The daily gazette., 1878-06-08
IFROM WASHINGTON.
The Forged Returns from
Louisiana.
A REVIEW OF THE AWARD BY
THE ELECTORAL CON-
MISSION.

i ii II ELEO lOhhh No"-
MISSION.
WARRINGTON, June The sugges-
tive fact that the electoral commission
awarded the vote of Louisiana to Hayes
on the basis of enc of the forged returns
of the proceedings of the republican
electors of that State continued to-day
to be the most prominent topic Of discus
sion in all circles. An affort is made to
break the force of this disclosure by the
allegation that only one set Of returns
was necessary for the commission to base
its action upon, and that as the genuine
return was before them that settles the
matter. Attention is also called to the
fact that Senator Morton's resolution,
which was adopted by the usual vote of
3 to 7, alluded only to No. /, which was
the genuine certificate. Mr.. Morton's
resolution was a. follows:
"R8oiued, That the persons named as
electors in certificate No. were lawful
electors of the State of Louisiana, and
that their votes are the votes provided
for by the constitution of the United
States, and should be counted for Presi-
dent an6 Vice-President."
This motion of Senator Morton was
one of the preliminary proceedings only,
and it will not do to attempt to shelter
the effect of the electoral commission
awarding the vote of Louisiana to Hayes,
which was prepared by Justice Miller,
sets forth that the commission "has by a
majority of votes decided and does here
by decide that the votes of VIM. Z. Kel-
logg, j. Henri Burch, Peter Joseph,
Lionel A. Sheldon, Morris Marks, Aaron
b. Levisee, Orlando ii. Brewster and
Oscar Jeffrion, named in the certificate
of VIM. p. Kellogg, Governor 9f said
State, which votes are certified by said
persons, az appears by the certificates
submitted to the commission, as afore-
said, and marked Nos. one ~ and three
(3) by said commission, and herewith re-
turned, are the votes provided for by the
constitution of the United States, and
that the same are lawfully to be counted
an therein certified, namely: Eight (0
votes for Rutherford b. Hayes, of the
State of Ohio, for President, and eight (S
votes for William A. Wheeler, OF the
State OF New York, for VIce-Presidsnt.
Here 1t is distinctly stated that the de-
cision is made on the virtue of two GER
tificates is now discovered that one of
those certificates is a forgery. 1t is
claimed that only one certificate was
necessary for the commission to make up
its decision, and that In the case of the
other disputed otates only one certificate
was alluded to IN the decision of the
commission as proving the basis OF its
decision. But all the special pleading
that can be brought forward on this
point cannot refute the fact that one of
the Louisiana certificates before the com
mission was a forgery. Nor can any
proof be now adduced to show that the
forged certificate instead of the genuine
one was the identical certificate consid-'
cred by the commission in its delibera-
tons. There is an interesting narrative
told in connection with this matter,
which is of value.
Prominent republicans now strongly
opposed to Mr. Hayes, and who were on
very friendly terms with the late Senator
u
that the returns first brought by messsn-
ger from Louisiana, and which were
found to be informal, were sent back
for correction. or course neither Sena-
tor Morton nor any ono else had the
right to be made acquainted with the
contents of the paper, but the fact that
they were Inspected can no longer be de-
MED. His knowledge of the informality
of the certi ficate No. 8 may be an expla-
A. In In,
ton Of certificate No. l, although un-
doubtedly Senator Morton had no knowl-
edge of the forgery which had bean oom-
mittsd. Mr.. Kellogg said to-day that al
though his name as Governor appears on
tho bottom of the forged certificate that
he dses not testify 10 the genuine char
acter of the document, this pleasing duty
having been performed by p. g. Deslan.
des, the colored secretary OF State OF
Louisiana.
SENATOR FERRY ON THE INFORMAL
TIES IN THE LOUISIANA ELECTORAL
CBRTIFIcATEs-RUMoR OF AN I'M
PoRTANT REsoEUTIoN FROM BUTLER
WASHINGTON, June z, 1873.
According to Senator Ferry, who was
questioned to-day concerning the Louisi-
ana electoral certificates, the Louisiana
republicans took great deal of unneces-
sary trouble and suffered good deal of
useless alarm about the informality of
the original or first certificates of the
vote of the electoral college.
THE MAIN FACTS.
He says the main facts are that the
original set of these certificates reached
him by mail, but it is not true as rumored
that an attempt was made, at least with
his (Senator Ferry's) knowledge, to Sc
cure the substitution of an amended set
for the old. He would have never al
lowed any such substitution. The amen
ded certificates reached him in course OF
time and were submitted to the Electoral
Commission with the others in the order
of their receipt respectively.
NOT IN HIS POSSESSION.
When General T. C. Anderson, as the
messenger of the college, came to him
with the duplicate of the original vote
he pointed out to him the informality on
the envelope, but the package did not
come into his possession. Had it done so
he would have retained it.
BUTLER SENSATION.
It was rumored on the republican side
of the House, to-day, that General But
ler intended offering resolution to the
following sffect:-