The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-07-12
Q. ANDERSON 5. G.; THURSDAY. JULY il 1877.

BE supported tyy The .afia9Fits Of. three
citizens Of the proper parish.
Wanting this, the board was absolutely
without the pretehse of power to- touch
the return from any parish or polling,
place, except for, the, purpose OF com.
piling il and adding il as true tc the
others. BY the election law OF Louisiana
the board has no moro authority touex.
anime or deeide a questi on of iintimidg-
,tion which is not raised By the election
officers than n private individual would
have to steal it from the records aud burn
it.. So stands the law. Tho fact Isles.
tablished by conclusive evidence that
from every one Of the Democratic par
ishes The returns came up without any
charge, statement, or protest. In all thoss
cases they were therefore without color
of jurisdiction. e, sfi s. ,et@
FORGING AFFIDAyITs AND RETURNS,
But the conspirators could not afford
TO be baked out Of their game by ne
failure of the local officers TO make o
false charge ofintimidntion. These votes
must be excluded per .fas dut s,efGs, and
the returning board must do it; that was
what the board was made for. The re-.
turning officers went upon the principle
dut inreniam aat facidm. They made tho
protests which they could not find afti.
davits which no creature in the parishes
was base enough to back with his oath
were fabricated in the custom house, and
used by the board with q full knowledge
that they were mere counterfeits. The
exclusion Of returns on the ground of
intimidation was In every case dishonest,
for in none was there q particle Of evil
donce 10 justify it. When nothing else
would serve the purpose, they did not
scruple to resort to plain forgery. OF
the return from Vernon parish every fig
ure on the whole hroa3 aheet vas altered
with elaborate pains uatior The special
direction of Wells. Perjury and subot-
dination of perjury entered largely into
the business. There is hardly any spe.
cies of the crissei,. fG3st for which the law
has punishment that did not become
an elementary Part Of the great fraud
which was committed when the defeated
electors and State officers Of Louisiana
were falsely certified as chosen by the
people. i.
CREATION OF THE COMMISSION.
But how was the object of the con-
spiracy to be accomplished The House
of Representative was Democratic, and
without its consent, expressed or implied
| in some form or another, tho Senate
| could not give effect to q false count
The first intention was to claim that the
President of the Senate had power TO- de-
terminc absolutely and arbitrarily what
electoral votes should be counted and
what not. This was the great fallying
point until NJ. Conkling took it up, and
in speech of surprising ability, utter,
ly demolished and reduced it to invisible
atoms. 1t became settled, therefore
that the two houses must count the
votes, and this clearly implied the power
to Inquire and determine what were
votes. 1t could not be depied that the
voice Of the House Of REPRESENTATIVES
wss at least as potential as that of tht
Senators and it was not supposed thu
the House would suffer a fraud so glar
ing rs this to be thrust down the throa
of the country against the stomach O
its sense" But If the two bodies woult
declare inconsistent results Of the count
; and proclaim the election Of differen
which would subject our institutions t.
greatly. 1t ,,as in these difficult cironm
Stances that mixed commission of al
, teen was proposed, consisting Of fly
|
Judges Of the Supreme Court. The mod
Of appointing them made il certai
that fourteen would be equally divide
between the parties and as the fit
Judge. would be named by tho conscn
of his brethren OH both sides, he, Nigh
be expected to stand between them, lik
daysman, with d hand az haayy, on on
head as the other. The Democrats cor
! sented to this in the belief that no seve
!. Republicans could be taken from th
Court or Congress who would swear {
decide the truth anl then uphold
4 known fraud IL mistaken iii THAI orin
ion Of their adyersnries' honesty, the
! felt sure, at all events, that the Fumpir
J, would bo ir.mindcd man. They wer
bitterly disappointed tho comhissio
went eight to seven for the great frau
and all Its branches; for fraud in tn
detail and in the aggregate; for ever
item Of fraud that was necessary to max
the sum total big enongh-- eight to scve
all the time.
IT REFUSES TO DO ITs DUTY.
We must look Mt the state of the cas-
as it went hofore the commission. I'll
votes clear and free of all dispute, on
'
/; Der. They also had in Louisiana eigl
and in Florida fo Sr. appointed by tn
people, but falsely certified to Hayes an
: Wheeler by the Governors. In Gregg
, they had one certified, by the SieeyyerGe
:, butlagainst whom q popular majority ha
heen cast for m ineligible, candidate. z
: elect Hayes it was necessary that; eac
8 and every one Of these thirteen yot
should be taken from Tilden and given
Hayes. AS this required many distin,
rulings based upon contradictory ground
the path Of the commission was not opl
steep bnt crooked. W. 's,s
' Tho great ard important duty ca
J, upon the, commission, by q special III
and by d special oath Of each memb5
!. was To decide, IN the case Of contests
votes from n State, awhetheri atiy al
: what votes from such State. are the Svot
!. provided for BY the constitution of Il
e United States, and how many and VII
: persons were duly appointed electors !,
!; such State" lt, is not denied that q
s sole power Of appointing electors for u
; Gtt,tvs oi irotiieiana anu 4 ioliyia is In u
people. 1t was then and Still is ON q
$ mitted fact tiiitt the people Ind exercis,
= the power OF appointment in the pr
IS scribed and proper way. they did du
n make an appointment of electofs, aI
q their act was duly recorded, and so ma,
10 perpetual mem0Ty. This thing W
b not "doi.e in corner !" It was 'ise,
o and known of all men, That each
= TIC t%o States named had duly appoint,
+" Tilden electors at n regular electit
! called for that purpcys on the 9TH OF N
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