The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-07-18

anu ltpuuldtc, nave UeSu HaSIily
summoned to Washington to have
another talk and explanation with
Mr.. Hayes. Even Mat. Wells, in
his desperation, blurred by the
treachery of Hayes and his chums,
has written pathetic letter to
Hayes for help in this hour of his
supreme trial, and in that letter
plainly insinuated that he would not
be sacrificed as Packard had been.-
The Cabinet, in its extra and forced
situation, debated long and hot, and
came to the conclusion, that there
was nothing possible to be done by
the "Presidert'' save to appeal to
Governor Nichols to keep the faith
which, it is asserted, he pledged to
the Presidential Commission, but we
for one state positively that Cover,
nor Nichols is poweress, even if he
was inclined to interfere.
We lay claims to consistency in
our course, since the surrender, in
the affairs of our State, and at the
risk of being considered prolix and
fond of harping on theme, consid.
cred by many threadbare, we here
once more place the DEMOCRAT on
the record of right and consistency
against policy and wrong. We
claim, and have all along claimed,
that the official returns showed
clearly the election of Governor Til.
den and the Democratic Conserva.
tive State officials by seven to ten
thousand majority. We also claim
that the proof is positive that abso
lutte alterations of the official returns
were made after the same fell into
the hands of Wells, Anderson Co.
Well, this question is so important
to US of Louisiana at the present
moment that we turn to the country
with this question on our lips: did
or did not the Returning Board make
a faithful and legal findings? And
If they did not make faithful and
legal finding, what thief, what bur.
glar, what seducer, what murderer
has committed so great a crime
against the State and the country at
large? On the other hand if Mat,
Wells, Keno Anderson, and their two
negro allies, have fairly and faith
fully administered the law, as in
duty bound, why should they fear to
go with the official returns before
the Courts oftheir State, and demand
the fullest investigation? In plain
words if they are prosecuted in their
persons and prosecuted for a politi-
cal offence, as they and their friends
declare on all occasions, why not in
the name of common sense and sheer
justice to themselves and their fami
lies, throw themselves at the feet Of
justice and confound these enemies
and traducers with the judicial de-
claration of their innocence. Such
are the inevitable impulses of men
conscious of their integrity.
The way is clear to Wells & Co;
they are guilty or innocent; if the
latter, they have nothing to fear
from the findings of Grand Juries or
of petit juries. Again, right
here occurs the question, has there
been bargain to shield them from
the power of the law? And if YES.
who has made it2 If there has been.
we most unhesitatingly proclaim
aloud that Ian, common sense and
have been UNANIMOUSLY out
ragged. No man or set of men, in
power or out of power, in Office or
out Of office, had the shadow of
right, directly or indirectly, to agree
with any set of men, that criminals
before the law, the State law, should
be held intact in consideration of
any political patching or arrange
ment. A promise not to persecute
the miserable wretches who have
preyed upon US, might have been
tolerated, but no more than this
In word, by way of close, we don't
believe Governor Nichols made any
such bargain, for we don't believe he
is a fool, and we believe that the
maxim, "No rogue e'er felt the hal
ter draw with good opinion of the
law," is just now illustrated in the
troubled condition of Mr.. Hayes
mind over this criminal prosecution
Of the Returning Board in their
great crime against the people of the
United States.
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GENERAL Spinola, in one of the
short talks at Tammany Hall, on the