The daily gazette., 1877-02-03
The Louisiana Dis
closures. ..a

The scandalous disclosures elected by
the House committee show the "true in
wardneSs" of the Louisiana returning
board in light which must startie and
shock all honest republican minds. 1t is
not surprising to hear that under the force
of these revelations, ,"Gov. Wells is sick"
and that, according to dispatch to one
of the New York papers, Gov. Kellogg
is reported to have exclaimed, .:This is
h-n, aint it?" Most people will agree
what is here imputed to the Governor, or
that If isn't it ought to be. The witnesses
reveal degree of corruption OF corrupt
purpose not imagined even of the Louisi-
ana returning board, and readiness on
the part of Gov. Wells, in particular, to
sell out to anybody and everybody, with
out regard to race, party or previous con-
dition. SO long as it would put money in
his purse. Whatever may be thought of
the witnesses Maddox and others, it is
very certain they cannot be worse than
the returning board, and it was natural
enough that, where there was such an
unclean concern as that the birds of prey
should gravitate towards it. We recoe-
nize amongth witnesses in connection
with trading way the votes of States our
old correspondent, Col. Pickett, or as he
is now called, Gen. Pickett, (having been
promoted, 1t would appear for Ineritori-
Otuo oCiNiCCS tIc ldoU lew years.
who sold Confederate archives in 1872 for
round sum to the United States govern
lnent We dare say that his only motive
in the present transaction was the pro-
motion of honesty and the public good
While it seems that Wells first wanted
that million of republicans in order to
strengthen his back for committing the
great fraud of throwing out ten thousand
democratic votes, he next wanted it of
the democrats for not throwing them out
In other words he desired, according to
Maddox, that the democrats should pay
him to do what was right.-y-And our pa
triotic and philanthropic friend, Colonel
Pickett, according to the same authority,
only wanted share for charitable pur-
poses, the same we suppose to which he
applied the money obtained for Confed-
crate archives.
1t matters not that Gov. Wells mayhave
supposed his companions in the scheme
to falsify the returns OF Louisiana were
of like easy virtue with himself. Their
statements are supported by documen-
tary proofs, and the investigating COM
mittee are in possession of some of the
garbled returns, which bear on their face
the evidence that they have been altered.
The evidence was not volunteered by the
witnesses, but eXtorted from them. All
that they say of Wells agrees with his
previous CUdracDer. zen. SnerluilQ u6-
Scribed him in an official report to Secre-
tary Stanton as dishonest man, who
might always be traced asia serpent is by
its sinuous, Shiny track. Now that the
serpent is fully traced it would be inter
esting to know what his indosser, Senator
Sherman, thinks OF him, Perhaps such
an indorser will have as much as he can
do to keep his own skirts out of slime.
The electoral committee have RESPONSE
BILE duty to perform, They can either
crush out such frauds as are here brought
to light, forever, or by placing man in
the presidency on the results of forgery
and corruption can give them vitality
that must spread its poisonous influence
ON every hand. If the commission has
not the power to go behind the electoral
certificates of Louisiana and inquire into
returns such as these it might as well
have never been appointed, If it has
that power Mr.. Hayes can never be de-
clared elected, unless the credibility of
these witnesses can be successfully i'm
peached.