The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-02-12
LOUISIANA.
A Drunken Witness Before the House
Committee.

Committee.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10-John T. Mulherin,
clerk of the Louisiana returning board,
testified this afternoon that after seeing Wells
and Littlefield in private conversation, the
latter went to clerk and made some erasures;
alse saw slips in the hands of Major Eaton and
Littlefield containing the total electoral vote
Of the Democratic majority on which was
4e0O Afterwards saw them and the figures
had been changed. Some affidavits were made
used. but could not tell if any were used
After the last week in November the Con-
gresslonal candidates and Packard were ad-
mitted to the rooms, and the changes were
made in the electoral vote by order of Judge
Davis He saw the statement of Vernon parish
on the I'd OF December, and the vote was yery
small. On the 4th Littlefeld told him he had
fixed it. Couldn't say the members of the
board knew the clerks were making afidavits
made some himself, signed names to them, and
made cross marks by direction of Littefeld.
Henry @. Dibble, Congressman from the first
district, had access to the rooms of the board
also, and at one time brought in slip contain.
ing the vote for him as stated on the custom
house returns. Saw alterations made by some
of the clerks on consolidated statements from
different parishes.
Q.-Do you know what clerks did this?
Al don't want to know.
Q.-Who did it?
Al changed one myself. 1 made these
alterations With ink.
Witness explained that the changes were
these: That the vote of the electors was equal
lied; that is, If the first elector had say SOC
votes and the third elector 210 votes, the clerks
were directed to increase the latter to the same
number of the first vote. If this was doing
wrong, then witness had done wrong.
Q-Do you know what consolidated state
| ment is?
! sA.-Yes, do; there is not a man in the
| country that knows it any better. daughter.
| Witness stated that he never made any alter
ations on these consolidated statements, bu
| Flanagan and Asbury did. The changes by
| these two clerks were made in the body of thu
| statement, but witness did not see them change
any footing Witness committed no forgery OF
| any paper relating to the election.
| In answer to a question whether he ha(
drank anything that morning. he said he ha'
and cocktail, besides smoking couple O
cigars. He said when he went upon the ste nj
he handed William II. Green, former clerk o
the board, two questions, but he refused
tell what they were.
Adjourned.
Report of the Minority of The IEous
Committee.
| Representatives Hurlburt, W. Towdsend
| Danfo-d, Grape and Joyce have made thei
| minority report of the Louisiana investigation
concluding as follows:
| ReSolyed, That the election held for Presi
dental electors in Louisiana, November Z, 1875
was examined into, determined, declared an
promulgated by the proper authorities of sal
state, under all the forms of law and in cor
formity with the constitution of the Unite
States.
The Majority Report.
The report of the House Committee on Lou
isana Affairs says that conceding for til
returning board all the judicial dignity elaine
| for it BY the admirers of its unparalleled iniuu
ties, it cannot be denied that in order to Civ
validity and and effect to its decisions wher
it has attempted to throw out and reject til
returns from the polls, the jurisdictional fat
required by the statute must sfirmativel
appear, and unless that fact does SO appear il
action in the case was without jurisdiction au
on its face null and void. The board had L
right, under the laws of Louisiana, to thro,
out or count out the polls and votes they hay
thrown out and counted out, and their actio
in that behalf is without authority of law, an
| null and void