The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-02-16
THE LOUISIANA FRAUD.

All accounts from washington agree that
the President and Cabinet have been thrown
into a wild state of perturbation over the con
viction of Anderson, the Louisiana returning
board thief The conviction Of Anderson is
of course the sure precursor of the conviction
of Wells and the rest ofthc returning board ras
Gals And to allow this would he scandalous
breach of faith on the part of the president
and all those who were especially instrument
tai in securing the preparation OF the great
fraud by which Louisiana was counted for
Hayes. AS Mr.. Hewitt said in the house last
Wednesday, Wells, Anderson & Co. were full
bent, IN the fall of 1876, on selling out the
state to Tildcn, and it required every effort of
John Sherman and the rest of the eminent
republican statesmen" who accompanied him
on that mission to New Orleans, to hold the
returning board up to the work Of overcoming
the 5000 majority in his favor and counting
out Tildcn TO say nothing Of the $4,000
dollars which it has lately been shown Kellogg
got of Coobaugh's bank to be used in that
business, the event has shown that all the re-.
turning bOlib Ntlt anu
aftcrward duly received, prominent and lucra-
tive positions from Hayes in the New Orleans
custom house in payment for their rascality.
Then afterwards to quiet Nichols and the
democrats generally who might still kick up
an ugly stink over the big fraud, Hayes had
also to agree to Gust Packard and make Mich
oils governor, and turn the whole state govern
mcnt over to the democrats, though the re-
in some respects a cleaner title than, that byI
which Hayes got the electors. All this trad
ing, buying and selling, including the reward !
ing of the returning board thieves, the recog
milton of Nichols, the Withdrawal of the mill
tary, &C. had been gone INTO by Hayes and
his friends on the distinct understanding, as
they aver, that it should put to rest in Louis
lana all further stirring up of the big return
ing board stink.
But now comes this prosecution and con-
viction of Anderson and the threat in like
manner to seize Wells, Cassanavc and Kenner
by the collar and drag them out of their soft
beds in tn custom house and lock them up in
the penitentiary ltIs not only bad faith on
the part of Hayes to his friends but the
proofs brought out on the trial would stamp
neiiaccably on the brow of Hayes that ugly
word fraud" which Charles Francis Adams
placed there in chalk Il year ago Sherman,
NJ atthews Garfield, Il Co., have written q letter
If coincidence 10 Anderson, assuring him of
heir profoundest sympathy; and it is said
hat the President is so mad that he threatens ,
o abandon his whole southern policy" and {
all back on that of Grant, of overawing the
southern state governments by surrounding IS
hem with [. 5. bayonets. The President has {
written an earnest letter to attorney general I
)evans, imploring him to devise some way to {
top these distressing prosecutions, and it is q
minated that he will doubtless be able to q
ind n way of doing SO. 1t may seem all a
light enough to the Louisiana people that ouch :
coundrels rs Wells and Anderson should re. {
GIVE due punishment for heinous crimes of '
which they have unquestionably been guilty, I
'ut they apparently have no regard for the Q
Ugly blotch the conviction must necessarily i
lace on the brow of his fraudulcncy President e
IaVpS