The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1877-07-08
A PERNICIoUs THEORY.

l. Persons In the confidence Of th,
extreme wings OF both the Democrat,
and Republican parties asset that al
alliance exists between the elements
led by Senators Thurman and Blaine
which will make combined attach
upon Mr.. Hayes title to the presidency
and that the demonstration at Wood
stock on the 4tb inst, and the informa
tion filed against the Returning Board
are the initial movements In this policy
q. The plan of the conspirators Is te
ignore Mr.. Hayes altogether, make
Conkling President pro tenn. and leave
the organization of the House entirely
with the Democrats.
Q. In pursuance OF this scheme the
Returning Board has been indicted at
the suggestion of prominent Democrats
In the North.
Very naturally, with the whole COM
munity, we were very much startled at
these sudden and extraordinary revela-
tions, and we promptly sent q repre-
| sentative Of the DEMOCRAT to interview
both Mr.. Nicholson, the Junior pro-
prietor Of the Ptcaytte. and the editor
OF that paper. to learn the sources Of their
remarkable information The Picdv,tne
is an old established and we'll known
paper whose venerable years give its
statements something Of weight
abroad. and we assumed that It
would make statements OF the
gravity OF these only upon the
clearest and fullest information. In
deed, the Pic stated that the whole
plan had been explained TO it, and that
the alliance had been affirmed by both
Democrats and Republicans Of high de-
gree. We were fully justified, there
fore, In sending representative to in
terview the Picdy,ne people. We
had never heard Of the alliance
between Thurman and Blaine. We had
never received the slightest intimation
OF the connection between the Wood
stock flasco and the filing OF informa-
tions against the members of the Re-
turning Board by our efficient District
Attorney In the strict discharge of his
duty. We had NO idea thata movement
was on foot to boost Mr.. Hayes out of
office and make the Adonis OF the Senate
President. This was vast mine of ex-
citement and sensationalism and we
yearned for information and light. But
our representative succeeded in eliciting
from the editor or proprietor of
the Picay,tne. These gentlemen knew
no thing about it, they said; 1t was
street rumor and was, they assumed,
likely true.
And this Is in truth all there is in it.
1t is street rumor, a rumor invented by
the indicted parties and their friends and
partisans. There Is not q word of truth
In it. We doubt IL the strolling carpet
bagger when he was making an ass Of
himself at Woodstock thought Of the
probable prosecution of the forgers Of
the Louisiana Returning Board. We
are certain that when Mr.. Finney filed
the information against these men he
had no purpose In view but to
institute, in strict accordance with
his sworn duty, prosecutions against
men who are charged, not only all over
this State, but throughout the United
States, with having perpetrated a
felony. All the talk about the alliance
between extreme Democrats and Radi-
cal Republicans, between Blaine and
Thurman, is the merest bosh. There is,
and can never be such an alliance. Such
alliances and schemes as those suggest
ed by the Picay,tne are the dreams,
phantasm Of imbecility.
The Picaytne is using its boasted
and influence to a.
very evil purpose In presenting
uch view Of these prosecutions. It
will be as much IL not more than the
De MocRAT, and the other papers
'rie ndly to us can do to counteract the
efforts Of the bloody shirt journals to
this business, and IL the
Picayune cannot aid us 1t Is about as
little as it can do to keep quiet. The
truth is that the institution Of these
prosecutions has no political signifi
canoe or purpose. The District-Attorney
has acted simply as he was bound to act,
as his duty and his oath required him
to act, 1t is notorious that Wells, An
derson, Casanave and Kenner are
with having perpetrated, while
acting as members Of the Returning
Board, the crime Of forgery; the stat
ute of Louisiana against this crime is
plain and unequivocal; there is no law
Or rule Of official duty known to our law
which authorizes the Grand Jury or
The District Attorney to compound
felony for political purposes or in the
of a political policy
or a political bargain. The facts and
the law were before the officer of the
law, and common sense requires the
public to assume, until there is positive
and explicit proof to the contrary, that
ne acted simply in the discharge of his
sworn duty and in obedience to the