New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-06-09
u,rIE H1afsIsrIsY OF VOTES.

Mr.. Louis st. Martini appointed by the Governor
Register Of Votes fol- the city Of New Orleans, an
nources to the public, by advertisement in another
column that be has taken an Office in the basement
Of the City Hall, and will enter upon the discharge
OF his official duties this morning The Office will
continue open every day, except Sundays and holi-
days; and the Office hours as specified by thessaw,
are from 8 o'clock, a. NJ, to o'clock, p. NJ.
u The Register displays a commendable desire to
facilitate Che operations Of the law and earnestly in
Vtes his feowcitizens to come forward with as little
delay as possible and avail themselves of its provi
ssfons. a 58{ 81 555 Il
We trust the invitation will be complied with,
because there is too much procrastination on the
part of the people, there may be such rush towards
the close of the fall months as will not only annoy
the Register considerably if indeed, it does not put it
ont Of his power to complete the egstratons in time
for the November election. Many, mayhap hundreds,
will view this matter of registration as Of small
moment; think, as it can be be accomplished IN a
few moments, there is no use Of hulTyng very well,
So it But suppose seven oreight thousand voters
come to the same conclusion, practice the same
neglect and about the middle of October all COM
mence a regular blockade Of the Registers Office!
The advertisement Of Mr.. ST. Martin gives Il very
clear synopsis Of the Registry Law, according to our
recollection. take pleasure in directing the atten
ton 81 tile public to it. And, we beg leave to sug-
gest that if several thousand copies of the act were
printed On slips and thrown into every house in the
CITY, complete knowledge Of its spirit and require
rnents might thereby be generally dfilsed.
# The Register has an arduous and delicate task be-
fore him We trust he will fulfil it faithfully and
firmly. The law under which he was appointedis
not perfect. As first introduced it left the door wide
open to fraud deliberate, systematic fraud. 1t was
however, improved by amendments in the House.
~ Greatcar should be taken to prevent the registra
ton of individuals on the naturalization papers of
dead men! This infamous practice will be attempted
we are fully persuaded The stdodge' is a common
one and that vile Instruments are abundant
#ers amentably plentiful-we have only to cite the
admission Of a distinguished Democratic lawyer
pleading on behalf Of a Democratic plaint--we al
lude the case Of Aud Waltonthat forty of the
witnesses on the Democratic side, had periured
themselyes A simple reference to this horrible fact
should be sufficient to excite the suspicious Of the
community, and cause the Register to exercise con
tinued, unsleeping vigilance. Fl
Then, again. none Of the parties claiming the right
to vote under naturalization papers granted BY the
present First District Court should be registered.
Those papers are all worthless fraudulent. That
Court is prohibited by thelaw creating it, from issuing
certificates of naturalization. We are aware that
many good men have taken out papers in this court,
and that it would be hardship to deprive them Of
the right of suffrage But lazy is law. and must be
oheyed, or else tbecomes dangerous mockery. Any
Recorder, Justice of the Peace, Alderman, or Con
stable of New Orleans has much right to natural
ize foreigners as the Judge Of the First District
Court. ssz s - ia
Furthermore, any and all Of the naturalization pa
pers granted by the other five District Courts of the
city, between the fourth of July and the first of No
Yember are illegal and yaueless, as the law creating
thosecours distinctly prescrbes theirpower sand fnc
tons within those months These, too should not be
registered. II
There are, we believe, four or five hundred natural
izaton papers in existence of which there is norecord
among the archives of any Of the courts It would be
manifestly wrong to register persons bearing such
papers.
These few of the difficulties the Register will
have TO encounter and if he does SO with an eye sin
sic to the law and webeng Of society there will be
no trouble at the polls in future Nobody objects to
legal voters voting. The perjured scountlrels who
would corrupt the purity of the elective franchise are
the ones who have created all the disturbance from
first to last.