Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-01-09
The Florida Election.

The iGlloWing account OF the moduS crcEaDo!
by which tue electoral vote OF Florida was
counted for Hayes was given TO \ correSpon
dent Of the New York Herald hy gentleman
who was engaged IN the investigation ordered
by Congress, aud will &c sustained b The re-
Dor, Of tie ms jo7ity OF the Investigating com
ni.iee. Ii shows that what has been SAID from
the frs, with regard TO the !rsud was true,
aud that tu: Tor the instructions tic radicals
Of Florida received from headquarters IL y ash
legion there would have been no delay IN re-
caivns the election returns from that State,
bu, that like all the other States. except South
Carolina and Louisiana, Florida would have been
heard from immediately after the election, and
would have been counted for TldeD, as it
should have been:
'Wh the Returning Board met they began
by az attempt to ascertain how the vote stood
on the lace oil the returns. But they met at
once with difficulty, in Baker county. from
which Two returns came up, one OF winch gave
the State to Hayes, the other 10 Ilidcn. The
Board OF Canvassers are the County Clerk,
the County Judge, and justice oil the peace
or Sheriff. 10 the case OF Baker county the
Judge, republican, refused to meet the clerk,
and, after waiting for him, the clerk called 10
justice OF the peace and proceeded publicly to
canvass the official precinct returns, and sent
the result, thus made by Two OF the three per.
sous designated by law, to the Secretary Of
State. This return gave the State to Tlllen
by los majority. The County Judge, who
had refused to meet the other two, at the same
time called 10 person who had been appoint
ed Justice Of the peace after the election had
been held, and these two canvasscd, not the
official returps but duplicates that covered only
Two of the four precincts, aud sent their re-
| turps TO the Secretary Of State, which gave
the State to Hayes by II, The Returning
| Board decided that the clerks return was the
correct one and it was counted.
| In Clay county the canvasscrs, also rcpubil-
cans, left out ooe precinct, on the ground that
| it did rot appear that the inspectors took the
| oath prescribed by law. But they made state
mcnt with their returns, showing that the pre-.
cinct gave Il democratic majority, aud the he
turning Board held that the objection Was not
good, and, therefore, counted the precinct.
In Monroe county the Board threw out a
| democratic precinct on the ground that the
| canvass there was not completed on the night
| OF the election, as the Law demands. The in
spcctors completed the count at one o'clock,
but one Of their number, q republican, fell i'll,
and movedto defer the declaration CT the return
until the next morning.. There was 20 pretence
| OF fraud.
In Hamilton county the Board flung GU; JAS
per precinct on the ground that during the
election two OF the inspectors, both republicans,
deserted the polls. One Of these deserving in
spectors republican, himself made the all.
dayit of the irregularity on which the Board
| flung out the vote. There was DO attempt to
| impeach the recttude Of the vote.
la Jackson county the Board threw out
| votes on the ground that the ballot boxes were
placed so high that the colored voters could
net see iuto them. But all the election officers
were republicans and the boxes were all alike.
10 Mauatee county the whole vote was hun.,
out on the ground that there was 90 County
| Clerk TO attend to the registration aad o:hcr
duties. The circumstances were these: The
! clerk OF the county was republican, appointed
by Governor Stearns; he resigned shortly be-
| lore the election. The inhabitants appealed TO
| him to resume his duties, but he refused. They
asked the Governor TO appoint another but The
new arpoirtee refused to qualify. Hence 10
| new registration OF voters could be made, and
| the law requires that every voter shall prcyl.
| tered. Alter consultation 1t vas determined 10
open the polls ADD to accept the votes OF all
who had registered before the previous cleo.
ton, each voter appending an affidavit that
| be had SO registered. The commissioners, IN
spcctors end county judge did their duty. The
county Is strongly democratic and tue demo
crafts claim that they lost between 200 and 200
votes by the Encouragement OF their voters
| aud the imposbllity TO register new voters.
! The Returning Board flung ont the whole
county.
BE- these operation the State was counted
not only Tor Hayes bat also tor S!tarus, tue
| republican Governor, candidate ios reelection.
| But Drew, the democratic candidate for Gov
| error, appealed the Supreme Court, and the
Court ordered the Returning Board to re-cau-
yass the whole State mentioning particularly
| four cuu1iies The Board complied literally
with tie order Of the Court, but when they
came TO Baker county they accepted the re-
| turns which before they had rejected as false,
| aud they flung out the whole OF Clay, to
| which on the first count they had made DO ob-
| lection and where DO fraud was charged. Thus
| The; gave the State on the second count TO
Drew and the democratic State officers, but
still maintained it for Hayes.
| 10 all the counties which we're flung out the
election officers we're republicans, and the wrong
or informally asserted was caused ty them.
The Board first counted in both Stearns and
Hayes and on recount we're able TO count 10
Hayes only BY arbitrarily hinciog out votes to
which, on their first count and when they could
not calculate so closely, they made no objection.
News of the Day
Last Sunday morning 10 the midst Of divine
worship, in the stately and beautiful presbyte-
rian church recently erected 10 Portsmouth. 4