Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1877-02-03
LIGHT ON THE RETURNING BOARD.

-t.tiitlt8l fNSlN NiIS VINO Hstl SluuItll
the case with any degree OF impartiality
and intelligence was long ago convinced
that the electoral vote OF Louisiana has
been ~traudulent!v given to Hayes, yet
the conviction needed the strengthening
which could come only from a revela-
ton Ot the exact name IL which the
fraud WAS perpctrated. This deficiency
has row been supplied by the
testimony OF / I l.ittlaii.lL, who
declares under oath that on the sd
ri December last he was instructed
by Wells. president of the returning
board to alter the original returnS from
two Of the polls i'll Vernon parish. So as
to transfer las democratic votes to the
republican candidates. lie "beycd in
structioms, and alter preparing the new
and iaise returns, the urjgInalS-which
gave the true VI were burned, either
by Wells or himself. he does not remem-
Der which. lie furthermore t~esliiics that
els asked him to practice upon the
signatUr" ot Thomas Franklin, who
signeti the originals. so that he could
forge It for the false returns; but he
asserts that he did not commit this
crime. He also says that since his AT
rival in Washington he has had conver-
sttions with .~X-tio'. Kellogg and United
States Marshal PitNin. OF Louisiana ,
and that the latter advised him to re
member his tllnndS aud stick to his
party"
llVre. then, We have a clear and COM
~pr"hcusIve view "i part of the machinery
10y which an 5000 democratic majority
IN Louisiana WAS turned into Il republic
can majority OF 3.hOU, and eight electoral
votes which belonged tn Iildcn given to
iiayea. What WAS done in these two
precincts III ' mo parish was, oi course,
done elsewhere; and By altering figures,
forging signatures and Lr,iroyln. orig
inaI documents whenever necessary the
infamous WORK was easily accomplished.
he returning bUald in 1876 played pre-
ctseiy the same game As IN 1874, and
expected to succeed 81 well in the last
instance as in the iirst-while the win
nIngs would be rs much larger rs the
stakes were greater. We ask those re-
publican organs which have been defend
ing the character and action OF the re
turning board. and proclalminG the
election OF Hayes by the vote OF Louis
lana, to carefully study the testimony of
i-'h'ioh'i' Il tSp'it lHSiVph- We aSf.
every American citizen. wh2te'er may
be MS politics, TO examine under this
ne" il@ht tie appliances py winch a
president OF the United States was to be
manufactured, andiornl ms own OPINIONS
concerning them We ask every man
and woman who has any regard Tor the
h0nor OF the American name anu nation,
to look II the infinite shame which
r"wne and closed u , ~entennlal year,
ana draw such moral tAerelrotn rs the
subject furnishes.
But the returning board was simply
the Wiling tool OF Il colossal! conspiracy,
ana " ne Judged accordingly. these
tour sconndreIs who attempted to iasten
an u>urper upon forty millions OF peo-
pie. were directed and sustained by such
republican leaders as I handler, Morton,
Cameron and Logan. 1t was Il deliber-
ate and skilliuii' la!d plot to che 1t the
country out OF 4 legally elected prcsi-
dent and had 1t not been tor the con
servatIvc clement OF the patty, led by
Edmunds, t"nk!lns, iloar and others,
the plot would have succeeded. Tor the
nation would have been plunged III CIV