The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-11-20

''Mr. Reid had another tale to tell.
Ter, who babe them leave him alone
and to do whatever they thought best
They did so consumingly, sending tele-
grams to Columbia, Tallahassee anS
New Orleans stating to each of the
parties addressed that the result OF
the election depended upon his state
To these were appended the signature
Of Zachariah Chandler. Later in the
day, Senator Chandler, advised of
what had been set on foot and its
possibilities. issued from National Re-
publican Headquarters this lsconic
message: Hayes has 1S5 electoral votes
and is elected This began and was
put in motion the scheme to confuse
the returns and make disputed
count Of the vote"
""Well the returns were confused in
Florida. They were confused in
South Carolina. And in Louisiana,
worst of all. Everything was confus-
ed.
THE vote in Florida has been close.
The returning board Of official can
vassers rejected some ,votes-enough
to swing the state to Hayes. The Dem
ocrats countered by pointing out that
one of the electors on the Republican
ticket was federal office holder The
Republicans rejoined by pointing out
that he had resigned-temporari
and SO was technically within the law.
Similar reversal of the popular verdict
obtained in South Carolina
But it was in Louisiana that the
we 90, 70 no Viii
thority Of Marse Henry, is what he
himself found in Louisiana:
Corruption was in the air. That
the returning board was for sale and
could be bought was the universal i'm
preston Every day some one turned
up with pretended authority and an
offer. Most of these were, of course,
the merest adventures. It was my
own belief that the returning board
was playing for the best price it could
get from the Republicans and that the
only effect Of any offer to buy on our
part would be to assist this scheme Of
blacknail.
The returning board consisted Of
two white men. Wells and Anderson.
and two negroes, Kenner and Casa
nave. They were one and all without
character. I was tempted through
+ sheer curiosity to listen to propo-
sal which seemed sto come directly
from the board itself, the messenger
being a well known state senator. AS
If he were proposing to dispose Of a
horse or dog, he stated his Grand
You think you can deliver the
goods said I,
M -.
fer he answered.
"'And for how much p asked.
Two hundred. and fifty thousand
dollars he replied. One hundred
thousand each for Wells and Ander-
for the niggers.'
ITO my mind it was a joke. Sen
ator,' said I. the terms are as cheap
as dirt. don't happen to have the
exact amount about me at this mo-
ment,S but I will communicate with
my principal and see you later
Having no thought of COMMUNE
eating with anybody or seriously en-
tertaining such a proposal, had for
cotton the incident, when, two or
three days after, my man met me in
the lobby of the hotel and pressed for
a definite reply. I then told him
I had found I possessed no authority
to act, and advised him to go else
where
ct is claimed that Wells and An
derson did agree to sell, were turned
down by Mr.. Hewitt, and, their de-
mands for cash refused by the Dem
ocrats, took their final pay in patron
age from their own party
In this connection it is interesting
to note that at a meeting held at
Chickering Hall in New Orleans on
the evening of November II, 1891, to
sympathize with Governor Nichols
war on the Louisiana lottery system,
the late Abram S. Hewitt was one of
the speakers. In the course Of his
remarks in denunciation of the lot
lit said:
IT can't find words strong enough
to express my feelings regarding this
brazen fraud. This scheme of plum
der develops a weak spot in the gov
eminent Of the United States, which
I would not mention were it not for
the Importance of the issue. We all
know that a single state frequently
determines the result Of presidential
election. The state Of Louisiana has
determined the result of presidential
election. The vote of that state was
offered to me for money. and I de-
clined to buy it. But the vote or that
state was sold for money!"
Well, the country seethed. The
editors scorched each other. and the
opposition candidate. But most of
all the Dem ocratic editors scored
President Grant. For Grant sent SOL
diers, under Phil Sheridan, to Louisi-
ana 'to keep order and insure full
and fair count He indicated his in
tention of massing soldiers about
WASHINGTON on March 4, to insure the
peaceful inauguration of the candi-
date who should be elected. He 9TH
erwise acted, well, as Grant usually
acted-"fghting it out on that line if
it took all summer"
After the returns had been gone
over in the three southern states
mentioned, and in Oregon, the ques-
ton was. what should be done with
on a certain day the president Of the
Senate should open the returns in the
presence Of both houses of congress-
and that the votes should then and
there be counted. But how about re-
iecting votes? The Republican sena-
to be also the duty Of the Repuh lican