Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1878-05-01


majority of the Board, the canvas
was largely ia their favor, as tn
result proved. II the Board hat
acted ia accordance with the decis
ion of the Supreme Court Of tn
State defin.xS the powers and du
ties Of the Board in reference 4
the throwing out precincts, sine
rendered, there is no question o
the fact that Mr.. Tilden woult
have been entitled to the vote o
Florida.
Excluding the return from Bake
county. which was counted, ant
which have since learned from
the parties who made it was {
falsely manufactured return, ant
including the returns which cores
pended with the precinct returns o
that county would certainly have
given the State to Tilden.
Archer Precinct No. 2, Alachu,
county, was included in the count
The fraud committed in this pre-
cinct was not shown to the Board
by the Democratic lawyers, al
though a contest was made and
much attention given to this pre-
cinct, hut l have recently learned
from Republican leaders OF that
county that after the returns had
been brought to Gainesville, the
county seat. 219 votes were added
to the returns by the Inspector and
Clerk of said precinct.
In Leon county seventy-foui
small Republican ballots were stuff
fed into the ballot-box at precinc,
No. 8, yet it was made to appear
even to the satisfaction of the Dem
ocratic member of the Board, that
these were not false ballots. Sub
sequent confession shows that they
we're stuffed into the box. / had
seen Joseph Bowers, one Of the In.
spectors, have tickets similar to
them . few days before the cleo
ton, and cautioned him against
their use unless they were used
generally, and / afterward learned
that he had given them up.
In Jefferson county, in . certain
precinct at which Mr.. ]. Bell was
Inspector, 100 votes were surrepti-
tiously added to the ballots and
counted. No charge was made as
to this fact before the Board. The
confession of j. Bell, since made to
me, discloses the fact.
Had the 2l9 votes fradulently
added to the Archer return, and
the seventy-four votes stuffed in
the box in Leon county, and the
100 votes surreptitiously added in
Jefferson county, aggregating 1913
votes, been rejected, and the Dem
ocratic rejected precincts which
were excluded for irregularity and
illegality, contrary to the decision
Of the Supreme Court, been retain
ed and counted, Mr.. Tilden would
have carried the State. The con-
clusion, therefore, is irresistible
that Mr.. Tildeu was entitled to the
electoral vote Of Florida, and not
Mr.. Hayes.
In making this statement my
motives will doubtless be question
ed by many, but the facts will stand
alone as the truth without any mere
motives to sustain them. lam free
to admit that, viewing things as l
now do, and remembering that Mr..
Hayes was continually inspiring
his personal friends and trusted
agents, by every means in his power,
to secure for him the electoral votes
of Florida and Louisiana, and be-
lieving it to have been a conscious
wrong on his part, done with the
knowledge that he had not been
elected, as his subsequent repudia-
ton Of Gov. Packard, whose title
was bound up in his own, and his
wilful and cowardly desertion of
the very men who had contributed
so largely to his election, shows my
contempt, for my pitiable littleness
of the man is beyond my power of
expression.
Mr.. Hayes has denied the valid
ity Of his own title in denying Gov.
Packard's. He has ignored his
Florida friends, showing that he be-
lieved them unworthy, and tainted
with fraud, yet he holds on to his
Presidency, which in his own opin-
ion was secured by this very fraud.
He has in a cowardly manner
abandoned and betrayed his South
ern Republican friends through
fear Of being ousted from an Office
that he believed he never was elect
ed to by the people. Whatever
may be the opinion Of men In re-
gard to my motives, / give them
the facts and leave my motives to q
higher tribunal.
(Signed) SAMUEL B. McLIN
This statement, given above, wa.
signed and sworn to before the
Clerk Of Thomas county, Georgia
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