The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-03-23


not to be passed by.
RELEASE OF ANDERSON.
NEW ORLEANS, March 18.-The
Supreme Court this morning was
crowded with members of the bar,
politicians and other persons anxious
to hear the decision in the case of the
State VS.. Thomas C. Anderson, con
victed in the Superior Criminal
Court for publishing as true forged
and counterfeit election returns from
the parish of Vernon. Chief Justice
Manning read very lengthy opin-
ion in the case. After reviewing the
charge, verdict and sentence, the
court took up two of the exceptions
as being the only ones necessary to
consider in rendering a judgment.
They were: "There had been no pre-
liminary examination" and that sit
is not practice to prosecute by in
formation"
Both excepe ons were dismissed,
the first upon the ground that a pre-
liminary examination is not essen
tial and second, that prosecution by
Indignation has been a common rule
in criminal prosecutions for many
years. The exception to the drawing
of the jury was also dismissed on the
ground that a violation of the spirit
of the law is not pretended. Relative
to the offene itself, the court gave
an abstract OF the election law, detail
ing its requirements. The exact
method prescribed in law was fully
described. The record offered in evil
dence did not conform with that
mentioned in the information. The
document offered was "consolida-
ted statement" certified by the regis
ter of voters and not the "original
returns" and the statute of our state
does not attach much value to this
consolidated statement. The origi-
nal returns" not being altered would
not change the result of an election
and interfere with the interest of the
people. The paper offered in evi-
dence is not the paper charged as be-
ing forged. In order to be forgery
an Instrument which it is alleged is
falsified must, if true, be legally cap
able of committing a fraud. Nowhere
in law is consolidated return re-
quired as a declaration of the result,
and its alteration or modification can
in no way affect the election.
If every consolidated return were
forged, and the returning board COM
piled with the law and made their
statements from the commissioners
returns, no injury could result. 1t
does not appear that any paper has
been forged that is calculated with a
with the law to change
the result. 1t is the essence of this
crime that it should have been COM
mitted by public officer and on a
document which would change the
result of the election. This was not
done. The letter of John Sherman,
Stanley Matthews and Others, which
in the record, was alluded
to by the chief justice, who stated
that it should be treated by the pub
lie in like manner as that of men,
Der of the Honse of Commons who
attempted to influence the decision
of the court in the Tichborne case.
1t was ordered that the verdict of
the jury be set aside and reversed
and the prisoner discharged from
custody.
WASHINGTON, March 18.-Gov.
Packard, Postmaster General Key,
and several other gentlemen called
on the President after the decision of
the Louisiana Supreme Court in re-
gard to the case of General Ander-
son and others, members of the re-
turning board, was announced. The
President expressed his qualification
at the decision, and said that the en-
tire Union would applaud the action
of the Supreme Court as patriotic
and in the interest of Cancellation.
CoNsTANTINOPLE IN THE HANDS OF
THE RUSSIANS.
LONDON, March 16.-This morn
ing's Times. in its leading editorial
article, says: son Monday the Rus
slams not only occupied several Will
ages around Constantinople, but took
possession of a point on the edge of
the most northerly plateau, running
down towards the entrance of the
Bosphorus. The small forts which
command the entrance lie directly at
the foot of the position thus occupied,
and as these works are open on the
land side, the Russians have the
power to march in at any moment
and close the entrance to the Black
Sea. AS our Vienna correspondent
observes, such movement does not
seem calculated to dispel the appre-