The political farce of 1876. American Civil War 1861-1865.

Print showing bust portraits of eight men, identified as, clockwise from top, Oliver P. Morton, James A. Garfield, George F. Hoar, William Strong, Joseph P. Bradley, Samuel F. Miller, George F. Edmunds, and Frederick T. Frelinghuysen; also a group of four men identified as the "Louisiana Returning Board", from left, Kenner, Casenave, Anderson, and Wells. Includes text of four quotes regarding election fraud, such as this by Messrs. Clifford, Field, Bayard, Abbott, Hunton, Thurman & Payne, "We can prove beyond a shadow of doubt that Louisiana and Florida voted for Tilden by decisive majorities, and we are prepared to show up the villainous frauds of the Returning Boards. All we ask is investigation by this commission" and this by U.S. Grant, "No man worthy of the office of President should be willing to hold it if counted in, or placed there, by any fraud. Either party can afford to be disappointed in the result, but the country cannot afford to have the result tainted by the suspicion of illegal, or false returns." In the 1876 presidential election, the election returns in four states were disputed; the final tally of votes showed Democratic candidate Samuel Tilden with approximately 250,000 more popular votes than Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes, though Hayes ended up with one more electoral vote than Tilden. On March 2, 1877, Congress met in a joint session and declared Hayes and Wheeler president and vice-president.

Caption continues: The two negroes and ten whites who defeated the will of the American people, as expressed through the Ballot box, on the 7th day of November 1876.
Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1877, by Joseph A. Stoll, in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.