The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-11
The Returning Board.

If the Republican party should succeed
in carrying into effect its scheme Of placing
national and congressional elections under
1 federal control these elections would be
decided by returning boards and not by the
| people That party alleges that returning
boards would prevent fraud As matter
of fact they would be the instruments by
which fraud would be committed.
The contested election case of the Montana
senator's, now pending in the Senate, shows
how efTectually the will Of the people can
| be defeated by means Of returning boards.
The Senate electio ns committee has decided
to make a report favoring the seating of the
republican claimants from that state,
Messrs. Saunders and Powers, and there is
no reason to doubt that the Senate will sus-
tain the report.
The democratic claimants. Messrs. Clark
and Maginnis, have much the better case.
The evidence and argument in their behalf
| before the elections committee were of the
most convincing character. 1t was clearly
shown that the state returning board, in
throwing out the vote of precinct Thirty
four In Silver Bow county. thus giving that
county to the republicans and making the
legislature republican, did so without
facts upon which to base its action.
1t was also shown that the vote in
precinct Thirty-four was regular in
every particular, and there is no good
ground for doubling that it was thrown out
for no other reason than to permit the re-
publicans to get control of the legislature
and elect two United States senators.
When the Montana case was first brought
TO the attention of the Senate it was thought
that if the democratic claimants were not
seated the entire matter would be referred
back to the people of Montana with a re-
quest that they make their intention rela-
tive to the seuatorships palmer. 1t was not
for moment thought that the republican
claimants had a chance of being seated.
And when the claimants had all been heard
by the elections committee this view of the
matter was strengthened because the demo-
cratic claimants had made the better case.
1t was therefore with great surprise that
the announcement was heard that the ma
Jority of the elections committee had de-
cided to report in favor of seating the
republican claimants on the ground that
S-~%S WIS w OUDHOi IVY ia 6OAiAS Oohltlh buO
action of the returning board. 1t appears,
therefore, that this state returning board is
to be permitted to defeat the will Of the
people of Montana. 1t is composed of re-
publicans, and it has been stated that it
threw out precinct "a of Silver Bow county
without particle of evidence of fraud in
that precinct.
The Senate ought to go behind the return
ing board and find out whether or not there
was any fraud committed in precinct 81.
The democrats say there was not, and one
Montana court has said there was not. The
Senate is partisan body, and it doesn't
care whether the returning board acted
honestly or corruptly. 1t has made up its
mind to- seat the republican claimants
regardless of whether they were elected or
not.
There will be plenty of snch outrages as
this if congress places congressional and
presidential elections under federal control.
The returning boards that will be estab-
lished will be the instruments by which the
republican party will maintain itself in
power. Majorities will count for nothing,
because the returning boards will ignore
them on one pretext and another, and will
give certificates of election to republicans
whenever it suits their purpose to do SO.