The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1878-03-29

IN y mDLn ZSs
REJOICING AT WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON, March 19.-The alb
rupt release of Anderson from prison,
and the termination for the present of
the Returning Board trials have acted
on the Fraudulent Administration
like q reprieve to criminal ON the
scaffOld. Hayes, Sherman, Key and
the rest of the concern have passed
most of the time since tho decision of
the Supreme Court was flashed over
the wires In manifestations Joy and
relief. They have been hanging on
the ragged edge of anxiety, fear and
almost despair since the conviction of
Anderson, knowing we'll If he went
to the penitentiary aud was followed
oy his confederates In crime, the most
damntng exposures were certain to
follow.
What may be called tho missing
links of the Fraud by which great
majority of the American people were
cheated out of their choice for Presi-
dent are In the hands of Wells and
Anderson. Abundant and conclusive
proof has been furnished before various
committees Of Congress that they stole
the vote of louisiana, and furnished
the basis for counting In Hayes. Tho
forgery, perjury, destruction of returns,
Justification of records and organized
conspiracy by which that result was at
tanned are familiar to the country.
They offered to sell the vote to tho
side that would pay the most money,
beginning with demand for a million
through Maddox, the authorized agent
of Wells, and ending with q final offer
from Wells In person to Mr.. Duncan
+. Kenner, In New Orleans, to take
500, 900 In hand for an honest count.
1t was only when these propositions
were refused by the Democrats that
Wells and Anderson concluded to steal
the vote, and made their bargain ac-
cortingly with John Sherman, and tho
other confidential agents Of Hayes.
The exact terms of that contract, and
the amount of money that was paid
on the spot, are not known with GER
tainty, because both parties We're in
terested In concealing the transaction.
But as tho Democrats rejected tho offer
of Wells, and competition was thus
cut of, 1t may be assumed that thrifty
manager, like John Sherman, drove
the hardest bargain possible for tho
cash payment, and saddled nll he
could on the Treasury In Offices and
patronage. The fact that Wells, Ander-
son and Kenner hold three of tho
best places in the Custom House, and
ali tho Returning Board clerks, who
manipulated the frauds, are employed
to illustrate the beauties of civil service
reform, tells part of the story.
With Wells and Anderson once in
the penitentiary and Mt hard labor,
Hayes and Sherman would be power
less to continue them in Office, or to
relieve them from the odium OF being
common convicts. The bonds which
have united them since the consumma-
tion of tho Fraud would be broken,
and, with tho instinct of criminals
who charge their conviction and
punishment to the lul<ewarmness or
treachery Of friends, they would have
turned upon tho chief benefciarics OF
the crime, and dragged them down
by exposing their completely.
Sherman knew well tho desperate
character of the men with whom no
was dealing, and that if they passed
from Office into the State prison, tho
doom of the Fraudulent Administra-
tion was sealed, and that he and others
might be consigned to keep Wells and
Anderson company. Hence his extra
ordinary efforts to obtain IL pardon af-
ter Anderson's conviction, to make tho
finding OF tho jury party issue, and to
keep up the prisoners faith aud hope,
until every resource was exhausted.
There is no example in tho history OF
criminal justice where such combina-
tion Of Influences was organized to de-
feat its upright administration, first by
the most urgent appeals to the Cover
nor for pardon, and next by moro
quiet movement on the Supreme Court,
which has been successful. BY it's do
cision Nichols is saved from quarrel
with his own party, the conspirators
escape Immediate punishment, and the
Fraudulent Administration is repriov-
ed. But the crime stands where 1t did
before. Anderson goes out with the
brand Of guilt on his brow, which tho
Supreme Court could not remove and
retribution is postponed.
Sooner or later truth will come out
from its enforced hiding place, for
truth cannot be suppressed always.
The missing links OF the great crime
will be supplied, and tho guilty con-
on nf<s hnsr II,