Year: 1878




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LEVISSEE'S TESTIMONY.


.rgAHoN. SUCCEEDS II GETTING ON RECORD GOOD


REPUBLICAN EvlDENCE-wAs THERE FORGED


ELECTORAL RETURN


icy TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEi


WAsuNGToN, June G.-The Potter Committee
spent the entire day in the examination OF Judge A.
b. Leyissae, one of the Republican Electors IN
Louisiana at tho last Presidential election. His
testimony may be divided into two parts the first
embracing that which relates to attempt ON the
mart of the Democrats to bribe him to cast his vote
for Mr. Tlden and that covering the allegcdtorgery
of his signature TO certain duplicate certificates OF
the electoral vote of Louisiana.


The story of the attempt on the part Of the Dem
oerats TO bribe Judge Eevissee by offering him
100000 to vote for Tilden, or $4,000 to cast a
blank vote. is an old ore and was told by him at
very great length in his testimony before
the Howe committee more than year ago.
Mr. Mcmahon who conducted the examination
to-day, piled the witness with many ingeniously
framed questions for the apparent purpose of break
ing his testimony; but Judge Levissee repeated 1t IN
the most positive and explicit manner and sustained
his former testimony at every point. The Dem
ocrats certainly made no capital out of his exami-
nation, but they did succeed in getting into the
record very complete account of the operations Of
some of Mr. Tiden's agents in Louisiana, about the
time the electoral vote of that State was cast.


Judge Levissees testimony in regard ITO tie sig
nature of certain certificates from the Electoral
College of Louisiana was of more interesting and
important character although the facts brought out
have been known in Washington for many
months, and in an imperfect form have
several times found their way into the
newspapers. 1t may be remembered that
when the President of the Senate presented to the


I,1.1f ffotr
pose the papers which purpOrted to be the electoral
votes of Louisiana, there were, in addition to the
returns sent by the Democratic candidates on the
electoral ticket, three envelopes, which pur-
ported to contain the returns from the Republican
Electoral College. The first of these, which was the
first document opened and presented by Senator
Ferry, had no Endorsement upon the outside Of
the envelope. The other two each contained
q certificate that the inclosure was the
return of the vote of the Electoral
College. The first of these threee papers Judge
Levissee identified to-day as one Of the original
certificates which he signed. The other two he
denied ever having seen, and he declared that what
appeared to be his signature upon the certificates
aud UPON the envelopes which contained them were
lOrgeres.


The evident purpose of the Democrats in bringing
put this fact was to prove that the vote of Louisiana
which was counted for President Hayes, was q
fraudulent paper containing forged signatures.
This they will fail to do for the following
During the weeks preceding the creation Of the
Electoral Commission, and when it was expected
that the President of the Senate would be called
upon to count the vote Republicans everywhere
we're seeking to guard against injury TO their
cause which might arise from failure to observe
The technicalihes required by law. Accordingly
when the regular electoral returns arrived from
Louisiana, it noticed that the envelopes
did not, the law required, bear upon the outside
certificate that they contained the lists of all the
votes of Louisiana given for President and Of all
the votes given for Vice-Presdent. Different Re-
publicans also had different theories about the
meaning of Section 13S of the Revised Statutes
which provides that the electors shall
make and sign three certificates of all
the votes given by them, each Of which certificates
shall contain two distinct lists, of the votes
for President and the other for the votes Of Vice
President etc. Some held that the two distinct
lists mentioned in the law ought TO be on separate
sheets of paper, while others held that it made no
difference whether they were on separate sheets,
OF on the same sheet.


In order that no accident might happen the copy
of the returns from Louisiana which received
by mail was retained by Mr. Ferry. President of the
Senate, while the messenger OF the Electoral
College, General James +. Anderson, was
instructed to return to New-Orleans and re-
Quest the members of the Electoral College to
make another set of returns, which should
be drawn up in accordance with the theory already
mentioned lthe lists for President and Vlce-PTesi-
dent being on separate Sheets and the certificate re-
ferred TO being placed on the outside of the en-
veope), and that this set should he transmitted to
the President Of the Senate in order that u dis
pute should arise about the validity OF
present the one last received, about the
regularity OF which there could be no question.
TIE members "a the Electoral College did make out
set of resolutions as requested but II appears
that Judge LeYissee and perhaps one other member
Of the college was not in New-Oreans at the time
add could not be reached


The general understanding of Republicans IN
Washington was that both Of these electors author
zed by telegraph the signature of Their names
ihis, however, has not been made 70 appear, Dut
taere Is no doubt that Judge LeYissees name where
appears the second and third sets OF returns,
was not written by himself. II does not APP
peaR that no made any objection to the sig
nature by other persons, and no testimony
mas been taken to show by what authority
lls haine was attached to them. But whatever may
W proved m regard to the signature OF these sets OF
Seufus, II cannot affect the counting OF the vote
fius is paper which was first presented and winch
euaRe eyissee sWears that he did sgn,was the only
Iue winch the Electoral Commission decided should
~ counted and was the one which was accepted by
''y,n IN Houses Of Congress.


49,, ~ Jauge LeYissee's name was attached 70 any
sfpas without his knowledge or consent, II may
iloW useTedit upon some Louisiana Republican
ss2nucAns but Il cannot defeat the result OF the
ns nesoll OF promote the revolutionary aims OF the