The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-03-04

election was held mt might. without completing
the count, &c 20 to a neighbOring house. to get
lights and paper to complete 1t, and there made
their return.
IN RECEIVING VOTES.
On tho other hand every fraud by which the
| Democrats suffered was dsregarded.
In Ala'hua, Dennis wHs the Chairman OF the
| Republican Committee. and the virtual manager
of the Republicans I'm the county To his house.
on the night following the election. came Rich
| nrd II. Black and Thomas II. Vance. two col
orcd men. who hnd been conducting the cleo
| ton Mt Archer precinct. hox 2; Vance As in
| spcctor and Black as clerk. both leading and
Thcy brought with them \ blank for tho re-
| turns of the elect on already signed and sealed.
| but rs TO which the lignres remained TO be lrd
| vote at the precinct where they attended and
they informed him that i was IFS Republican
il ut the polls. At that he expressed great in
dgnation. and declared that the business had
! not been properly managed, or no such result
| could have been reached. They expressed con-
triton. and their willingness to correct any err
coriinsly furnished them with an upper room.
and with printed list Of tho voters ot the coun-
", and from that printed list they proceeded to
! add 2i9 fictitious names to the poll list. and as
| many to the Republican cnnd .dues. This
brought the vote up to total OF 391 Republtcan
and l4l Democratic, and their return was hlled
| up to correspond with this result This fraud
ulent return Was then forwarded to the county
| canvassers and embraced in their return ~ tho
State cAnvassers. Notwithstanding ono OF tho
inspectors nj that poll mmdc AFFIDAVIT the return
was false and forged. The visiting statesmen
the truth and fairness Of this return before tho
| State canvassers.
These returns we're attacked by the Democrats
on the grounds Of this hdditon. Dennis de-
Tended them. The Bogrd allowed them. MeLin.
one OF the Board. and Dennis, Black. and Nancs
were all subsequently, appointed to ONCE by
HAYES. McIin and Dennis were thereafter, re-
tired. and McLn then admitted the fraud In
Alnchua. and Dennis confessed his pnrticipn-
ton in 1t. Black and Vance have been IN at
tendance on your Comm lttee but have not APP
poured. to deny the transaction. They st con-
unue to hold their places in the departmcnts
Tue Transaction itself therefore. may be said to
remain uncon'rndictnd.
In Leon County. Bowes. one Of the inspectors
OF 1.-THE election; procured LOT OF small krpubl-
can tickets. 10 he printed in very fine type and on
thin paper. These tcke;s. spoken OF in Florida
Ms llttle iokers. he had printed at tho official
he showed them 10 McLin. and stated his pur-
pose Of using them. The plan was TO fold them
up inside the ballots that were voted, and have
them surrepttiously cast or otherwise to
smugge them into the ballot boxes. which their
small Size easily admitted Of. Mrlin advised
Bowes stated that he Ind managed TO smuggle
73 of them into tho boxes in his precinct and no
told McLin. after the State had heen awarded to
the Democrats and It was known Drew was to
be- Governcr that he was in scrap" on this nc
tha boxes. II WAS claimed because these hal .
lots were found loose IN the box nnd
they had been regularly cns' hut II would have
been very easy 10 have produced TINT ou" 7.
either by some other manner ot siuiiing the
box than the ono originalN prouoS'.i' or 10y
shaking the box after they were deposited. and
: I thus scattering thtm. ana thut clrfumStNnf 80 n
Of no weight against Bowrss own admission.
and against the evidence of the persons receiv-
ing the ballots; that not one Of these small bal
lots was voted. Bowrs Ned the state Tor pro-
! lection. and found y refuge in the Treasury
Department at Washington. where he still re-
mans.
In certain precinct IN Jefferson County
, where Bell was Inspector, the inspectors tied uI
, the tickets into bundles of loo each and
| laid them ont on q counter. Bell ingeniously
Withdrew one ~ these bundles. probably ni
Democratic votes tbut whether ali such or prri
HHIuhlfrtn. UnrlNpg does
, | clearly apprurl, aud substituted instead lOl
a Republican ballots for when little seryi9e-
when the Democrats recovered the State-li'l
/, found haven in the Department OF the In
THE FACE OF THE RETURNS.
