Year: 1877

looked from the held of defeat upon
as gloomy prospect as ever darkened
i the future Of discounted host. Like
Satan, when expelled from the court
of heaven, those leaders called coun-


ell of war to see


What enforcement could be gained from


hope;


If not, what courage from despair.


In their dire extremity the return


ing board of Louisiana was the love-


liest port that offered a refuge from


the storm, the brightest star that shed


its welcome rays upon the horrible


night of disaster that was settling down


upon them. They took the President


into their counsels and upon bended


knees implored him to save the party.


The President was altogether agree


able. He said to them, The Army of


the United States is at your service


campaign. Wherever the exigencies


of the party seemed to demand it l


have sent troops, regardless of expense
and in defiance of Democratic howls


over violated Constitution. l caused
the venera blelegal luminary that rises
and sets in the Department of Justice
to strain the timbers of the law until
they cracked (and it is not the first
time they have cracked under his
| strain) in order that an army of deputy
/ United States marshals might assist
/ the soldiers In seeing to it that the
colored voters did their duty on the
day of election. But some how or an-
other the internal Democrats have
lodged the bayonets of the soldiers,
eluded the argus eyes of the army of
deputy marshals, and in spite of the
whole power of the Government,
brought to bear to prevent it, they
captured a good many colored voters"
They told the President they knew
what he said was true, every word oft,
but the party was in a condition now
even beyond the power Of troops and
deputy marshals to save it. In great
anguish Of spirit they cried out with
one voice, Votes, votes is what we
want; we are perishing and going to
our long homes for the want of votes"


To what other refuge could party
In such a predicament turn their dy


ing eyes with more hope than to the
returning board of Louisiana. They
knew the board was equal to the emer-
gency; they had witnessed its power
to count, tested on other occasions,
when it had entered the field against
full ballot-bo and come off trium-
phat over all the ballots that were ar
rayed against it. But this achieve
ment was witnessed in the distant rebel
province of Louisiana, and nobody
cared particularly about what the board
did in that heather land, so far away
from Gods country. But still there
was an impression on the northern
mind, derived from the report of
Wheeler and Hoar, made before the
former became a candidate for the
Vice Presidency and the latter mem
Der of the high joint commission, that
the returning board was no better
than it should be. Counting the loyal
carpet Dagger in, and the rebel out, in
that obscure corner of the Union, had
never destroyed the happiness of the
great and powerful North, but count
ing Republican President in and
Democratic President out was pro-
ceeding that somebody else had au in
terest in besides the poor tax-ridden,
down trodden people of Louisiana, and |
the leaders were not fully satisfied as
to how the country would bear it. The |
board must be fumigated, the offensive |
odors that foatedl laround it dispelled, !
in order that the work it was about to |
be called upon to do a national theater |
might not stink in the nostrils of the |
people. If the returning board was |
not respectable itself, somebody that |
was, must be found to endorse it. 1t |
was brave undertaking for a respect
able man to stand up before the world !
and give good character, for states
man who had future before him to |
lock arms with j. Madison Wells and |
consent to walk down the corridors of |
history in his company. But it was
stated in the council, and agreed to by |
ALL that the greater the sacrifice, the |
more those who made it would endear
themselves to the party-the heavier |
the cross, the brighter the crown. As |
is usual in all desperate enterprises,
volunteers were called for. Eleven |
bold men stepped out and said they |
were ready to be offered up; and i'm
mediately, amid the warm congratula-
tions of the conclave, they ;-ere COM
missioned by the President as ENJOYS |
extraordinary and ministers plenipo-
tentiary to the court of j. Madison |
Wells, to represent the Republican |
party and witness an honest count.


To those distinguished ambassadors |
| propose to pay my respects, and in |
Justice to them to demand fair count |
in that award Of honors and RESPONSE |
bility which history is destined to make |
between the embassy and the board.


In the first place assume that those |
gentlemen who went tc New Orleans |
had some object in view-they expect
ed to accomplish something. Their |
visit was not mere pleasure trip, nor
their mission aimless and purposeless. |
They say they went at the request of
the President to witness a canvass of
the votes by the returning board.
Why should they wish, or the President
desire them, to witness the count
Why did he not send them to Ohio, or |
indiana, or Kentucky, or Tennessee, |
to oversee the officers of those States in |
counting the votes? Did the Presi-
dent suspect and those gentlemen be-
lieve that the returning board of |
Louisiana had a work to perform in |
counting that State for Hayes of /
character that would require the in


luence of other names to make it go |
with the people? Or was the general
reputation of the board so Dotoriously |
bad that honest men of no party could |
be expected to give faith and credit to
their official certificates =? Distinguish
ed men do not leave their homes and |
business and travel thousand miles |
simply to put their fingers in their
mouth and gaze in stupid silence upon
four honest men counting the vote Of a
State-a matter with which, as they
say themselves, they had so little right
to intermeddle that they declined to
meet distinguished Democrats, who
were there from abroad, in a friendly
conference to discuss plan by which
the vote could be counted in manner
that would commend the conclusions
of the board to the confidence and
respect Of the whole country. The
punctilious and chivalrous abstinence
on the part of the ambassadors from
even the appearance of having any


thing in the world to do with the pro-
ceediDgs of the board is one Of those
secrets of diplomatic etiquette which
the common mind is unable to grasp,
and is, therefore, not expected to
comprehend That they went to New
/ Orleans for the purpose of giving that
returning board a certificate of good
character, and thus preparing the