New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-03-25
HoW .yEHy ORLEANS rs GoYERvEB

J. H. MADDOX.
H0FY NE NJ ORLE-a-Nts rs GOYERAcED
Who governs US, in this city, ID Of little con
seqnence hotc We are governed il Of the very
greatest consequence, We are, to secure this
latter aim, entitled to be governed by those
whom the fair, legal voters Of our city have
chosen. Instead Of this it is notorious as pos
sible that We are governed by fraud and cor
ruption; that we have not a government law
fully made by the true people, but by count
erfeit one; notify the real voters, but by spuri-
Gus ones, who, besides being spurious, are null
tiplied many times over, BY voting each
again and again, every one % often as his own
talent for tho operation Or the aid lie receives
in II from corrupt inspectors permits. In d
word, our rulers make themselves SO by fraud
AMI corruption, and are thus self -elected
Such a government can, of course, be only one
of abuse and malfeasance; and ours is, acoord-
ingly. as pernioious as it could well be.
In general, it Is known to be SO, by its daily
actions, SO we'll known, that to 60 to work to
prove it in form looks most snperHnous Yet its
continual misdeeds have never been displayed,
in b connected and authentic history; 40 that
while it il well known to DO criminal, the sum
and the amount Of its crimes is little under
stood. We propose to make it better under
stood, by exhibiting in detail the acts and con-
dition of the several branches Of our public
service. We will proceed by chapters, dedica-
ting one to each, and beginning with what is
the basis Of all American Government, the
right "a suffrage and its condition among us.
DIP oTTNG
Every where, # public affairs be conducted by
the act Of the people; it must be ascertained
ssho compose the people. This, the Constitu-
ton settles. In order that the voters may be
known as such, there must be list Where
all native or natnralzed citizens, who have
lands or tenements or pay taxes vote, after
certain term of possession or residence the She
riffs or Assessors books furnish such list
But where every free white citizen, native or
naturalized, votes, after q term OF residence d
Registry becomes absolutely necessary. For
without 1T, the right Of voting may be usurped
by those not having 1t, and usurped TO such an
extent as really to take it away from those to
whom alone il lawfully belongs SO as to over
turn all the legal right of voting and thus in
effect to reyolutionise our Government, of which
free and legal suffrage is the source and centre.
Registry in advance Of each election is, in
this case, the only preventive. For the hurry
and huhbnbof an election day leaves no posi-.
hility ofpropsr inYeshga alton into mans rights
besides which, those intending fraud may add
as much disturbance and violence as they like
fssthe natural disorder Of the scene and thus
makeepy stigatien deubly impossible.
Now, this plain statement makes it clear that
sll who want ste have legal and fair gov
erninent, chosen 81 those who alone have any
right to chose il, museewish Registry of our
votersi While none can desire to prevent it
but those who desire 10 defeat BY fraud the will
Of tho real people aud to substitute for it am
usarpation Of the Government by fraud and
corruption.
by having perseveringly labored to do this,
the party in power have proved, beyond contro
versy, that they relied upon fraud and upon de-
ieating the legal will of tho real voters for Sc
curing their own power. They have constantly
opposed the esactment of Registry law: and to
make this still more fragrant, they defeat that
meaaure' even when 1t has become Of the
highest obligation, % q directory clause Of
q the new Constitution. That instrument di
reefs that's Registry Law for the elections ii
New Orleans shall be provided by the lerisla.
tnresin conformity with the right Of suffraca.
established in the Constitution. It saws :. Tsa
legislature shall provide By Law that the names
and residences Of all qualified electors nf tba
city of New Orleans shall be registered, in o..
der to entitie them 10 ooten What can ha
more Imperative And what do the last seven
Tords mean, if not that even qualified voters
must have made due proof Of the fact and been
registered before they could vote Neyerthe-
less, the legislature Of 1863, by It's party major
ity refused to enact such q law; and thus ena
pied their cenfederates here to carry last falls
elections, by vast frauds. But. to make yet
palmer this willful repeal Of the Constitution,
. like party majority in the legislature lately