The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-12-22
LOUISIANA III 1879.
WHY TILpEN DID NOT GET IT'S ELECTORAL
VOTE.
lCity Itenl.l

The New York Tribune recently devotet
a column to Il treatment of Gen. Dicl
Taylor's claim that he had the member
of the Louisiana Returning Board of 1877
bought mp for S25O,0O0 for Tilden, bu
that his hackers weakened and the bar
gain fell through. The authority for thu
publication is a party named l.. White
whose tale is as follows:
"Amopg those who spent the winter o
1867 in Washington was General Dcl
Taylor, Of Louisiana. He was at thai
time tall and soldierly in bearing, will
gray hair and mustache, and the autocra
tic positive manners of the old school
Southern gentleman. | returned from
New Orleans after the vote of the State
had been announced early in December,
and spent the evening of the 18th of that
month in small company of gentlemen,
one of whom was General Dick Taylor
Another member of the party was the
Hon. Abram S. Hewitt. OF course moth
ing but the Presidential election, then UNI
decided, was talked about, and iii the
course of the conversation Gen. Taylor,
who probably talked more freely than he
would have done before dinner, made the
following statement, which wrote out in
my note book at the time:-
II have known Governor Wells and
General Anderson, the white members of
the Louisiana Returning Board, for long
time. l served in the State Senate Of
| Louisiana eight years befor the war with
the former and several sessions in the
| Lower House with General Anderson
The latter was also in my command in the
Confederate army. l am also well ac-
quainted with the two colored members
OF the Board, CaSenave and Kenner They
are both negroes of fair ability, and du-
ring the counting of the vote of the State
were entirely under the control of the
white members. You ask me if | believe
the Board to have been corruptible. /
know it. Why, on the Sunday night be-
fore the Returning Board made its report
| had concluded a bargain by which the
vote OF Louisiana was to be returned for
Tilden. The sum to he paid, $3.50, 600,
had been raised in New lork-uot by or
III the interest of politicians; the contrib
utors were not all Democrats, but men Of
business, who were anxious to have the
Presidential election settled as quickly as
possible. The suspense had checked all
business and was ru!nous to trade. Wells
and Anderson We're to receive 100000
each and the colored members of the
Board S2o, COO apiece. The arrangements
had all been completed, the channel tiro'
which the money was to be paid had been
selected, and the means of getting the
members of the Returning Board out of
the country AS they should have finished
their work had been provided. Governor
Wells said that he would trust no either
man in the North but me; he had known
me so many years that he felt safe in deal |
ing with me, but with no one else. Isaid |
that the bargain had been completed on
the Sunday before the Returning Board |
made its report, but that night the whole
scheme fell through. Some one suggested /
that there might be an investigation by |
Congress, that the names of the subscri- I
bers to the fund might be disclosed, they |
themselves dragged into publicity and |
suffer great odilul. This idea spread rap
idly among those who had pledged the
money, and one after another they with
drew. If had had the money the thing
would have been done, and the election
would have been decided and in favor of
Tiltlrn. How would justify such pur-
chase which you call bribery Easily
enough. If am travelling in Italy and
my friend is captured by banditti and |
held for Il large ransom | shall certainly !
pay tie sum of money demanded, unless
/ can secure my friends release in some
other way. So when | see my State cap
tured by political thieves, and can not
secure its release by force, am fully jus
titled in buying its freedom. No. neither
Mr. Tilden nor Mr.. Hewitt knew any
thing of my negotiations. have already
SAID that the contributors TO the fund We're.
business men and lot politicians, nor was
the money to be raised in the interest of
politicians. / purposely kept from Mr.
Tilden and Mr. Hewitt all knowledge of
my transactions.
Would it be proper to publish this
story, you ask. You may print it.
Il would prefer you do not mention me
as the purchasing agent OF your informant
but in ease a committee of Congress should
make an inquiry about it you may tell
them to summon me and | will swear to
the truth of every word l have told you.
1ou don't suppose that the negotiations ]
conducted for the purchase of the Louisi-
ana Returning Board were the only ones
that were going on at that time, do YOU?
On, no, Gov. Kellogg was also trying to
accomplish the same thing for the Rcpub-
llcans. He was working through one
Clarke, New Orleans gambler, said at
that time to he Mr. kclIogg's financial
agent when he had such work on hand.
A representative Of the Item having
copy of the paper i'll which this statement
was published, hunted Up a certain veal
thy gentleman well known abOut Caron
delet street, of undoubted reliability, and
who, at the time Of the Returning Board
was reputGd to have held very
large sums of money, to bc used as brides
for the members Cf the Board. The gen
tleman was found in the office of he Jef-
far<on City Gaslisht Company. Upon be-
ing shown the publication he read il
through carefully, and then remarked =
Gen. Taylor, if he told any story al ALL
probably told a true one, but Mr.. White
changed it for the purpose of tickling the
fancy Of tie readers of the 9riJuse.o He
hen continued: II had known Gen. An
ieEson, j. Madison Wells and Cassenave,
he members OF tie Board, for many
ears, hut was intimately acquainted
With he first and last named, having
been raised up from boyhood with Case
ave. While the Board was engaged in
he work of making up the count, three
prominent politicians came down from
Z