The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1896-05-23
A NOLTTION,

As most of our readers already know,
the general assembly by Il decisive
vote of 81 to II refused to &" behind
the returns of election fer governor
and lieutenant governor and declared
Murphy J. Foster elected governor
and Robert II. SNYDER lieutenant gov
e.nor. That action was strictly in
accordance with the constitutional
mandate regulating the duties of the
general assembly in the matter. Had
the assembly done otherwise it would
hove been guilty of a revolutionary
act in that il would have violated the
constitution, in which event no one
could have foretold the consequences.
But, we are told. it is Il singular
state of affairs which confrnnts us il
there be no power to correct error or
purge fraud in the election of our chief
executive. While that ma be true,
it is undoubtedly true. according TO
sound rules of constr %uction, that the
general assembly was without power,
to 6" behind the returns. and for it %
have attempted to do SO in violation
Of the constitution, would have been a
greater wrong than to allow the error
or fraud. If error or fraud there be, to
stand uncorrected.
While we may not agree with the
expediency Of the rule which leaves no
means of settling contests for the gov
ernorship. we can think ofsome reasons
for its basis which may be more or less
sound. One of The reasons is that to
allow the going behind the returns is
to insure tie scandal of a heated con.
test on tie heels of every every cleo
ton, involving the affairs of State in
great confusion, if not inviting anar-
chy. Another reason is, that inasmuch
as government must necessarily be
founded on the principle that trust
must be finally reposed in some man
or set Of men, it is best to trust the
people themselves. through the officers
of election taken rom the body of the
people. The commissioners are sworn
officers, the supervisory boards are
composed of sworn officers also taken
from the people; and the people have
the right to supervise their own cleo
ton at every step.
10 say that this system is imperfect,
that fraud may be committed under it.
is but to assert a trulsm, IA nothing ia
perfect in this world. and as long as
you haze to trust to imperfect human
nature in the important affairs of life.
you run the risk of mishaps. If fraud
may be committed in elections by the
people, great wrongs may also be per-
petrated by a biased general assembly.
Senator Fenner 50 aptly put this
proposition in his admirable speech
delivered last Thursday week before
the general assembly in which he dem
onstrated that there was no right to
go behind the returns. that we repro
duce his words IN full: j
"Now, as to the argument, gentle
meu, that we have reached a terrible
state of affairs, if the board of supervi
sOrs, by making fraudulent retarDs.
can put a man into the gubernatoriai
chair who has not been elected, l have
to say that every human government
is founded upon the hypothesis that
you can trust somebody, and if We
reach a point where we cannot trust
anybody, it simply amounts to a con-
fessiOn of the failure of human institu-
tions. You are not going to remedy
that condition of affairs by vestino
that power in such a body as the leeis.
lature of this or any other state. So
tar az l am concerned, if / were q
member of a convention, and it were
proposed to legislate on this subject, l
would protest against it with a ven
geance and with all my power in this
body. and why7 Because we all know
the history of legislation shows that
Of all partisan bodies a legislature is
the most partisan, and if you ever set
the precedent which these gentlemen |
want you to set to-day, of giving the
Legislature power to 60 behind the Off
cial returns and to say that, although
A b has been declared by the duly
qualified returning officers to 10 gov
e%rnor-elect Of this state, we are going
to investigate and declare that C b
shall be the governor, then You will
make the nature of the choice of gov
ernor depend not upon the will of the
people, but upon the political complex
ion of the Legislature"
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