Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1877-02-15
PLAN AND PROSPECT.
THE CASE OF LOUISIANA is
.-.-7t-TlLDEN'S FORLORN
HOPE. '-
The Proposed Plan I'm the Louis
lama Case. 'ti
Special to the Cincinnati Gazette.

Special to the Cincinnati Gazette
- WASHINGTON, Feb. IL.
II is not likely that the Commission
will reach a decision in the Louisiana
case before Saturday, at the earliest.
The speeches of the Objectors will con.
sumo the whole of the day, then the
Democratic counsel will develop their
line of attack. Its chief feature will be
AN assault upon the constitution
ality of the Returning Board and the
legality of its proceedings. The coun
sci will want to introduce documentary
evidence to prove, first, that the Board
had no authority to canvass the vote
for Electors; and, second, assuming that
1t had, that it did not make the can
vass in the manner required by law.
The admissability of such evidence
will be the date of the passage of said
act, to go into evidence atispale, The
papers opened by the President of the
Senate ia the presence Of the two
Houses, to prove that other persons
than those regularly certified to by the
Governor OF the State of Florida, in and
according To the determination and
declaration of their appointment by the
Board of State Canvassers of said State,
prior to the time required for the per-
formance of their duties, had been ap-
pointed Electors, or by counter proof,
to show that they had not.
This ruling would seem to have been
made in advance, to cover the case OF
Louisiana, for In the Florida returns
no reference was made to the action of
the Board of Canvassers, while the
Hayes returns from Louisiana are ex-
plicitly based upon the decision of the
Retaining Board. The Democrats say,
however, that they did not challenge
the legality of the Fiol ida Board, the
Commission did not pre- judge The new
question raised by their aItack upen
the validity of the Louisiana Board,
and can, without inconsistency, hear
evidence as 10 the legality of its exis-
tence and operations. At all events
they mean To make an effort to. have
the door opened enough to go behind
the returns as far rs to scrutinize the
Board. Ifthey do not succeed i'm this
they will be shut out from all chance
of winning the case, for there is moth
ing in the McEnery returns to stand
upon. Indeed it is believed that they
will not even insist that those returns
ought to be counted as regular and
valid. There is not on their face any,
thing approaching the show of legal
fOrmality which the Florida rejel ted
returns had. For there is no State
Court decision or legislative action to |
back them up. They are merely pa
pers and pretended certificates made
out by wholly unauthorized persons. |
What the Democrats will strive for,
II Is understood, is the rejection of the
Kellogg returns, without the accep-
lance of those of McEpery. If the
question of evidence Is decided against
them, as in all probability 1t viii be,
the Democratic counsel Will have To-
resort toa hopeless attack upon the
Iptqqities of the Kellogg Government.
,Ex Senator Matt Carr enter sis relied
lppn for the heavy, work at this Juno.
Ore. He is SAID to have prepared
himself with great care; and as he will
nave the benefit OF his previous thor