The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-03-28
The Escape Of Anderson.
From the New Orleans Times,l

Andrloon Of the crime Of forgery, as
set forth IN til information on which
he was trei, but puts an end to the
Returning Board prosecutions on that
imsis IN toto. The other members Of
The Boorl ale under bond to appear
Tor tia on the same information. Or
course the TN" ~ the court, juries and
prosecuting "liunls viii not be wasted
IL going through lLr, forms Of other
trial, which must, logically. result IN
the same way, All the proceedings
lluS lnr r,ll To tn" around, To con-
Wet An lrrson or an, Other member Of
tn Arl, proceedings must he begun
ab iniHo aud other grounds taken in
Whatever may he til" abstract merits OF
the case, no one expects, AMI We may
therefore ASSUME that the Returning
R'prl prosecutions are "A, an end. An
derson has escaped, broken out, got
ava, G1uraii\cly speaking, pretty
much us Catllne did. The result is
| not hailed with enthusiasm. but it is
acknowledged 10y adj ordinarily %intelll-
!cUt people rs relief from II diill 'ult
situation. The officers Of the govern
ment felt it to he their duty to punish
The actors IN q notorious conspiracy
and fraud, the consequences OF which
extended over the whole country, hut
the jurisdiction Of which was cOntinel
TO this State, The proceedings should
not. in law or principle, have concerned
the other States, but IN fact they were
made "A national matter, and thus polit
zeal pressure was brought to bear
where the simple question OF the guilt
or innocence Of the accused should
have been the only one considered.
The result has been to rest the Ques
ton Of the Louisiana fraud upon n
technical point-whetler the "consnli.
dated returns were a public document
within the meaning Of The law or not,
which point has been decided in the
negative ny our Supreme Court. There
will he no disposition, we think, to
an olion the correctness of the dcrlS
ON, 1t proves that the prosecuting
officers and the judge of the lower
court erred IN judgment, but proves
nothing concerning the great swlndlc.
.! which the Vernon returns were Il
small and insignificant portion. Ia
deed, the opinion OF the court IN over
ruling the other exceptions clearly
enough intimates a perception OF the
gravity Of the moral ottense'comm:tcd,
while i. property confines its legal cf-
feet to the legal questions presented
The decision is that Th0s, &, Anderson
was not guilty in law Of ulterIng and
and Forging II public document IN the
manner and form charged. The great
question Of the gull, Of the Board in
classifying the result Of the election and
defeating the will Of the people stands {
unaffected hv this decision. The opii' ;
ion Of the country on this point no :
Dcchnicalily can ncu'raIize and no
court, however august. modify. Per- /
hups it is hes. tor the country and for
the cause of the purity and freedom of
he ballot that the Oifensc should re :
nam the unrxpiated crime of a great I
party rather than be condoned and set
led by u two years sentence IN the ,
,eui,cntlarv of one of the many who
participated IN it and profited by it.
SO far rs it can be considered a
.nrsrion of public policy, undoubtedly
vast mai ,rily y! the people sill np
the decision of the court. The
N relieved the State o; the
tisma of acquirscing in the great
rand, but at the same time II was con
entraling upon uS II partisan hostility
Unfortunate tor us, and was reminding
ninnsities which patriotic cil'zrns OF
II parties .irrlnre,l, 1t also had The
! prurance of drifting into complica-
ions which threatened the unity ofthr
element III this State IN a !
nanner which it is now. happily, un ;
Icc,sSary to discuss, llrncefrrlh III"
political crime nl the century is
longer u sp, cial .Iirvanrr If tins :
1t belongs to the people of th" !
uuntr, to redress in their " tins F.;
mt way, II is our interest Ia c"asrtn
" The political clu,snre of the crun ,
nv OH duty is done aud We may =,
consider ourselves rrllcye,i OF tn" e
lst remnant OF the laraSSing struggle
imposed upon Us and al liberty t" turn ,
=, the NOR. agreeable and rrmnnrra-
i've task If hu,l ilng up our waste pIa-
- a III protiting nv tie %iranqnillt, snd .
onten,mcut l~rgltimntelv belonging to
%rarclul and unqncsli"ned s"lI-gov-
rnment. P~,artlcaIly, Louisiana SUI
Fred less than the country at large for {
Ne crime-whatrvrr ma ne may he Civ .
II to i.-oi the Returning BnrI, aud
e can now afford to leave the country
, redress its wrongs in the manner IN
'hich it may deem most eticctual.