Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-03-07
News by Telegraph
FROM WASHINGTON.

WASHINGTON, March p Saturday, Potter
submitted report to the committee. which
was adopted democrats t. republicans,
Butler being absent. The republicans will
prepare minority report and Butler a
separate statement. The chairman of the
subcommittee of Louisiana has also pre-
pared report. Potter's repOr. deals with
all points except the cipher dispatches, which
will be made the subject of separate report
and be presented to tho committee to-mor-
row. Potter report is regarded by demo-
Gratis who perused it as sngularly impartial
and Judicial, devoid of rhetorical ornsmen-
tation and vituperative denunciation. and
deriving its force solely from close logical
deduction of the facts presented. Some Of
the democrats regard it as wanting in color,
or not so strongly expressed as the facts
warrant. Not unlikely some democratic
members Of the committee will present an
additional expression Of their views more
vigorously. The report sets forth what it
was proper for Congress to investigate and
what not, and the difficulty OF conducting
an Investigation into conspiracies which
had been successfully carried out, while the
successful party remains in power. Ii ad
mits that confessions of couspirstors who
had become dissatisfied are worth little, but
points to the fact not generally understood
that about the principal features of the
election and cAnyass in Florida and Louisi
ana there is no substantial dispute before
the committee, the republicans having
called no witnesses in Florida and few in
Louisiana. except as to the conduct of the
visiting statesmen and incidentally
about intimidation. 1t dism isses entirely
the testimony Of Anderson, jerks, Mrs.
jerks, Weber and that clI-- OF witnesses,
and deals with the ease upon general and
controlling facts alone. The report is di-
vided into three parts. the first ct which re-
fers to Florida. the second to LOuisi-
ana. and tho third to the forged electoral
certificate. Beginning with Florida it cites
the law directing the presidential electors to
be appointed by votes cast, and the can
wasting board to canvass the votes cast and
claims that the Tiljen electors having re-
ceived majority Of the votes cast in this
state were thereby necessarily entitled to be
declared elected; and the cInyas5ing board
BY rejecting, without warrant of law, por-
tion Of the votes 80 As to show a majority
for Hayes, he was unlawiully countedin, and
Tilden out. Ii states that the canvassers
delayed their announcement until the morn
ing of the day the electors were to meet and
vote so that although action was instantly
taken to Dust the Hayes electors, no decision
could be had until the Hayes electors had
met that same day at noon and voted. The
report then recitos the Judgment of the sU-
preme court which subsequently decided
that the Hayes electors were not elected, nor
entitled to cast the vote of ths state, and
that the Tilden electors were selected; and
also the judgment of the court in the action
brought by Drew. democratic candidate for
governor, to obtain recanvass. where the
court directed a recsnvass and decided that
the canvasser in refusing to count tho votes
cast had defrauded Drew and unlawfully
seated Stearns. The republican legislature
Of the state thereupon directed a reesnvass
Of the electoral vote in accordance with the
decision of the supreme court judges. some
Of whom were republicans. and a recanyass
showed that the Tilden electors were chosen.
The governor then issued his certificate to
the Tilden electors as the true electors, but
the electoral commission refused to consider
the judgment of the court, the action OF the
legislature and the certificate given by the
governor IN favor Of the TIlden electors, and
held it could not take notice of any action
by the state alter the sixth of December.
30 h. g.. rkak
such a wrong might be repeated in any
state at any presidential election by the
canvassers Withholding the announcement
OF the result of the elections until the day
fixed for the meeting of the electoral college,
and then declaring persons who had never
been voted for at all to be the electors when,
according to this decision, such electors
would be entitled irrevoeably to cast the
vote of the state. Ii therefore rec ommends
law providing that where there is dispute
as to who are the real electors Of any state.
the Judgment OF its court of last resort, if
certified to Congress, shall be conclusive as
to the right of the disputing electors, and |
as to which vote from the state shall be |
counted. unless the two Houses otherwise |
agree. The report then argues that the |
action Of the canvsssi ng board was not only
illegal but fraudulent, and cites an instance
in which they rejected democratic votes on |
unwsrranted ground, and refused to reject |
fraudulent republican votes. Ii deals at |
length with the claim Of the republicans
that they were entitled to the vote of the /
the state on tho face of the returns by res-
son OF the Drigger fraud by which bogus
return from Baker county was furnished |
the canvassing board, which they at first |
rejected, but which alter they were ordered
to count the vote a. cast they fraudulently |
tAn b in .laaa Of he fyna fka,
deals with the cOnduc. Of the visiting
and particularly that of Noyes
as contrssled with that of Gen. Barlow,
whose fidelity to all his obligations, and
integrity, Independence, fairness and truth
the report especially cuhmends. In regard
to Louisiana the report begins with refer
enee to the anomalous power possessed by
the returning board which it says never
before existed elsewhere. Under it the
electors and returning differs held the
grossest power over tho receiving and
counting of votes. Under pretext that the
color line divided the political parties, they
bad used this power to frsudulently count
the state for the republicans. This bad been
exposed by a republican committee of the
Congress. which reported that
the whites and blacks of the state being
EQUAL, aud some OF tn, blacks and all Of the
" hites having voted for democrats IN 1874
the state had necessarily been carried
by them, although counted for the repub-
leans; thereupon the republicans yet
about false census in by which they
made it appear that thers were % 900 more
black voters In the state than white and
Is Illustrating the fraudulent nature OF this
census the report refers to the fact that
while this census reported but 81 GOO
cOlOred men, women and chIldred in New
Orleans, it made out of them nearly 25 200
c0lOred voters. IL then instances frsudu ,
ent registration based upon this fraudulent
census whereby it vas made to appear that
The registered republican voters exceeded
he white voters in the state more than 3D.
100, while actually there Were no more, and
he refusal OF the authorities to correct this
alse registration in cases where Its false
less was pointed out. From this the report
ecites the direction by republican authori-
les to the supervisors of parishes, reauir-
ng them TO return votes according to the
ensus,-that il, stating that the colored
ddults by that census in their
arishes were 50 many, and that :
hey were expected to return
epublican vote corresponding to that il il
hey ever expected any reward or prefer 81
lent. Notwithstanding this organized
raud, "a Us the report, when the elections
Tere over the democrats had majority, a.
eturned by the republican election officers.
# some ten thousand. The vote pOled was
AT ger than ever before polled and larger in
to population than that Of other