The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-05-09
JUDGE M'LrN's CoErgssIog.

AS o member OF the late State Board
of Cauyassers of the State Of Florida
feel impelled by asense of duty TO mysell
and justice % others 70 make the follow.
ing statement:
At the time the canvass was made
was not at any time conscious of actjnc
otherwise than right aud proper. en-.
tered upon the canvass with the conyic.
tion that It was my privilege and duty.
in political sense, to give The henefit 81
every doubt in favor OF the Republican
party. ] felt that when question could
be decided either way without doing In.
justice 70 6 public sense Of Justice. ii was
fairly allowable in Politics that / should
~alwsysyieaps y my owns paFty.and aiye
my 1deSisioh ia is 'Savor,f SSeb svthe sIhe
hazard Of gtraining a point. At no tima
did Feel That Iocclipied the bositi6r az
ajrdge, charged with. the duty of a strict
and nice weighing and balancing Of ali
tho evidence presented Looking hack
now TO that time I feel that there was n
combination of Influence that must have
operated most powerfully, in bindisg nv
Judgment and sgaying my action. Thsd
been for many years, and wac ct the time
OF the Canvass, y very active partisan. I
sincerely thought that our State and the
nation woliltseafers ifreparable :nidrv if
the Democratic party were to optain the
Presidency, and the policy of hatred TO
the negro and those who had been the
flends 0f,the negro should obtain con.
ttoEat Washington! It was the common
and Una 1IaiHliiniJu5 talk, also, that the yery
existence of the men who in The Sonth
had upheld the Republican party depen.
ded upon The election ofsMr. Hayes. Mr..
Hayes would sustain them Fthrouohout
the South, while Mr.. Tilden would cr,Ish
them. slTa5Yhown5 NUMEROUS telegrams
addressed to GoVeraor Stearns and Others
from the trusted leadeEsA of the .RonubIi.
fEn gsit ~ khe North, ihsisting shatthe
aalgatiSn of theseountiy depended ubon
IN the vote Of Florida being cast for Hayes.
4hose telegrams came from those to whom
Il nad bsens accustomed Ttof deferEtbe
chairman OF the national committee and
the man who: Yves the nearest personal
friend Of Mr. Hayes, and who had con-
Quoted Che canvass. These teleuramss'
also gave assurance of the forthcoming
Of money and tgoops il necessary in se.
curing the victory for Mr.. HAYES.
Following these Kilograms trusted
Northern Republicans. patty leaders,and
personal friends. of Mr. HAYES. arrived in
Florida as rapidly as the railroads cJrld
bring them: j was surrounded by these
men, who were. ardent, Republicans. and
especially by friends Of Governor Hayes.
-Une gentleman particularly Gov. Noyes,
OF Ohios was understood to represent him
andspeak with the authority Of a warm
pereonal friend Commissioned gi..: Bower
to act in his behalf These men referred
to the general destruction of the country
shpuld ,My. Tildeq, be elected; the intanse
anxiety of the Republican party Of the
North and their full sympathy with MS.
cannot say how the intense excitement
that prevailed around me or how far nv
nartisatD saEmay hate led me- into error.
neither cen Isayihow far my course was
influenced by the promise made by Mr..
Noyes that if Mr.. Hayes became Presi-
dent y shQuld bgsreRaFded, Certainly.
these infiuehca5 must have hadla stfone
control over my judgment and sc.;cn.
Reviewing my action at this distance
OF time, with all calmness, with my ardor
cooled and my partisan zeal chilled by
the President, who has basely BETRAYED
and mercilessly destroyed the Republican
party Of the South, aud. crushed the very
meh who did sotmuch for his election. I
am persuaded that the Florida canvast
was not conducted with that cool, calm
Judgment and honest. unbiased decision
that shouiu ,heye characterized proceed.
INF" Involving such vast and important
Interests. Instead of this, now Gee that
the whoie proceedings gent through upon
the highest wave Of political excitement;
that partisan feeling, stimulated to the
utmost by the most powerful agencies,
usurped the place of reason and sound
Judgment upd political expediency ruled
the hour. A large number of precincts
were either contested by the Democratic
oEff.ss ass:i''caa Esafsys olasA:sso::s e7sti-
mony was filed, and the lawyers of both
sides argued, eac1, for their side of the
issue. that it was the duty of the board
to throw out and not include n the count,
or retain and count precincta, on the
ground lof Dlegality Sin thai conduct of
the election, or fraud that was charged
70 exist. The Attorney General of the !
state and q member of the beard had
decided that the board had quasi
judicial power, and had the right to.ex-
Glide prAcincts' df0sH the GodSit ii. the
returns were shcwlt 20 be 80 irregular,
ialse or fraudulent as to prevent the
BOARD from ascertaining from them the
true vote. iih I7
With this view of its duties the board
entsrsd Upon the work of the .canvass
with the conviction that they ,were in
vested with large discretionary powers
which were of q mixed character, 'poiiti.
cal and ju6icial-the political largely
predominating. Partisan zeal and strong
political ties had powerful influence in
the exercise ofthese powers, and the Re.
publicans haying majority of the board
the canvass was largely in their favor, as
tug reslslt proved. |. II & tfi .bosrds had ac.
ted in accordance with the decision of
the Supreme Court of the State, defining
the Powers and duties ofthe board in |
references to throwing out precincts, since |
renderesi .theie iss NO Sluestion that Mr..
Tilden world have been entitled to the
vote Of Florida. Excluding the -eturn |
from Baker County, which was counted,
and which / have since learned from the |
parties who madeit, was falsely manu-.
iactured return, and including the true
return. which corresponded. with the Dre-
cinct returns of that county, would Ger
tainly have given the State 10 Mr.. Tilden. |
Archer precinct, No. 2, Alechue County,
was included in the count. The fraud |
committed in this precinct was not shown !
to the board by the Democratic lawyers,
although contest was made and much |
attention given to this precinct; but / |
have recently ieagqed{ from che, Republic
can leader of that county that after the |
returns had been brought to GAINESVILLE, !
the county seat, 2l9 votes were added to |
the sfet.ssiis BY the INSPECTORS and clerks
or said precincts.
In Leon County seventy-fcur small