Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1878-04-08
ANDERSON'S CASE.

ANDERSON'S CASE.
The release of Gen. Anderson, Deputy
Collector of New Orleans, is an event
demanding more than passing notice.
Gen. Anderson is prominent Republi-
can, of irreproachable character, and
was member of the Returning Board
which gave the electoral vote of the
State to Mr.. Hayes. His recent persecu-
tion was unquestionably owing in part
to the fact that he had accepted an i'm
portant federal appointment from the
President, and was therefore particularly
obnoxious to the Bourbon Democracy of
New Orleans. Another motive that led
to his persecution was the desire of GER
tain parties to keep alive the cry of
"fraud, " that being regarded as the best
hold of the Democratic party before the
/ people. The plot worked successfully
until recently. Anderson was arraigned,
tried, convicted and sentenced to the
penitentiary for two years. On the one
hand the case was held up as proof of
the "crime" which gave Louisiana to
Mr.. Hayes. On the other hand it was
contemptuously referred to as the bitter
fruit of President Hayes conciliatcry
policy. Both conclusions were not only
hasty but they were exceedingly rickety.
As Mr. Webster would have said, they
were drawn by bad reasoners. Their
logic was of the leap-frog sort. ONLY
one of two essential parts of each prop
osition was present. The decision of
the Supreme Court of Louisiana, setting
aside the verdict and discharging the
prisoner, utterly demolishes both conclu-
sions.
In his opinion Chief Justice Manning
explicitly declared it 'dld not appear
that any paper had been forged that was
calculated, with compliance with the
law, to change the result. 1t is the es-
sence of this crime that it should be
committed by public officer, and on a
document which would change the result
of the election. This was not done" :"
1t would be impossible to express more
complete vlndication of the Returning
Board than is included in this language.
The cry of fraud" SO loudly rung on
the changes, and which was being ten
derly nursed for the chief rallying cry
Of the Democracy in the next presiden-
tial campaign, is utterly exploded by
this opinion of the Supreme Court o!
Louisiana.
With the fall of the charge of fraud
also disappears the point sought to be
made against the President. 1t never
had but one leg to stand upon, and that
is now gone. The persecution of An.
derson was indeed a violation of the
legislative pledge of condonement of al
! past political offences. The persecution
was not supported by the better elemep
of Louisiana, or anywhere else in th'
South. 1t was regretted and condemned
by nearly all the representative men 0
that section. 1t requires no argumen
e to show that the legal release Of Ander
a son is triumphant vindication of th
s Presidents reliance on the good faith 0
the better element in the South, and tn
n case must yet arise to show that his con
: fdence in any signal instance has bee
r misplaced. The Anderson case is NO
: such an one, and though one may occu
t at any time, it will not be safe to adop
c the leap-frog logic in constituting it.
a
!. There is vast difference in the COZ
. duct of man and woman in new SUI
of clothes. When woman gets ne
:. suit, she Immediately prances dow
town, and for hours will walk conten
! edly along crowded thoroughfare, IT
ceiving fresh impulses of joy every tin
another woman scans her wardrobe. Bl
man is SO different He won't put Q
;, his new clothes for the hrst time unit
!, it is dark; then he goes down town s
:. cautiously as to almost create the in
preston that he is sneaking along.
: he sees crowd on the corner, he wi
slip across the way to avoid them; an
when he goes into his grocery, he tri
to get behind as many boxes and barre
:. as he can. All the time he is trying
! do his level best to appear as if the su
was six months old, and all the viii
! realizes that he is making a great fai
!, ure of it.
st Men are frequently like tea-the re