Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-07-03
A PLAIN DEMocRAr1c r1cronr.

The evidence of fraud in the Louisiana
election accumulates, and that Tilden and
the entire Democratic State ticket received a
majority of the votes cast no longer admits
of doubt. The facts have all been known
for year or more past to those who have
taken the trouble to investigate the subject,
but the tes timony elected by the Potter
committee within the last few days, has been
of such character as to leave no room for
any other conclusion. AS bearing upon this
branch of the pending inquiry, the statement
of Gov. Packard on Monday, before the
subcommittee at New Orleans is in point.
AS throwing some light upon the way the
returns were doctored to attain the result
contemplated by the Republican leaders, he
said
was somewhat uneasy for fear Anderson
and Weber would not stand up to their pro-
tests. If the returns from East and West
Feliciana had alone been Mro,pn out 1 would not
have had majority, but had a majority as
potes mere actually th,oWn ont.
There can be no two interpretations of
this language. Even after the vote of the
Feliciana parishes had been thrown out it
was discovered that the Republican ticket
was still in the minority, and the testimony
of Eliza Pinkston and others as to outrages
in Ouachita was brought forward, which gave
the returning board an excuse for throwing
out enough Democratic votes in addition to
give the State to Hayes and Packard. The
utter worthlessness and falsity of this testi-
mony has already been shown.
How little excuse there was for throwing
out the votes of the Felicianas is shown by
the affidavit of jerks, the husband of the
woman who has cut such prominent figure
before the public of late, sworn to on the
18th of May, 1877. 1t will be remembered
that when jerks was on the stand
about two weeks since he tes-
titled that he had no recollection of having
made an affidavit bearing on the case. The
notary whose seal was attached, however,
swore that he knew the man we'll, and iden-
tilted the affidavit as having been signed and
sworn to by jerks before him, a fact which
leaves little doubt of the genuineness of the
that it is known to him personally that
Kellogg and other Republican leaders did
not desire the return of Anderson to his
parish, or the appointment of any other per-
sons in his stead, the object being to hold
no election in that parish. He further
swears that the election in Feliciana was con-
Quoted under his own and Anderson's super
vision, and was the most peaceable and fair
one ever witnessed by him. The affidavit
goes on to say that after the return of him
self and Anderson to New Orleans, i: was
shown them that the election of Hayes and
Wheeler depended on the electoral vote OF
Louisiana; that in consideration of this
fact, and in order to secure the election OF
Hayes, Anderson signed, in the presence OF
jerks, protest, partly in blank, the blank
being afterwards filled out by parties I'M
known that both he and Anderson would
not have signed any protest, had it not been
| necessary to throw out the parish in order
to secure the election of Hayes and Wheeler
| The probabilities are that when jerks
made this affidavit he spoke the truth, and
that when he denied it's statements subse
quently he spoke falsely, for all the evidence
produced tends to show that the election il
Feliciana was exceptionally fair and fret
from intimidation, and that the vote was
thrown out simply for the reason that it was
necessary to do SO in order to give the State
to Hayes. We have incontestable proof tha
the protests alluded to were procured fo]
the purpose stated and by means the mos
corrupt.
We have already seen it proved that Hayes
was aware Of this state of affairs long befor,
his inauguration, and that while he had no
the honesty and self-denial requisite to en-
able him to refuse the Presidency won by sucl
fraudulent means, ne yet resolved to undo
| part of the infamy of the returning boart
| by giving the State over to the officers
fairly elected by the people. The Presidency
was too tempting prize, and he accepted
it, easing his conscience by promising to dc
one act of justice, at least, to make amends
for his own wrong. While the proof of this
state of affairs is already sufficient to con.
vince men whose partnership does not rem.
der them blind, the evidence is accumula
ting daily and ere long will be overwhelm.
ing. Then, perhaps, the people of the