New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-05
BARGAINING FOR A STATE.
TAYL OR's SCHEME
. p.cr OF INTERESTING SECRET HISTORY.
a QUARTER OF A MILLION PLEDGED Bi NohlhhNS
DEMOCRATS TO BUY THE LOUISIANA RETURNING
VOARD.

BOARD.
w tba Returning Board of Louisiana was not
hbed in 1879 to give the vote OF that state 70 'ne
HAYES electors speak with some positiveness
S...nss believe that should have had at 10 Ast
Mint of It il such thing had been done. which
,,.v.r cot and because have had in my possession
for ten wears the testimony of a man, given In the
vresence of witnesses, that he tried to oribe inc
Board but that the project fell through
i. necessary to remind only the younger read
of The TRIBUNE that the vote of Louisiana
aeoidea the Presidential election Of 1875 and that
xhe vote Of that State was given to the Republican
electors by the decision of the Returning Board TO
rsject the votes of certain Parishes In wheh tney
declared that no legal election bad taken place.
Two members of that Returning Board, ex-Gover-
nor Wells and General Anderson. we're white men,
and two. Messrs. Caseuave and Kenner. colored
One VACANCY existed in the Board that never " as
filed.
As soon "A it was discovered that as went Loulsi-
ana 90 went tho Uniou the eyes OF the whole coun-
4rx vera turned upon that State President Grant
rcouested certain eminent statesmen to 20 at once
10 New-Orleans to observe the manner in which
Aha votes were counted. and they were accom-
v.ped by azores Of others who went to Louisiana
ocause of their direct interest in the result or 10
srntify their curiosity. Among the visiting
statesmen" was General Garfield. then Repre-
sentative In Congress- and 1t was my good fortune
70 travel from Washington to New-Orleans with
him The journey in such companionship las
delightful one. and may be permitted to relate
angle incident. which, although 1t had DO bearing
upou the subject matter of this paper is worthy OF
beng related for the light 1t throws upon Oenerai
Garfelds social qualities.
ENTERTAINED by THREE "UNREPENTANT REBEL
WOMEN.
The sleeping-car In which were riding. after
lesvn Cincinnati contained only one or two
other passen gers besides ourselves. and we noticed
shat the car in the rear. bound for Memphis. was
OCCUPIED only by three ladies' all apparently men,
bors of the same party. About noon the porter
handed General Garfield note which read as fol-
lows
n General Garfield and his friend will accept the
nnso,,sIIt, ~ three unreprntant rebel women Mrs
apd pieces would feel honureu 70 naV@ INC" JUN 'ho
ladies at lunch In the rear coach
OF course the invitation " as accepted. and We
passed delightful afternoon together. The elder
lady's husband or brother had been a participant
In the battle of Franklin the Confederate side,
and she herself had visited the field Immediately
after the battle search for her wounded relative
General Garfield fought in the same battle on the
Union side, and it may be imagined that many In
teresting incidents of that memorable campaign
were recalled by or the other. Ihat same
evening at about dusk our tram passed across
portion of the held of Franklin and standing
upon the rear platform of car. the General
pointed out some OF the POSITIONS occupieu ny 'no
troops.
We found New-Oreans in q state of the greatest
excitement United States soldiers were to be seen
ut the windows and about the entrance oil the Gus
tom House. and remember that almost the hrst
man met IN the rotunda of the St. Charles Hotel
was the Hon. William R Morrison, who. when
asked him bow things looked. replied with great
emphasis calling me by name: Gloomy! tell
You shall he cutting each others threats IN ten
daysw l had known Mr.. Morrison for several
years and had great respect for his calm conserve
tisln, but when be so completely lost his heao In
New Orleans and talked ia such way as to bring
abont the very calamity which every patriotic
citizen believed 1t his duty TO do all in his power to
Avert. he showed me new site OF his character
which he has been exhibiting to the country with
more or less persistence ever since
TALK ABOUT DOODLE"
pass over the exciting scenes that ATTENDED, inc
opening and examination OF the returns rom tno
several parishes of the State simply remarking' as
preliminary to the bit OF secret history that am
about to rel, to- that during the whole time toat
the visiting statesmen were 10 New-Orleans there
were constant rumors of attempts to BRIDE the
msmbers of the Returning Board. Inc hepuoii-
cans Sod the Democrats and the Democrats the
would watch a mouse.
Among those who spent the winter of 1S76-77 in
Washington was General Dick " Taylor, of Loui-
sispa He was at that time tall and soldieriy IN
BEARING with gray hair and mustache and the
aptocratc, positive manners of the " OLD sc1ooi
Southern gentleman. returned from New-Orleans
after tho vvte of the State had been announced.
early in December, and spent the evening of the
18th Of that month in . small company OF gentle
mon one of whom General ravlor Another
member of the party was the Hon. Abram s..
Hewitt OF course nothing but the Presidential
election then undecided was talked. about and
in the course of the conversation General Taylor
who probably talked more freely than he would
have done before dinner. made the following state
mept which wrote out in my notebook at the
time:
have known Go, ernor Wells and General An
derson, ;be white members of the Louisiana he
turning Board. for q long time. / served In the
STATE Senate Of Louisiana eight years. before the
war; with the former. and several sessions I'D the
lover House with General Anderson The latter
was also in my command in the Confederate army.
lam also well acquainted with the two coored
members of the Board, Casenave and kenner.
Thcy arc both negroes Of fair ability. and during
the counting of the OF the State were entirely
undor the control of the white members
sYou ask me IL believe the Board to have boon
corruptible / know It, Why. on the sunday
night before the Returning Board mado its report
had concluded Q bargain by which the vote OF
Louisans was to be returned for Tiden. The sum
to DO paid $3.50 900, had been raised in New-York-
not by or 10 the interest of politicians; the con-
tributors were not all Democrats. but men OF bust
nses who were any oas to have the Presidential
election settled as quickly as possible The sus-
pepss had checked all business and was ruinous to
trade.
THE PRICE THAT WAS OFFERED
wells aud Anderson were to receive 100000
each, and tho oolored members Of the Board
$4,000 apiece. Tho arrangements had all been
completed. the channel through which the money
70 la maid had haen saIected. and the means of