The daily gazette., 1877-01-17
From the Philadelphia Telegraph.
CONGRESS- AND TIE RETURNING
BOARDS SOUTH.

The prospect of common sense win
| ming the control over the Presidential
succession continually grows brighter,
and an early and satisfactory adjustment
| OF the whole question seems very
hkely thing. Senator Conkling on Sat
urday said that he was confident the
joint committee of Congress would agree
upon plan for counting the vote on the
10th of next month which would satisfy
Eaii parties, and secure the Inauguration
t0f the candidate who was legally elected
in November. There should not be anv
insuperable obstacle to such o count
while there are such men as Mr.. Conk-
ing to influence 1t, for, after all, it is in
Its length and breadth simply question
OF honesty. No one doubts Mr.. Conk-
nngs personal integrity any more than
Mr.. Bayard's is doubted. And they are
mere specimens of types of men in both
House and Senate to whom the prosperi-
ty OF the country is more than the great
est partisan victory ever won. 1t is
only justice that the country wants done,
and Justice Is not so deeply buried under
the heaps of wrong in this business that
fair, intelligent men cannot bring it to
the surface.
The joint committee of Congress ap-
pointed to arrange a plan of settlement
Is generally composed of such good ma
terial that it possesses in very great
degree the confidence of the country,
and 1t would do wise thing If it were
to thoroughly inquire into the matter of
returning boards, as constituted, and
trary powers in certain of the Southern
States. Thus far, these boards have
been controlled solely by Republicans,
but it is extremely improbable that those
who created them will ever again CON
troll them. 1t is needless to say that
they have not proved satisfactory in
their operation, or that they have not
country, Mr.. Wells, of Louisiana,
really constituted in lhis own person the
Returning Board of that State, and the
results he arrived at were arrived at in
secret, and his processes are still unre-
vealed. Mr.. Wells may have acted in
entire good faith, altogether honestly;
he may have been right to do what he
all have been properly drawn; but
where Is the proof oft, or what assu--
rance have we from the well-known
character of the man that all he did was
wrong and dishonest?
All this is of vast importance to know,
for 1t unfortunately happens that Mr..
Wells conclusions may decide the re-
suits of the Presidential election, not
only as regards Louisiana but as regards
and all the other States as
well. Clearly it is not right that any
one man of good or bad character should
have authority to do this, or that Leg
stature of one State should confer pow
srs which if dishonesty administered +
will dis1ranchise all the other States.
We are now likely to find out, since the
Southern States, or at least all of them
but Louisiana, and possibly that one too
have been captured by the Democrats,
that Returning Boards are as two-edged
swords, which cut both ways. They
have heretofore cut the Republican way,
but at the next Presidential election they
will cut in the opposite direction, and
Mr. Wells successor in Louisiana may
also control the board of that State, find
his conclusions in secret, and leave them
unknown, merely condescending to state
hat he has thrown out q dozen or two
and that in consequence the
State must be counted for the Demo-
,ratic candidate. How can he object if
MS successor for the work follows up
ihe work which he began? If the next
Board of Louisiana should be
Democratic, and it should by ways un-
known and undivulged disfranchise
while casting out the
votes of its own parishes, it is probable
hat Pennsylvania would have some
hing to say about it, and trouble would
'esult. The matter is certainly serious
enough to warrant Congressional con-
liberation.