Year: 1878

interested in the election as q candidate the
right to demand a hearing before the BoaId.
In 1875, this failure of the Supervisors was
actually imminent. The question arose as to
the form and manner in which the provisO
could be made available in the emergency.


Ordinary protests of Supervisors, respect
ing registration, or of Commissioners OF Elec-
tion respecting the election, equally gave the
board jurisdiction over the whole case, at
the poll or within the parish, as the case
might be, but were only prima facie, and left
the board to take evidence in such form and
manner as majority thereof might deem ex
pedient, and to any extent which in their
discretion might be deemed necessary. In
fact, these protests only opened the particular
case for hearing. BY analogy, the ''hear-
ing" secured to candidates upon demand
should be demanded by aud in the form OF a
protest The clearing" being secured to the
candidate by law, pre-supposed that the
board not only had jurisdiction to entertain
: it, but authority to afford the remedy sought.
Candidates for State offices and for Presiden-
tial Electors were clearly interested in every
parish and every poll in the State, and might
therefore ''protest" any poll in any parish
within the State.


Judges Campbell and Jewett and Mr.
Blanchard agreed upon a form OF protest
for candidates upon the State and Electoral
tickets. which was adopted These protests
were used, and protested by their proper de-
scription, registration and election in certain
parishes. and election at certain polls named
therein. but made it the duty of the board to
take evidence and afford the remedy if the
case were proven, and this would have been
equally true if these general protests had been
the only ones filed.


All protests filed with the board were OF ne
nessity originals. Those affecting single par
ishes and polls were flied with the other pa
pers appertaining to the parish or poll, and
deposited in the office of the Secretary OF
State. The general protests affected the State
at large, and could not, from their nature, be
filed with the papers of any single parish.
These remained in the office of the board,
part of its records, and were stolen therefrom
by the Democrats, with other important rec
ords on the day of Packard's surrender of the
State House.


The board adopted a rule that all evidence
in support of protests should be in the form
of affidavit, or of chief and cross interroga-
tories and answers. Evidence was taken in
connection with the L. s. Chief Supervisor of
Election. The originals were deposited with
him, and thereby part of the records of the
u. s. Circuit Court.


By this officer (also Clerk of the United
States Circuit Court certified copies were
furnished for the use of the Returning Board
A second copy was also furnished, as a matter
of courtesy, to the Hon. John Sherman for
the use and information of Congress. Only
profound ignorance can excuse the surprise
of the Democrats that the affidavlts, etc.,
etc, filed with the election papers are gener-
ally copies. The actual modus operandi was
at the time as well understood by them as by
the Republicans, Or might at least have been.
Had they taken the trouble to inform them
selves they might also have pursued the same
plan, and shared its advantages had they
chosen so to do.


There is but one matter in the connection
there is need to explain. Much ado has been
made of the fact of the employment CT Fed
eral soldiers in the preparation of papers for
the Returning Board. The actual facts are
simply these: All of the papers had to be
l. -, cot haiOn naHp =
planned for Mr. Sherman. The amount OF
clerical labor was very great.


1t was necessary that the papers for MIR.
Sherman be compelled in given time. The
clerical force was so sworn out as TO be une-
aual to the task Federal officer hearing
the matter discussed, volunteered the informa-
ton that several of the boys in his command
were good penmen, and were at liberty TO en-
gage in the work if they saw fit so to do. The
men were sought out and engaged for the pur-
pose. They were engaged simply as any 9TH
er penmen for the work in hand. Their Off
GERS had 20 more to do with it than the mere
granting of permission. The men were glad
enough to get a chance Of earning the proffer-
ed pay 1t was an opportunity for making
little spending money they did not care to let
slip. A number of them were employed for
the better part of twenty-four hours in an ar
duous labor They did up the work in a very
satisfactory manner. Gov. Packard paid them
each So out of his individual pocket. 1t is to
be presumed they spent it, as usual, like So
many lords of the realm. That is the whole
of the story. KENO