The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1877-03-19
THE RECENT ELECTION IN
LOUISIANA.

The report of the select committee
appointed by Congress to investigate
the recent election sud the action of
the Retdrning Board in Louisiana. is
published in full in the Congressional
Record. The committee found that
the number of votes actually cast in the
State on the 7th of last November was
10000, exceeding by 1901 the num-
bsr of votes actually polled at any pre-
vious election in said State, and in
proportion to population exceeding the
aggregate vote Of ali the States. This
fact disproves the assertion that any
considerable number of voters were
prevented by intimidation from exer-
cising the right of suffrage. OF the
votes actually cast for Presidential
Electors the Tilden Electors had the
highest number, X. A. Cross, one Of
the Tilden Electors, had 83,8l7. and
o. 81. Brewster, one of the Hayes
Electors, had 76,l7S, being Ia Demo-
cratic majority of 1859 votes. Though
it hnd not been questioned that the
$4,000 aud more of votes so actually
cast for X. A. Cross and other TildeD
Electors were cast by persons lawfully
entitled to vote. the Supervisors of
Registration aud Returning Board. un-
der various pretenses, threw ont from
the count the votes cast at numerous
polling places, numbering in the aggre-
gate 1927 which were cast for the
Iilden Electors, and 24I2 for the
Hayes Electors. In this manner a ma
jority of 1883 for the Democratic
Electors. was transformed into ma
jority of 8 437 for the Hayes Electors.
Of the men who thus reversed the
will of the majority. and who are held
to be responsible to neither Congress
nor the Courts for their act, the COM
mittee has this to say:
The evidence shows that J. Madison
Wells, president of the Returning
Board, has long been, and still 10.
a defaulter to the State, and
is utterly untrustworthy. and with.
out character fer integrity or for
truth and veracity: his 'elaim
against the Government for $3.50. 900 is
fraudulent and fictitious, the property
fer which he claims payment and had
sworn to be his own, was in part the
property of men who bore arms against
the United States in the late war and
not entitled. under the laws. TO re-im-
bursement. He holds the lucrative
Federal Office of Surveyor of the port
of New Orleans, and was interested in
the canvass of the votes for electors.
His colleague, Anderson, has no char
acter for integrity; has defrsuded the
State while representing it in the Sem
ate. By his influence and vote, as q
legislator, he secured donation from
the State to encouragesa navigation
company, ostensibly in the interest of
che public, and appropriated the great
or part of the money to his own use.
Kenner, another member of the
Board, was indicted tor larceny. and
secured dismissal of the prosecution
after admission, of his guilt and was
promptly made member of the. Re-
turning Board.
Cassanave, the fourth member of the
board. ia too ignorant to understand
the nature of the work he was required
to do, and exhibited in his testimony
such indifference to the obligations of
an oath Us to warrant the conclusion
that he would be willing accomplish
in any raseahty by which he might
profit.
These are the men who subyerted
the will of the majority of the voters
of the United States and, with the as
distance of Judge Bradley. gave us a
fraudulent President.