The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-02-01

There never has been the least moral
doubt that when Kellogg signed what is
known as the second set of certificates for
electors of Louisiana, to correct the errors
| which rendered the first set worthless, he
| knew that several names were forged to
that paper, if he was not directly party
to the forgery.
| Everybody knows now that the date of
the certificates was fabricated to corres-
pond with the rejected original, which Re
| turning Board Anderson had carried to
| Washington, and which Mr.. Ferry, Presi-
| dent pro tempOre of the Senate, had told
him was irregular in form and therefore
| invalid. 1t has already been proven that
Anderson opened this certificate in Wash
Ington, where he consulted with the Re-
publican chiefs as to the exact form, and
then hurried back to New Orleans to pro-
cure the paper upon which the Electoral
Commission acted finally. A. b. Levisee
swore before the Potter Committe that his
signature to the second set WAS a pal lpahle
forgery, and Kelly, the colOred man, who
was Kelloggs messenger at the time, and
had charge of the room whore the torgeries
were perpetrated, recently swore that to his
knowledge the name of Oscar Jotferion
was also forged.
When the Potter Committee were at New
Orleans ten days ago, diligent inquiry was
made for others of the Hayes electors
about whose signatures there is also dis>
trust. Yet additional testimony on this
point is not necessary, and the case would
not be strengthened if every name to the
second certificate was shown to have been
forged. Levisee, who now holds the office |
of sub-revenue agent in San Francisco, and
was probably assigned to that remote SER
vice so as to be out of the way, has es-
tablished one forgery in his own person,
and Kelly has proved another.
The difference between the two certifi-
Gates from Louisiana ia that the first pre-
tended to verify fraudulent result of the
election FOR President by genuine sigma
lures, while the second repeats the fraudu>
lent attestation by forged signatures; and
this second paper was the one adopted by
the commission as the means of declaring
Hayes President. So that the astounding
fact will go into history that the eight cleo
toral votes of Louisiana were in the first
instance stolen by conspiracy and fraud;
and in the same instance, that the
certificate declaring this result, being
vitiated by barefaced forgery, was yet
solemnly adjudicated as valid, because
he eight -by-seven Commission determined i
hat they would not go behind the face of l
he forged paper! ,
Honest thinking men may be deluded or ,,
confused by conflict of testimony in re-
gard to the vote of Louisiona, based upon
he stories of intimidation and violen ce, ,
lrtfully constructed to mislead the unwary
md deceive the tens of thousands who ac~
,ept at second hand the assurances of par
y managers and party papers. But put
ing all that entirely out of view, the as :
ounding fact yet stands, that the whole ,
of forty-fve millions of
'eople, the public policy, the treasury and
ts mighty operations, the vast past patron l
ge OF the Government, and the hundred s
housand offices at home and abroad, are ,
o day ia the hands of man who was not :
lected at all and that even the fraudulent
tile by which he claims to be President {
ests upon forgery f