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Show THE CO.!3J!IS.IO-. Continued Jrom the First W-j ARGUMENT OF JDIXiE CAMHIEI.L. Judge Campbell argued that the commission has the power to deal with the certificate of the returning board, ami power to lock into every act of the legislature, and if that I legi-diuura contravenes the funda- mental principles that lie at Ihv foundation of American liberties, they Bhould reject the votes. While, the learned gentleman was speaking, said counsel, I drew an imaginary act of the legislature of Louisiana as an illuslratiou of his argument, and to enable me' to put the case fairly before be-fore you. Suppose, for instance, tho state of Louisiaua had found such an act as this: lie it Unacted, That William Pitt Kellogg, J. Madison Wells, and their associates, are made a body corporate cor-porate with all the powers of a corporation under the civil code of Louisiana, and there is granted lo them the sale and exclusive exclu-sive power, privilege and immunity to appoint, in all forms and at the times that may be designated in the acts and statutes of tho United States, electors for president and vice presi dent of the United States at each presidential election under the constitution con-stitution the United States, which may be appointed and allotted to the stale of Louisiana, or which the stale of Louisiana may be entitled to appoint, ap-point, and from time to time the 1 legislature contracts to mako such directions as may be necessary to make this grant effective, and the governor ehall grant all such certificates certifi-cates and commissions aa may bo necessary to do all other acta in furtherance fur-therance thereof. What would be said to such an act as that? Yet it is not very far from tho case beforo the court. If the electoral votes were presented by that corporation with the seals and signatures signa-tures required, is there a member of either house of congress, not a stockholder stock-holder in the corporation, who would for a momout hesitate to reject them with scornf and the answer would be clear and unequivocable, and the judgment would be a just judgment. Campbell assumed for the present that tho act of '72 provides for the election of electors, and called attention lo the oath of office the returning board had to take. He said they offered on their part to prove that the returning board never canvassed and compiled a aiugle return made by the commissioner of elections. Tney mado the tabulated statement of supervisors which was a secondary p:iper. Counsel hero gave a history ol how the election in Louisiana Loui-siana came about and who were the. pers: ns who watched aud controlled it, and said: On the registration I books there are 225,000 voters registered, regis-tered, and in the census of the state there aro SS5.000 population. Of the votes appearing on the face of the returns there were 83,000 for one qicbet and 75,000 for the other. I undertake to say there waa not a slate in this Union I would not eay that I will say that two thirds of the states of this Union that voted at that election havo not shown the same number of voters in comparison with the population recorded on the census book. I have been informed there wiis uui a. siugie ttate. Mo asked, therefore, where was the propriety of this wholesale denunciation of Louisiana Loui-siana and her people. A fact more startling than any which have been reported here, and which I may servo at the next election for campaign speeches of that lime, is that on the 30th of October there issued out of the circuit court at New Orleans 10,000 and upwards of warrants war-rants of arrest to seize 10,000 indi- . viduals, inhabitants of the city of New Orleans, for having falsely registered thomoclvcu as uuuioylcub vuloia in 1S7-4. They embrace some of the moat respectable men in the city, my friend and family phvaician among the number. Now that is quite equal to tho two thousaad murders and bloodshed, aud all that. Now, sir,' there are ten thousand lies sworn to in order to procure these affidavits. There was not a scintilla of truth or any desirn to have the truth. Thirteen Thir-teen hundred and sixty cases were tried and dismissed on sight, but it served the purpose, The affidavits were made by two policemen, all ol them I read myself. Commissioner Tburman The whole top thousand mado by two men ? Campbell Yes, sir; two policemen in each ward made the affidavit On these affidavits a red line is drawn around the name on the registration 1 list, and several thousand voters were unable to restore their names on that list in order to vote, The commissioner commis-sioner who issued these papers brought his account into court for fifteen thousand and odd dollars against the United States for his aer- 1 vices. Judge Billings told him "on me mce oi tnese papers there is gross fraud, and I will not certify to a cent." Tho wrongs of Louisiana have affected the peace of this country, coun-try, and as evidence of that and to determine the conflicting questions growing out of its present political condition, this commission has been created, and the whole people aro looking towards it with breathless anticipation awaiting its decision. In conclusion Campbell argued a-ainst the legality of the returning board saying the legislature had Baid there should be five persons and thev had refused to fill the vacancy because of tho fraudulent purpose that would ! render them incompetent to peiform further acts. Merrick, of the democratic connaM nsiceu leuvo to file a brief on the sub-- icct last referred to, and permission i was granted. 1 THE VOTE THIS AFTERNOON. The electoral commission, after the close of the public session this afternoon, after-noon, had a short private session to- ' uight as was anticipated, and ad- 1 jourued until 10 o'clock to-morrow with the understanding that the vote f on he pending questions with regard I to the admissibility of evidence in the Louisiana cose proposed by the 'I democrals shall be taken at 4 o'clock to morrow afternoon, and that coun- I sel he notiucd accordingly, It is con- jeelured I that after the announcement t of the decision aome additional time g will be given to counsel for further argument, notwithstanding tha limi tation ol aix hours and a half alreadi given to counsel on each side hit been freely exhausted. DEMOCRATIC HOPES. Tho democrats havo recovered in t great measure from their panic con-cermnt: con-cermnt: the probable future action o the electoral commission, and many olthem to-day expressed confidence nat Loimi-ma can be decided in Mvorofhlden and Hendricks. The e expectation., however, seem to be baaed a most wholly upon the conceded con-ceded ability of Trumbull's argume. t m connection wuU tho fact that th,! commission has granted so much time for ducussion of the admissibility at evidence, and as Ul0 commission no only heard ablo democratic am, ments. but actually received evidence n the Florida cas. . hich . it subsequently decided was of no Kai weight whatever the probabilities still strongly indicate strict adherence to the principles then laid down, and a decision of the p0Dd ing question in favor of republicans i |
