The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-06-07

A correspondent disputes the statement
OF Mr.. CHARLES FRANCIS ADAMS averring
that II. y. HAYES must forever carry upon
his brow the stamp of fraud first triumphant
I'm American history" our correspondent
bases his denial upon an assertion of Mr..
GREELEY concerning certain alleged frauds
in Plaqurmincs parish in Louisiana in 1874.
by which, according to Mr. GREELEY, Gy7
illegal Democratic votes were pulcd. by
those alleged frauIs, our correspondent
Gays, Louisiana was carried for PoLK, Mr.
CLAY was beaten and Mr. POLK was elected.
Therefore he would have us believe that Mr..
HAYES is not the first Fraudulent President.
Our correspondent Is mistaken; MI GREE
LEY spoke without know leiGe Of the
whole facts Mr.. POLK would have been
elocted by a majority of ifty-threc electoral
votes, even If the six votes of Louisiana had
cote for CLAY; the Plaqucminos operations
contributed nothing toward deciding VINO
should hr President; and MIR HAYES remains
the very first President Of his kind.
Moreover the truth about that years
voting in Plaqucminos is that it was all
performed in strict accordance with the
law OF Louisiana, and that every vote
cast there was legitimate vote. At
that time every citizen of Louisiana had
the right TO vote IN any and every
parish OF the state in which he owned
land The Piaqucmincs voting which Mr..
GREELEY complained of, was organized by
JoHN SLIDELL, a Democratic politician OF
celebrity, Gitcrward a senator of the United
States and still later sent TO Europe along
with john u. MASON Of Virginia as a repre-
sentative Of the Confederate Government.
fLIDELL bet $4,000 with DR.. DUNCAN OF
kstcLez, Miss, that CLAY would Ice defeated
and Polk elected. He then bought at a
thrilling price "A tract Of swamp land In
Plaqucmincs, selected his men. and gave
each uf them u deed OF piece of this
swamp land. so that each was made a land
holder, and thus became entitled 70 vote in
PlaqucInncs, in addition 10 his right To- vote
In New Orleans. Then Mr.. SLIDELL hired n
steamboat: and ON the day of the election,
after they had all voted in New Orleans, the
men were taken on this boat and carried 10
Plaquemnes, whore they voted again, as the
law gave them u right to do; aud the State
WIS SO evenly divided between the two pr r.
ties that the addition Of these COZ new land
holders Ia the regular voters Of the parish
carried Louisiana for POLK. The voting
wis contrary 10 the usage in most Of the
Statos, but it was in accord with the law
and the usage II Louisiana. 1t was sharp
political trick, having its EXPENSES paid by
the money won from DR.. prNcAN; hut it
was not Illegal. and cannot be correctly de-
scribcd as nm act Of fraud. Besides, a. We
have said POLK would have been elected
without it.
Our correspondent will see that this is n
different case from that of HAYES who was
counted in by changing the returns Of the
election and refusing 10 investigate the
reasons for making such changes; and he
will understand that If HORACE GKEILEY
had been living in 1876, when the Returning
Board of Louisiana deliberately expungod a
majority of 5000 for TILDEN aud in the face
Of that majority declared the State carried
for the Republican candidate, he would have
doalt out upon the maleiactors a very dif-
ferent kind Of dcnunciatun from that which
be- bestowed upon john SLIpELL's betting
Operation IN lSii