The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1877-01-12

Showing that Messrs. WickliGe, Seay
and M'Ehery, democrats, and Messrs.
Levissee, Brewster, Joffrion, Burch and
Kellogg, republicans, were elected presi-
dental electors. Such would be the re-
turns Of the state vote to-day if the re-
turning board had insisted on in prac-
tice, as it always has in words, that it.,
and it alone, were the returning officers
of the state of Louisiana; that it, and it
alone, had the right to canvass, compile
and count out votes. As soon as the
state vote became known, the republicans
saw at once that it would be no easy
matter to elect the Hayes electors. To
assist the returning board in its work,
the supervisors of registration were in
structed to omit as many polls as pos
sible from their report on any pretense.
Only seven supervisors were found un-
scrupulous enough to carry out this
dirty order, and these men, almost every
one of them under Indictment for some
ofense, threw out enough polls to elect
all the Hayes electors. The returning
board alone did not count in the Hayes
electors it was Clover, Neazie, Ledet
and Backers who did the dirty work that
changed the vote of this state. These
men omitted from their report to the
returning board thirteen polls; con-
tanning two thousand nine hundred
democratic votes. They have never ex-
plained to the board, or to the people,
why these polls were omitted; never at
tempted to give any reasons or eXplana-
tions therefore. The returning board
counted out enough votes to reduce the
majority of three democratic electors
from seven thousand to a few hundred;
but it was the supervisors, who omitted
twenty nine hundred more votes, who
finished the work, defeated the Tilden
electors and gave the state to Hayes. 1t
is not claimed by any one that these
mad this right. "They are
open to prosecution" said Wells, "for
their conduct in not returning polls
but are can not compel them TO obey. Go
into the courts against them" Here,
then, are lot of ,disreputable characters,
one not a citizen of the state, one
keeper of a snake show, another an ex-
policeman, etc., illegally changing the
result of the state by emitting polls with
out any known reason against them, and
without any right to do so; yet there is
no remedy. The democrats appealed to
the returning board to correct this evil
For the first time the board found itself
powerless. 1t could make presidents, |
governors, and legislatures; it was
lmenable and responsible to no human
court, but with tally-sheets, poll-lists,
votes and returns before it, it could not !
correct an outrageous and acknowledged |
illegal proceeding of a cheat and petty |
gambler. 1t is about time that the |
northern radical press dropped the
story about intimidation. The records |
IF the returning board of the state of
Louisiana will show that with every poll |
1T which it is said, thought, suspected,
Or imagined, that there was any in
.imidation or irregularities, thrown out,
5h ee of the Tilden electors are elected. |
The count of the returning board does |
not defeat them. To the scandalous, |
Illegal conduct of disreputable supervi- |
iors, Mr.. Hayes owes whatever claim he
nav have to the vote Of Louisiana.