II has bcen denied that upon the face Of th'
b returns the Iilden electors had majority
. The Executive and the Republican officials o
q Florida Who rondutei the election. we'll knew
q the imporancr OF having a MAJORITY on TN
. fnce Of the returns, and they made the mos
desperate c1orts 20 secure one. But u Will h'
seen that the rifort failed ana that only after I
Wns learned that tho returns gave the Iildei
4 electors a majority that the eXpe4i'ut OF assum
i INK Unauthorized discretionary power was re
& sorted 10 hy the stat. runNa1scrs.
I ABOUT this there ought to t" no dispute. Th'
- returns from In" various counties. us certihe.
to the Bolrd - State Ctnvassrrs. gave 2444
votes for the Tiidrn electors and 2l.350 vote
/. for the, Hayes electors. An a tempt wa
q so ns tn roversr the result tn" history OF thu
- attempt. ms told by the Reruhiicans who con
hh'Attl H. hAln NNAA iAteA ~ htt Wv q
II significant
4 BAKER COUNTY FALSE RETURNS.
>, The law required th" County Clerk Clerk q
y the Circuit Court OF q" county, the COUNT
j. Judge aud Il Justice Of the /. ace Tor the uuut
. to canvass the preclnCt returns ns soon as tll"
- were all received. and u not thrn All received
i the election and certify tho result To the Secre
~ tary OF state and Governor.
10 In cnse OF the absence or refusal oi tho Coun
ty Ju ige or Clerk to act the Sheriff OF the coun
~ was to be- called upon 70 act IN ms place. ] q
y canvass was to be conducted publicly at III
3 Tie returns having been all received. Coke
i the Clerk Of the County. notified Allen. M
> Sheriff In the absence Ot Drigls.rs. the Count
"a Judge to attend on tne 10th OF Novrm her. al th
~ place prescribed 10y law. 10 canvass the returns
r. Justice Of the county. DormRn attended. hu
d Allen, the Sheriff refused 10 JOIN IN the rnn
= vass which the Clerk and ~" Justice there
~ upon proceeded to make and return to IN" See
- rettTy uf state The county contained lou
.e precincts the votes rom all %. whl'h W r, eni
~ hrnced in this canvass. and gave 233 votes io
r the lilden and ll3 votes th' Hayes electors
= Drigsers. lhe County Jnis. hear,ns Of ti tlli
III notice 10 Coxn and to Dorman "t canvass 90 b
Ir held On ia" 18Th q Nov"up"r that hrins ih
4, turns. IL then went 10 rAllahusser amt th"r
i. learned the result IN the Sa' aud TINT the Vat
& of Baker County gave the Stnt' TO Iud"u. II
T., procured there from Stearns the Governor.
r. commission To- on" Green. Us justice ol Nh
r Prace. and returned To sani.rson. On the l3t
n D'rman and Coke attended, upon ~" note
Is which Drigg"rs had given. g. pro"erd witt tn
canvass. DrlEgrrs HSrntNd Nlfl~'l part ol lll
day. hut they subsequently found nliu. AMI %
then refused to join Them IN the canvass The
!, then applied 10 Allen. the Shcr.f. o. JOIN /
ia making the canvass. nnd he, under lustru 4 on
a. from Driggprs. refused also. DrlEg"rs tol
IN Allcn that they lthc EepuhhrUnsl w"rc ben; /
ht the State: that something must Dee done On
nm that he proposed to have n canvas. 10y him
ii self" Allen asked him how he could grt an
nj one 10 act with him, and he said he had ggi
a., all right ?" that he "hud a commission for Bl
a. Green as a Justice Of The Peace
: Coke and lormuu. alter waiting all the DAY
AZ proceeded. lHtn in The afternoon, upon the r.
e. iusal of both the sheriff and the County Judg
IN To loin them. to complete ia" CANVASS iArr
~ selves This correspoudrd exactly with IA
M canyuss made upon the 10th. ana they certlle
ar the result. with AN explanatory note stating IA
,e refusal OF tho other officers to participate IN t
canvass. and left, and locked up the clerk
onl'e.
After dark Drlggers procured n kew 10 III
~. CLERK s ofce, and, taking Allen and Green vii
le him entered and found the rriurns lying %
a. the table, whore Coke and DormAn mad Ir
le them. lie then told Allen and Grann TINT th'
- must throw ont TWO preclnrts-DarbvNilir mn
al Juhnsviile-which gave Iliden majority
y. l2G and they excluded them entirely. and too
le tho addition of the votes of the other two pr
s. cincts mnde by Coke and DorWan, and r,
l.. Al .t..t. al. o. .f..