make with him
a