New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-03-05
PJcHT AND WRONG ~ LOUISIANA.

An old and rs we trust, sincere irlend OF
THE TRIBUNE sends us n letter which we lay
before our readers with such abrdgmeht as
its length and the conspicuous position given
| it render necessary
TO the Edit0r Of The tribune
nm, among those who have long had faith In THE
TpinrSE and would be glad 10 have SILL nave Deeh
constant reader for than twenty years "o'h'"
and voted for Mr. Greeley. or the Vaue Oh iS news
columns its generally full and fair correspondence theio
au Inc M doub But its treatment of political matters
durir and since the late election seems haToy CONSIST
en-, with its position during the previous foury years MOI
brcnlsc il supported Mr. Hayes instead ol Mr llldeh-
for the issues were not entirely, though NANNY the Hc
as in the previous contest, ana many s"PPoi'oiS
Greeley believed that 1t was their duty To support MI
Uayebut because Of the arguments which IL mas used
In 1919 there was controversy Ill Lou'siaha' Inc
Returning Board threw out enough Conservative woes
=, ,. ,ho State to the Republicans. THE TRIBNE de-
rorpccd the action OF the board and the rascaltcs Oh
K.lloegs government most unsparingly' Two years
LATER We have the same Returning Board ana th'y h'o
AGAIN manipulated the returns so "a 10 oNerco'nc
heavy Democratic majority and give the STATE 10 INC i
ruh,ic,ns Their action is sustained by THE TRIBUNE
which claims the election OF Mr. Hayes thereby ana HAS
denied the right of Congress or the commission " ~
hack NJ hc certificates Is the Board any better now
than il was in 1871 II their acts were corrupt anu
fraudulent then. may they not b. 80 now Wh' '' ro
still greater inducements to fraud the result oil f''S
drntia election well us the control OF S"e "''"u
ing upon their dccisionl Was THE TEIEuNL rgh' OF
wrong thcnl II right then, is II not wrong ho"'
IIoHg. Mich, Feb 90 1877. NDLfiNphNl'
The action OF the Louisiana Returning Board
in 1874 was arbitrary and illegal. We de-
nounccd it then; we denounce it now We
have nothing to take back THE TRIBUNE
WAS right then. But is il wrong nowY Republic
I -iln, has
rnnt and i,nbccilc. We do not attempt to con-
zeal our contempt for Gov. Wells and his lei
low -tricks,ers. They are politicians OF the
most dangerous type. Their tools and Assoc
ciates ale like unto them. They nave worn
tb,. livery of the Republican party, but have
done tine service of greed Yet corrupt as the
members of this Returning Board have been lii
fine mast. tainted as they are to-day, they were
the only men who had the legal right to can
vass the vote of the State, and the law
empowered them to do what they dld do !;
and when they had done their work, neither
Congress. nor the Electoral Commission, nor
the President of the Senate had any c0nstltu-
tional right to undo it. he statutory authority
of ths Returning Board to reject the
votes east in certain parishes Is unqucS-
tioDable. These statutes, it Is charged,
invest utterly unScupul0uS men with alb
solftp power We grant it. But these
statutes are the laws of the State, and so long
rs they remain on the Statutc-bookS and their
constitutionality is nimpcachcd they must be
enforced. Laws are not to be iiattencd ana Deht
double like rubber toys. They are the framework
on which government rests, and they cannot ne
overturned without bringing the whole fabric
To the ground. The Returning Board kept
within the statutes. and the electoral vote OF
the State was legally east. The title of Mr.
HAYES to the Presidency is absolutely legal.
But we do not stop here Law is the mold
by which administration and legislation are
shaped, but equity is the lcayen which
lcavcneth the whole lump of government.
Natural equity as well as constitutional and
statutory law give Louisiana to the Rcpub-
licans. The Democratic majority on the face
of the returns was claimed to be G,J49. But
how WAS this wrought! Were the Democratic
gains distributed throughout the 80 parishes
Not so. In five parishes a Republican major
ity of 3.9Sl votes in 1874 was transformed
into Democratic majority of 4,4SS votes in
1876, making a change OF S,469 votes
in the result 1t is easy to grind
out pcrured testimony in Louisiana. Very
truc: but this is not question of
atiidavits. The returns speak for themselves
These abnormal Democratic gains were
wrenched out of the five parishes by violence
and foul play. The violence and foul play
occurred to such an extent nowhere else in
the State, and such Democratic gains were
made nowhere else in the State. An
honest and undistarbcd election in all the
parishes would have disclosed Repub
lean majority on the face of the returns
The title of hIr. Hayes to tho Presidency
is perfect in equity as well as absolute
in legality. Intimidation in 1874 was Il
Custom-house bugaboo. Intimidation i'll 1876
was fiend with a shotgun. We demanded
an honest count then, and we demand Il free
and honest vote now. THE TRIBUNE was
right then, and it is right now.
What Louisiana needs is an administration
that will enforce the laws, maintain the public
peace, and protect every man in his rights.
The Republican administration has not done
this. 1t has been by turns so corrupt and so
feeble as to lose the support and respect of
the community and is now utterly unable to
give the State such Il settled form Of govern
ment as would make fair election possible.
Too long has aScality kept ignorance under
harness. Again and again have we denounced
the adventures who have besmirchcd the Re-
publican name and brought the whitening
curse of anarchy upon the State. May the
good genius of the nation hasten the day
when statutes which. however necessary,
seem travcsty on popular government shall
| be repealed, and the Returning Board with
! its PickettS, its Llttlcicds, and its Mad
! doves shall be abolished! Ii will be a blessed