The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1877-03-10

the Democratic members of the House Of
Representatives, held on the Sd day Of March
1877, in the hall of the House, the following
address was unanimously adopted. l.. q. G.,
Lamar, Chairman; Henry B. Banning, VIM.
NJ Robbins, Secretaries.
At meeting Of members of the National
Democratic Committee, held on the I'd day OF
March, 1877, the following address was unan.
imously adopted:
A. S. HEWITT, Chairman.
+. o. Prince, Secretary.
TO the american People: We submit to
the country the following review of events
which have resulted in the declaration that
Rutherford b. Hayes has been elected Presi-
dent of the United States. In the late politi-
cal canvass two facts stood out prominently
First. The Republican party, true to its sec
tiOnal nature, sought to unity the North against
the 'Solid South, and while engaged in that
effort it was striving TO make good its proba-
BILE losses in the North by dividing the votes
of the South This division it sought to effect
by an unconstitutional use of the army in
South Carolina, Florida and Louisiana. Sc.
cond. The troops were sent to those States
when there was neither invasion nor domestic
instruction to require them; with the Legis.
latures easily to be convened, the only de-
mand for their presence was made by the
State executive. The elections in those States,
therefore, were held in the shadow of military
power-the bayonets glstened at the polls.
In depositing their ballots the citizens enjoy.
ed only such liberty as the army permitted
In the other States the elections were usually
peaceful. Immediately afterward the result
showed that 1856 Tilden electors had been
chosen. OF the whole popular vote they re-
ceiyed majority of more than quarter Of a
million, and of that of the Caucasian race,
which controls every other christian and civ
ilized government Of the world, they received
4 majority OF more than one million. The
day succeeding the election it was announced
by the chairman of the Republican national
committee that lSI Tilden and 1856 Hayes
electors had been chosen. Nothing had then
been learned of the election excepting the
vote actually cast. 1t has never since been
disputed that by that vote majority Of Til.
den electors had been appointed. Such an
announcement, therefore, could only have
been made in pursuance Of an arrangement
to change the vote shown to have been given
by the people. We charge that after the true
result had been proclaimed conspiracy was
formed by the Republican leaders to reverse
the decision made at the polls. The field
chosen for the development of the conspiracy
was the States Of Florida and Louisiana. The
persons to act with the original conspirators
were the governors and members Of the re.
turning boards Of these States. The field was
well chosen; the State officers selected were
suitable persons for the work to be done.
For more than ten years these States have
been subjected to governments not Of their
own choice; taxation and maladministration
has robbed them of their substance, and well
nigh destroyed their spirit and hope. The
army of the United States had been freely
used to maintain those governments in their
acts Of corruption aud usurpation. 1t was
believed that its services would aid in the de.
signed conspiracy. The names Of the officers
depended upon are Marcellus l.. Stearns,
Samuel B. Mcl.in and Clayton A. Cowgirl, of
Florida, and William Pitt Kellogg, J. Madi-
son Wells, Thomas d. Anderson, L. Casa.
nave, and j. b. kenner, of Louisiana. These
men were not strangers to the An erlcan peo-
Pile; they had before usurped authority. The
returning boards of these Slater have made
themselves by-words in the land. The gov
ernors we're known to be pretenders. If there
were two names dishonored in general est.
nation, they were the names of VIM. Pitt
Kellogg and j. Madison Wells To such
men was the work Of consummating the con
spiracy confded. They entered upon their
task with alacrity, advised and encouraged by
leading visiting Republican statesmen OF
the North. They took each step with delib-
Grafton and apparent regard for law. Before
the election in Louisiana VIM. Pitt Kellogg
and his subordinates assumed exclusive con.
troll of the execution of the registry law.
They refused registration to thousands emit.
tied to it, and added thousands to the lists
who had no right to vote. Ga the day OF the
election the polls were managed by officials
appointed by the governor. These were in
nearly every instance members ofthe Repub-
lican party. United States marshals swarmed
at every precinct when thought necessary,
under pretense Of preserving the peace, but
in fact to intimdate voters. Ballot-boxes
were stuffed in the interest of the Republican
candidates. Poll-books were falsihedin some
instances and then returned to the canyassing
board, while in other cases returns giving
Democratic majorities were withheld from
the car gassers altogether. After the returns
had been delivered to the board they remain
ed in its exclusive possession, and while there
they were opened with its consent, and origi-
nal papers distracted and false ones substi-
tuted in their stead. When the returns were
opened, the board, with an appearance OF
fairness, permitted persons representing both
parties to be present; but when the decision
was made AS to what should be colnted, Sc
cret session were held, from which every Dem.
ocrat was excluded, although the law consti-
tuting the board requires that it should be
composed of representatives of both political
parties. In counting votes it exercised pow.
ers not conferred by the statute and in the
n. i Il e
The members ofthe board changed poll
so that Republican officers appeared to be
chosen where their opponents had in fact
been elected; they forged the names of the
officers to the certificates of elections they
threw out the votes Of the precincts upon Aft
dayits which they knew had been fraudulently
obtained, indeed they themselves ordered
false athdavits to be made hundreds of miles
from places at which they purported to have
been taken, in order that decision might ap.
pear justified which they had in advance deter.
mined to make; they arbitrarily threw out votes
where there was no preliminary statement
from the commissioners of election to give
them jurisdiction; they corruptly, in order to
elect iavorites and to correct mistakes of GER
tain Republicans in voting for electors, added
to the lists votes which had never been cast
While considering the case the members Of
the board endeavored to enter into negotia-
tons with both the Republican and Demo.
cratic national committees to sell their decis-
ion half million of dollars was the price
asked. Not obtaining it, they tried to bar.
gain with leading Democrats OF Louisiana to
elect the State ticket of their party. j. Mad
ison Wells, with the approval of Thomas G.
Anderson, offered to elect the Nichols State
ticket for 500, 900 cash in hand The money
was not paid. Negotiations were then re-
newed, IL ever broken of, with the leaders of
the Republican party, The result was de-
clared in its favor. The chief oonspirator, ]:
Madison Wells, admitted that he had been
paid by that organization for his decision.
In Florida the same frauds characterized
the action of the returning board; votes were
thrown out with the same disregard to justice.
Besides, in that State It refused to regard the
orders of courts OF competent jurisdiction,
and proceeded in the most defiant contempt
of judicial authority. In this manner more
than one thousand Iilden votes were thrown
out in Florida and more than ten thousand in
Louisiana. The votes Of these States in con.
summation of the conspiracy, which in fact
had been cast for Tilden were given to HAYES.
The only excuse for this outrageous reversal
Of the judgment Of the people is that intimi.
dation had been pracliced by the whites
against the blacks inprecincts where the votes
were thrown out Whether this intimidation
compelled some persons to vote agninat thai,