The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-02-01
The Louisiana Frauds Clearly Est'.b-
lishcd.

II the people OF the United States could
have seen the two white and the two M .latto
returncrs who. 10y fraud and other rlscali-
ties, have undertaken To make Pr 'sidcnt,
as they stood arraigned for CONTEMPT before
the House Of Representatives, on saturday
last, There would bc 10 occasion for any
Electoral Commission. The pain hand Of
Providence has written their tue characters
in every feature
The Republicans rallied behind them as the
bulwark OF their case. and GARFIELD, kAs-
sON. and other leaders of the party of moral
ideas sought by every cxDedicnt TO save
them from the penalty incurred, by refusing
tn produce the original papers required by
the Investigating Committee. However,
GARFIELD WAS one of GRANTS ENJOYS
extraordinary To New Orleans, and he knows
all the secrets Of the Returning Board aud
has boon publicly charged with aiding their
miquitics. lie had special interest. there
fore, in protecting his friends with shield
broad enough to cover himself An incident
occurred during the day which made IA pro-
found impression on both sides, ndbllnchcd
the checks of -'u' Of the con-pirators The
Returning Beard produced a long answer to
the charge Of contempt. and from this we
will now quote:
"Tn. attempt % haeo. tlc justification of this
carving OH of state rruril- ON tn" ground OF
no'"-~ity. IN order To- Sr"urr lu-p '-tion 10 soe
whotn,rth" Returning Board has not mutilat'i
OF forge ) r'tufn-, H.. w' submit, erroneous and
unjust i'r many o. ~ Ms.
II iir law makes any presumption rs to
which ol these two parties demand ng this Gus
tniN b. the moro llk rs commit "A forgery ~ to
n 1880 records. Then TINT presumption j., not
against ina cu-'"imn with whom alone the law
has intrusi"d th"ni
These patriots wcrc highly Indignant that
any imputation should be cast upon their
honor, and more than minated that the
IIuu-" committee were quite as likely to
tampcr with the records as themselves. An
hour before this answer was read KENNER,
one Of the mulatto rcturners, had been eX-
anlined by the Committee on Privileges and
Elections, aud confronted with IL bald for
gerry in the returns from Vernon parish, in
which two Of WELLs's friends were cand-
dates for Judge and District Attorney. To
elect them by fraud it was necessary to
transfer the Democratic vote to the Repub-
lican side, and to prevent detection the al
toraton of votes had also to be extended to
the electors for President.
When KENNER was confronted with the
original papers he looked IA thief caught in
the act. lie had written the word "com-
pile ON one Of the returns which had passed
the Board without objection, but had subse-
qucntly been changed by erasurc. A few ex-
tracts from his testimony tell the story:
OWN you look ut this return Of Presidential cleo
tor, and ten whether n a. not muht'd and att red
III ncronsy and hcstiunsly Idonot sce any change IN
] them AZ an sir
Y Hold 1t M 10 the light and tell whether in pre-
! Cn. Is T. aud 10 the original figures have not been
rH.oi M ncw ones put my The looks as II II had
been turned into u, then after pause ANA iurther
! animation No. sir, | don't see any rruslr'
y -I.nnk nimty aud see # II was written on
en"rnsulrf A-Ihe nguresook ~ ~ something had been
| done To them
Q-lok ut cshty one, doe, that appear be written
IN The same way, does something appear 10 have been
| done 10 III Alt looks 80, sir
The facts were still moro imprcssively dis
closed by the evidence of LIrTLEFIELD, the
clerk Of the Returning Board, by whose
hand these alterations We're made
Odd you receive any special directions, privately or
publicly, from any member of the Returning Board con-
corning what YOU should do with reference to that parish
| Aida
Q-sate II you please, what those directions were,
| and from whom reccNeii Al WAS instructed By the
President OF the Board Gov WILLS IN tranpose the votes
OF two polls-2 and ptaklng from the Democratic side
and adding to the Republican side in both these polls The
reason that he gave was that he wanted TO elect UNrAH