Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-06-10
LEVISSEE'S LIGHT.

washington " ulleO) OpeCldA W OulCaoO AliAoo'I
This afternoon brought out the most seri-
GUS revelations yet developed by Potter's
committee. The stupendous forgeries ex-
hibited this afternoon will shock the moral
sense of the entire country. It is no longer
a question resting upon any statements or
documents Of James E. Anderson, but on the
positive evidence that all of the certificates
but one of the proceedings of the Hayes
electoral college in Louisiana, used before
the electoral commission and joint conven-
ton of Congress, were forgeries. To under
stand fully how these forgeries became i'm
perative it is necessary to review the case as
it was presented to-day. Under the law
regulating the proceedings of the electoral
college certificates of proceedings are re-
quired to be made out in triplicate. One set
of returns is filed with the State authorities,
one is sent by mail to the president of the
Senate, and the third is sent by messenger
to the president of the Senate. The reason
for sending two sets of returns by two
different methods to the president of
the Senate is to guard against the loss of
either Now, it is a fact as developed to day
that after the Hayes electoral college adj
journed in Louisiana, the returns according
to law were made out upon the 9th of De-
cember, 1876. One set was mailed on that
day to the president of the Senate, and that
was received. A subsequent exa 1linatiOn
shows this to have been irregular in its form,
enough so to insure its rejection, but it is the
only one that is an honest document. The
messenger who came with the duplicate
brought it in an envelope which had no out
ward indication of what we're its contents, as
the law requires. The president Of the Sen
ate therefore refused to receive it. He or
dered it to be returned to the State of Louisi-
ana for the purpose of having the proper
authorities indicate upon the envelope what
its contents were before he would receive it..
This document went back to the State of
Louisiana, and it appears that the Republi-
can officials there we're frightened by it's re-
turn, and thought there must be
some irregularity about the one that had been
sent by mail. An examination proved this
to be true, so they went to work and made
out a new set of returns in duplicate, and
forwarded one by mail and one by messen-
ger, as they did with the originals. But it
appears that Levissee, one of the electors in
the Hayes electoral college was absent from
New Orleans at the time the second returns
were made. These returns were forwarded
on the Goth or December, and Levissee's
name is forged upon both of them. This
Mr.. Levissee swore to to-day, and stated
most positively that he had not been in New
Orleans after the 18th of December, and
had signed no document whatever after
fixing his signature to the orig final returns,
Immediately after the adjournment of the
Hayes electoral college. But the strangest
part of it all is that the return that was first
sent by messenger and rejected by Senator
Ferry, because it did not bear upon the ex-
terror of the envelope any indication Of what
it was, in some fashion found its
way into the possession of Vice President
Ferry. So far as Mr.. Levissee's sigma
ture goes, the last two are forgeries. The
returns that should have been left in the
office of the secretary Of state of Louisiana
were called for during the investigation Of
the electoral count year ago last winter
and they have Disappeared. But who
destroyed them is yet to be developed, az
we'll as who are the guilty parties who perpe
trated the forgeries of the election certif
Gates. The returns of the State election fur
nished here during the same investigation
have also disappeared. Evidence is in hanc
to show that these documents were permeat
ed with forgeries. OF course no one claims
that the revelations Of to-day have any effect
in changing the result, but it does show
the desperate criminality of the Republican
officials in Louisiana, who do no.
scruple at bold forgeries in the
elimination of their work.
Senator Kellogg is the man who is mos
interested in to-day's revelations, for hi:
name appears upon the forged duplicate a!
genuine. If his name is there, it is argued
that he must have been party to the forger,
of the name of Levissee. The testimony O.
Anderson is no longer subject of converse
ton by the side of these later revelations
Naturally one asks what was the object O
these forgeries? It must be rememb ere(
that the contest was so close that every Ger
tifcate was subject to the closest scrutiny
If there had been no trouble with the orig
inal making out of the return of the Hayes
electoral college in Louisiana, then Their
would have been no need of forgery, but tn
return of the duplicate sent by the messen
ger, revealed upon scrutiny that it was irreg
ular, and that it was not made out in accor
dance with law. Then ensued scene O
great decentralization. If the case wa
rested upon certificates technically in
formal then all would be lost. Objection
the counting of such certificates would b
fatal and cause their rejection. But Lewis
see was absent. He had gone into the Re
River country, beyond the reach of call, an
his signature to a new set of returns coul
not be delayed, and the certificate alread
in Ferry's hands was one that could nc
stand. Any one familiar with the school c
Louisiana politics will not be surprised
know that forgery was called to the aid {
the gang of thieves, who had by perjury an
forgery secured the State thus far. The
had gone too far to be cheated in the enc
If only breath of this could have bee
known during those stormy days of til
closing scenes of the count in the Joint COZ
vention-if some member with the know
edge of to-day could have stood up and sait
''Gentlemen, I object to the counting {
the vote of the State of Louisiana, b,
cause one of it's certificates is irregular an
the other two here before us are forgeries,
imagine the sensation and results.
The informally in the original certifca
from Louisiana which was sent by mail |
Ferry and honestly signed, was that first tt
envelope did not bear the superscription r.
quired by law; second, that the certifica
recited the vote for President and vi,
President together instead of separately: ar
third, that it was unaccompanied by ar
certificate by the messenger. This stateme,
was made by Ferry when he presented tt
L. 49,