The Whig standard. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1843-1844, 1844-03-08
THE LATE SPECIAL ELECTION IN NEW
ORLEANS


ORLEANS.
The Globe of Wednesday night goes off into
extacies at the Locofoco victories in New Or
leans. This election was carried by means Of
outrageous frauds practised by the Locos in
forcing in their spurious and illegal tickets. We
learn that some 1000 certificates Of naturaliza-
ton were illegally issued last summer in the
city by certain Judge, who is now under i'm
parchment for this abominable and corr upt con-
duct, and the report of the committee Of the
House on the impeachment Of the judge exhib-
its in strong coors the the most gross and shame
less corruption. Nevertheless, the certificates
issued by him were all voted upon at the late
election. To these both the Slidells owe their
election one as member of Congress- the other
as State Senator. So palpable was the cor
ruption OF the judge who issued these naturali-
cation certificates, by which a convenient ma
jority has been manufactured by the Locofoco
party in New Orleans, that there is a very strong
probability, if not an almost certainty, that he
will be removed by address Of both Houses Of
the Legislature. In one of the wards of. the
city we learn that the Locofocos broke open the
ballot box because illegal votes were not received
By the manner of voting in New Orleans, there is
no check against men voting in different wards
at the same election, and we know the great
facility Of the Locofocos in locomotion, and how
once, twice, three, or even dozen times, and
by sheer mistake put in another and another vote
The following is brief statement Of the con-
duct Of the judge in issuing the certificates of
naturalization alluded to, and brief analysis of
the charges and specifications Of the impeach-
ment:
"JUDlclAL MALFEAsANcE-On the Oath ult.,
the House of Representatives of Louisiana met
for the special purpose Of receiving the report of
the Legislative committee to whom was referred
the memorial of sundry citizens, charging Judge
Elliott, of the City Court of Lafayette, with ju-
dica acts of commission, omission, and NAL
feasance, and calling for his impeachment. The
report is very elaborate, and opens with an elo-
quent definition of the sacred right of suffrage,
and showing in how special manner the pre-
servation of our Liberties depends on its legiti-
mate exercise, and how sedulousy it behWes us
to guard against any illegal assumption of its
powers, or corrupt encroachment upon its prn-
ciples. 1t then proceeds to the consideration of
appears that there were ten distinct specifca-
tons in the memorial, all of which, the commit
tee reported, were established but one. 1t was
in brief, established that some forty persons re-
ceiyed their naturalization papers from Judge
Elliott's clerk-persons who were rot sworn be-
fore the Judge in open court, as the act of Con-
gress Directs and who had not complied with
any of the requisites prescribed by law; that
four hundred persons appeared to have received
their certificates of naturalization in one day,
which would seem to amount to physical inn
possibility, and that of some seventeen hundred
certificates issued from Judge Elliott's court since
1841, not one of them was recorded in due time
and form, as the act of Congress directs. The
committee, therefore, reported that the requis-
tons Of the law not having been complied with,
10 the forty cases relative to which they exam
ined testimony, and there having been no legal
records kept in court of any of the seventeen
hundred, they were all void and frauds on the
law, though there was nothing Objectionable in
the form Of the certificates of naturalization is
sued from Judge Elliotts court-so far they were
good and valid in law. The committee do not
charge Junge Elliott with any participation in
the pecuniary profits growing out of these trans
actions, but they do charge him with shameful
remissness and culpable official neglect-with
having suffered the temple of justice to be turned
into trading shop, and made the scene of gross
corruption. They called for his discearge from
the bench. The report was received, and the
question Of its proper disposition was not settled
ubon a motion for adiourn m ont rouaiIod