The Port-Gibson correspondent., 1844-07-13
TIE ELLIOT VOTES.

prosperity of our common country. The
enemies Of civil liberty might consistently
rejoice the foes Of republican government
might we'll shout with exceeding JOY, ov-
er victory, which was but a triumph ov-
er the rights and liberties of the citizen
and the laws Of the country. W can
not believe, parlizan zeal blind and
reckless as it may be, can SO far blind
the ewes, stultify the intellect, and cor
rupt the heart, as 10 lead men to reioice
over a result which violates every prin-
cipe OF law, and tramples upon the
elective franchise Of American citizens
After fall knowledge Of the facts con-
nected with the city election ir there be
any one who can rejoice al the apparent
! partizan triumph obtained, he must be
lost to every feeling and sentiment Of
patriotism and recklessly indifferent to
his country's good. The rights Of A>
merican citizens have enDdtraged,
law has been disregarded and tramp!ed
upon, to secure a result which the wings
are pleased TO call Uictory, and are
shouting over with as much seeming Joy,
as ifit had been obtained though honest
and legitimate means. A few more
such triumphs like the victory Of Pyrr-
/ hus over the Romans, WILL ruin them.
| The principal part Of the citizens ma
turaIized by Judge Elliot were denied
the right Of suffrage. This Judge had
granted certificates Of naturalization to
| l748 applicants. Last winter Elliot
was impeached, tried and convicted be-
fore the High Court Of impeachment the
State Senate of La. upon certain charges
of corruption an maIfeasance in office
and upon that trial, 19certlfcates ofthe
1748, were found to have been issued in
fraud of the naturalization laws. The
Court Of impeachment which passed sen
tence upon Judge Elliot, expressly dis
claimed any right TO give any opinion
upon the validity Of these certificates
Knowing that such an act was beyond
their jurisdiction. The whig judges oflhe
election in those wards where these
Elliot votes were rejected, disfranchize
holders OF these certificates, not because
there was any informaity in the certi-
cate, or for The want of compeientjuris-
dlction in the Court issing them, bar for
The reason that they were issued by
the impeached Judge Elliot. This is
equivalent 10 saying, that a tribunal ma
king one decree illegally and corruptIy
vitiates, invaldates. and rTakes void all
other DEGREES of the same count This
very legal and logical proposition SIS
eminentIy worthy OF the learning Of the
whig inspectors. The whg Inspector un
willing to do injustice by halves, deter
mined TO 60 the whole figure, and make
clean sweep of the rights Of those ci-
tizens, who held these obnoxious papers
They peremptorily challenged and refu-
sed to received the vote Of any one who
had been naturalized by Elliot, and, also
refused TO hear any testimony, touching
the validity of their papers. Disregar-
ding the official zeal of a count Of compe
ton Jurisdiction, which they had no right
to do, they would not go behind it to see
whether the holders had fulfilled the re-
quirements Of the law in procuring
them. And in one instance, when the
whig inspector consented to hear testimo-
ny upon this point, it was disregarded.
The case was this: Stephen ConIon pre-
sented himself at the polls and deman>
ded the privilege of voting. His vote
was objected to-he held the certificate
ofJudge EIllot-the oath was admins,
tered to him, and he testified that he had
been resident Of the city Of New Or
leans for fourteen years-had paid tax
es to the state within a year, and was
fully entitled TO a vote-but he held Els
liot papers, and was refused. Such are
only few CT the ways in which the
wings outraged the rights Of the citizen,
and tramPled upon the laws of the
country.
Ia the Cd ward ofthe Cd municipality
the democratic inspector, when he found !,
that the election was to be carried on
N fraud and that all the Elliot votes
were TO be rejected, he resigned, and the
election was conducted by one Inspector
The law requires two inspectors, and c
hence the entire vote Of that ward must t
be thrown away. This ward gave a