The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-07-12
THE LOUISIANA BUSINESS.
THE GREATEST EXCITEMENT SINCE
THE ELECTORAL DECISION.
Mr.. Hayes Reported in a State Of
TIGmOr and Excitement.
His Vacation of the Presidency
Talked of.
The Prosecutions to go on to the Bitter
End-The Villainy to be Unmasked no
Matter Who il Hits.

Hayes Shows Remarkable SOlictude.
rCinctnna6 Enquirer Special Mr. Hayes
has shown a remarkable solicitude in
putting a stop to the prosecution. He is
advised, however, that the District At
torney at New Orleans will discharge his
duty fearlessly, and that public sentiment
is such in that city that Governor Mich
oils will not care to run antagonistiC to it
by endeavoring to smother the proseCu'
tions, though he might be ever so willing.
1t is said here tonight that j. Madison
Wells has telegraphed the President that
it is his purpose to come to Washington
on business specially connected with
criminal information relating to matters
of the late Returning Board. The Nation
al Republican of to-day contains an inter-
view with Marshal Pitkin. He says that
he is not responsible for the indictments
against the Returning Board. He admits
that he has been in correspondence with
friends in the North concerning the vote
of Louisiana, and, inferentially, that he
has letters and documents which will
make music in high quarters, if they see
the light of day. Pitkin leaves here to-
morrow for New Orleans. He has been
the guest of Ben Butler to-day, Adyices
received from New Orleans are to the eff
feet hat if the Returning Board members
are found guilty, information will be fled
against several prominent gentlemen who
were on hand in New Orleans to see a
"fair count" The plan then is to ask
the Governor for acquisitions for their
presence. 1t is also rumored that one of
the members of the late Returning Board
is ready and willing to turn States evil
dence. Wells has written a confidential
letter to friend here, in which he rath-
er broadly intimates that if there is to be
punishment for the deeds which made
Hayes President, that punishment will
not be borne by the Returning Board
members alone.
Like BanquO's Ghost.
baltimore Gazette Special THE new
move of the Democracy of Louisiana in
indicting the members of the Returning
Board for forgery in manipulating the
Presidential returns has acted on the Ad-
ministration like the appearance of Ban
quo's ghost to Macbeth. ThePresident and
his immediate friends and advisers are
not only wild, but angry. They recog-
nize it as originating partly in GramerCy
Park, and partly in the minds of Packard
and Pitkin. The facts all go to show that
the moment the Administration turned
over the State of Louisiana to its lawful
owners, Packard and Pitkin set about
their collusions with the leaders of the
Democratic party and the friends of the
Tilden cause. The object was to make
Hayes as uncomfortable as possible in his
seat. While the Commissioners were at
New Orleans, agents of Gov. Tilden were
also on the ground, circulating quietly
among the political leaders Of both sides
and gradually picking up evidence that
the State had been deliberately stolen.
This fact is perfectly we'll known to Pit
kin and Packard, and on their desertion
they willingly combined with the proper
authorities to display the rascality in such
clear light that prosecution and convic-
ton would be easy and then, even if
Hayes was not disturbed by quo 1dr-
rGTt0, he would be in possession of the
proof ofthe fraud. This matter has been
secretly going on for many weeks, and
the present state of the case, threatening
as it does, to reopen the question of the
Presidency and produce facts never be-
fore made public, has had the natural eff
Of Il kSN
ton of mind. There is no Disgusting the
fact that he means to stop prosecution in
the first place if possible, or secondly, to
prevail on Governor Nichols to pardon
the Returning Board if convicted. At
present the movement is to stop prosecu-
tion.
The Wild Excitement in Washington.
Baltimore Sltn Special. 1-Senatoria rue
mors are hourly circulated and find ready
believers. Last night and to-day it has
been gravely stated on the streets and in
public places that the President is in such
a termor of alarm over the matter that
he is scarcely able to attend to public
business. Again, it is widely circulated
that he has made frantic appeals by tele-
graph to Senators Gordon and Lamar to
use their influence to stop the prosecu-
tions, and also that he has announced
here to members of the late Louisiana
Commission that they may formally an
nounce their understanding that nothing
was to be done with Wells and Anderson
Then it has been alleged that the prose-
Cutions have been instigated by the Til
den interest in New York, and that STAN
ley Matthews and John Sherman were to
be indicted as accessories before the fact
with the Returning Board.
1t can be stated that for some of these
rumors there is no foundation, while the.
facts on which others are based are gross
ly exaggerated. At the same time there
is an undoubted consciousness pervading
administration circles that the situation
is exceedingly grave, and, as will be
shown below, it is within the range Of
probability that the outcome may be the
voluntary retirement of President Hayes
from the White House.
Although the two colored members Of
the Board have been included in the suit
it is we'll understood that there is no de-
sire to punish them for the wrongs in
which they were no more than passive
aceemplices, and it is thought the oppor-
tunity may be offered them to turn States
evidence. When the evidence that the
Electoral Commission would not receive
Ia Oiven 10 the world il will inevitably