Western appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1885-18??, 1888-04-28
WAS HAYES ELECTED?


"A Few Words IN Praise of the Histori-
cal Returning Board-A Dignified Re-
Ply 10 an Attack Made by Vest, OF Mis-
SQUIRT.
WASHINGTON, April 10 Mr. Sherman adj.
lressed the Senate yesterday on the bill for
he admission of South Dakota as State,
nd the organization of the Territory Of
North Dakota. Why, Mr.. Sherman asked,
should South Dakota not be admitted?
simply because the Democratic party did
not want that State admitted Dakota
would be kept out until some other Demo-
cratic State less entitled, should be at
tached to it and hauled in on its skirts
There was no use, therefore, in wasting ar
gument about it
Coming down to the discussion Tuesday
between Senators Vest and Edmunds, he
s1id an issue had been made relative to the
election of President Hayes, and ought to
be discussed If there was any doubt about
it He undertook to convince Senators by
evidence taken at the time when the events
were fresh that the Republicans were right
in 1876 He proceeded to give history of
che returning board of Louisiana and of
the two commissions sent there-one
by President Grant, composed of distin-
gushed men of both sides, and one by the
DSLAOC4 quiz 1NdllOudl SOu1b1lUGCG III Haul
appeared, according to the vote as actually
cast, that there was Democratic majority
in Louisiana, but, acting under the laws Of
the State, the votes Of parishes had been
excluded where there had been fraud and
violence, and the result of that exclusion
had been majority in favor OF President
Hayes II the actual results of the election
in Louisiana had been made known, he be-
Geved there would have been majority of
from 10, 600 to 10000 in favor of Mr.
Hayes AS to the Electoral Commission bill,
no one had resisted it more than he and
Senator Morton, of II diana. Twenty
six Democrats and twenty-one Republic
ans had voted for the bill, and fourteen Re-
publicans Including himself) and but one
Democrat had voted against it. There had
been the same kind of vote in the other
House The bill had been supported by the
Democrats as means by which the de-
cision of the returning board of Louisiana
would be overthrown and the people de-
prived of the President elected by them in
legal and constitutional way. The very
description of the frauds in Louisiana al
most appalled, Mr.. Sherman. even after the
lapse ofso many years.
Recurring to the election of Hayes and
the non-election of Packard, Mr.. Sherman
said both had been fairly and legally
elected, and explained the diffel ence in
the result by stating that the question of
the Presidential election had been decided
by the Electoral Commission, and that of
Gubernatorial election by the Louisiana
Legislature, which, after a contest of two
months had been Democratic The Demo-
cratic party had not only by fraud and vio-
lence sought to control the Presidential
election, but it had actually succeeded in
depriving of their offices the duly-elected
Governor and members of the Legislature
Then he read extracts from a speech made
in that State by Senator Eustis in which he
declared it to be the determination Of the
white men of Louisiana to solve the race
question without regard to Northern senti-
ment, and predicted that the final result
would be the overthrow OF negro rule and
the establishment of white mans Govern
ment If that, said MI. Sherman, was the
determination of the white people of
Louisiana the constitution of the United
States would have to be changed. That
constitution declared that Republican
form OF government should be guaranteed
to every State. When it was said that the
black man should not rule it was said that
the majority should not rule for he be-
lleved that the blacks We're in majOrity
there and they had behind them great
many white Republicans who were among
the highest of the people of Louisiana in
wealth. social standing, and influence
The people of the South, instead of
seeking to win the colored people by
kindness Che wished to God they
would, and he did not care how
many votes they got in the process) had
maintained a system of domino ering crime
and violence. Not only did the returning
toard of Louisiana have sufficient evidence
before them of fraud and violence and
outrage in the election of 1876. but the
present Governor and one of it's Senators
had confessed all, and more than had ever
been claimed by the returning board If
election of Mr. Hayes, that doubt had been
removed by the admission of the very men
who Ind participated in the wrong of that
day in Louisiana, and hereafter, when any
man asserted of President Hayes that he
had been elected by fraud or wrong, or
had not been duly elected, he QIr. Sher-
many would hold him in contempt as ut
terlng that which was not true, and which
was denied by the very men who over; brew
local government in Louisiana in 1876
Senator Vest (Mo) attempted to reply to
Senator Sherman's remarks, and stated that
Casenave and other members of the return
ing board had been rewarded by President
Hayes At the conclusion of his remarks he
asked why the vote which gave the cleo
toral vote to Mr.. Hayes was not good
enough to give 10 MI. Packard the Gov
ernorship OF Louisiana, quoting at the same
time passages from Mr. Sherman's Nash
vile (Tenn.) and Springfield lIlL) speeches.
Mr. Sherman thanked the Senator for
reading extracts from Mr.. Sherman's
ctNnn .H-1.-
he would utter again if opportunity Of
fered. Who removed Packard? Had Pres
ident Hayes power to elect Packard to Of
flee or to recognize him before the Legis-
lature of the State had duly elected him?
President Hayes had no more power over
the returns sent by the returning board to
the Legislature than he had over the Koran
OF Mohammed. Packard had never blamed
President Hayes for his course. After the
Democrats had driven him out it
was not in the power of the Presi-
dent OF the United States to recognize
him without usurpation. Packard was
properly appointed to an office, and de-
served better one He was one of the
best and purest men Mr. Sherman had ever
met Casenave was an honest and good
man, but poor, and MI. Sherman was will
ing to give him $1OO .aHow many broken
down ducks in the Democratic partly he
asked. shave each of you paid to get back
to their homes?" [Laughterl Anderson,
of the returning board, was also brave
and true man. and Mr.. Sherman wished he
could have appointed him to better Office.
Making an ireland of Dakota.
1t is amusing to read. from time to time.
in reports of Democratic State conventions.
soul-stirring resolutions favoring the ex-