The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-02-05

Astounding a. the testimony in regard 20
the Returning Board Of Louisiana must bc
b. the general public. it is known that the
bottom facts have not yet been reached.
when the whole truth shall Ice revealed.
then the country will see for the frs time
by what forms Of villalny the people of that
State have been plmdercd, outraged, and
oppressed, and how the Administration has
constantly employed force to uphold the in
famies Of the oarpet-bag crow, in the inter-
est of the Republican party.
BY the light which is now shcd unon tho
acts of WILLS and his couiodclates, ii is
easy to understand why they newer filled
the vacancy OF the fifth member in their
Board, as the law requires. That place was
kept open subject to negotiations for the
sale, Of which MADDOX WIS the confidential
agent. If the bargain had been concluded
the plan was TO appoint the nth man, and
then 10y designations to change the partisan
complexion of the Board. so as to insure
fair count, instead of the fraud which was
finally pcrpcirated.
Two years ago those same mon. by n init
lar process. counted on, n Conservative Leg
islnturc and state Treasurer 1hcir meth-
DDS were we'll known then, and although two
Republican committees condemned ia thc
strongest terms the illncal and arbitrary
means which were used, no step was ta,.rn
10 abolish or To restrict this Board Mr..
WHErLER's compromise restored certain
members 81 the Legislature. who had boon
cheated out of their seats. and topped ut
that point Of half justice, because thc To-
publican party would not 20 further.
Presidential election WIS coming on, aud the
services of WELLS would hc needed.
When GRANTS committee wont 10 View
Orleans, their first act was to refuse The in
vitation Of the Democratic committee to co.
operate in securing fair count Of the vote
actually east. JoHN SHERMAN and his assoc
ciates knew the character OF the Returning
Board, and especially Of WELLS. who had
previously figured as acting Governor OF
the state while Gen. SHERIDAN was in cum-
mand They also know that the IlLurN
electors had been fairly chosen ly a mai0r-
ity Of many thousands, which could not be
overcome except 10y fraudulent means and
such forgcrins as have now been shown in
Vernon parish.
Hence their whole efforts worc diroct, 90
bolstcring up the BoHrd while in Ncw on
leans. and to giving Thorn good character
nftclward. II required no little Wh'fowa- she
ing 10 sustain tho rasonls who had stolen
the Legislature in 1874. and who NOW. In ur-
der to compass Mr.. fILpAS's defeat. had de-
lboratoy cast out $4,000 Of the votes which
he had received in the fniicst end most or-
derby election over held in the state, and In
the greatest aggregate vote over loli0l. In
order 70 mi-load the public as to the oharnc-
ter Of WELLS and his confcdcrntos, the
GRAyT committee culogizcd thomas patriots
of the first degree, nnl ccitiiicd to glarlng
falschoods in their report. The following
extracts disclose the spirit OF these bio
graphical sketches:
1.-Two Of thom-thc Hon Jaws Manson
WILLS. President az the B.rri. and Gen.
THOMAS 4. ANAlf-uN next senior mtmiN r.
ar southern born nnd, %, old am highly f"-
man from the time thr war hrol out. and nl-
though ho suffered er aty. hy L in The ss ~
hct-ni6n cgiis . "Nr.Nrilsh..an,. Gov. rnor
OF the State 10 which office h. WIS ulml So unan-
pian ii President JoHSsov. Ills cxr@ritn . in
public ii" has boon great and v0r |. ami his
NJ h pn,-iion"L G.n ANnihsoN WA orr in
tuEinln, has sided in the pHri4hoi ST. Inn lrr
for thn period of some forty yours. isa uusir 0l
Sumter ~ thr ouNNr i.k 90 tho waf lnYttlu. wa
educated luN1 r. .- iNs Uwu rDt nnl eirriD5
spoctrd throuehout tic St.t.. ha- r"ou init.
nlat'ly ne~n'iniod in the prom YtiUn %. IN" .il
and industrial inter- -is of his parish, and lu7
rcpr s' ntel i in both branch ct tine lcgls-
hture moro imam tW mtg ycal-.
1t is notorious that both WELLS and Az
DrRsoN are hankrupis, and long ago pnrtcd
with any standing they may have once had
as members OF decent families that l1Ne
been dishonorci by their mi-lced4. They
joined hands with the carpct-Iaggcrs in
robbing their OWE people, and have since
then been Stunned as even wora, than the
thioYns ndYontlrors who followed the for
tune OF WNMoTH, KELLOGG, and pAcKAkD.
JoIIN Surr'rAy, T.. W. SroUoiroE. j. II.
VAN ALLN, trGNE HALE, i. GA.rIrID,
CORTLAND rNiNrE ". u. KELLEY, and other
Republican lcndor-. signed thi4 certificate Of
character and are responsible 90 the couli-
try for It's false statements. They had be-
fore them the official report Of Gon. SHrRI-
DAN in 1867, declaring WELLS 10 lc % "po-
ltical trick ter and IL dishonest man. tlcy
had access To- the history Of his fabricated
claims upon the Government, and They had
the record OF his Returning Board IN 1874
In the facc Of thl7 crushing record they
praised him MS n man of cniuout pos tion
md worth who had been wrongod, and gave
n clean lill of health to all his Associates in
tho fraud by which Louisiana was retained
for HAYES Are they not accolnplces in hi
Crimos?