The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1856-02-16
Speech of MI. Bricc.

Mr.. SpeakerI am not disposed to treat this sub
iect in n light and trifing manner. | must oppose
the amendment offered by the Hon. member to print
$4,000 copies. It's tendency is to defeat the resolu-
ton. The party in power desires to lay before the
people the majority report of the Committee on CON
tested elections, and the facts ( y in evidence which
determined them in deciding these cases. These doc
uments are to be the seed for them to sow in the next
political campaign. I believe they will produce a
rich harvest-if all the truth is placed before the
people of Louisiana--but the American party will be
the reapers. Publish all your facts gathered here.
the reports Of the committee-NewOrlcans will send
ont her report with it, and the people shall learn who
despises law and order, and so saerilegiously tramples
under foot constitutional provisions Of our State.
NewOrlcans has vested rights under the c~onstitu-
ton, of which she has been deprived by the ruling
power of the State since '52-and the American heart
there. in its %leniency, had borne the wrong done her,
suffered the insult to pass unrehuked, and the frauds,
perjury and pollution of the ballot-boxes of our city
to go on, looking for remedy TO the lawmakers, until
torbearance had long ceased to be a virtue. To suffer
these abuses Of the elective franchise longer was but
a gross insult to American character. The party in
power, since the adoption of the present Constitution,
have met in General Assembly, enacted bills, squan-
dered the peoples money, and adjourned, and the
night of NeWOrleans to a Registry Law, guaranteed
to her by an express provision of the Constitution,
obstinately refused. Why this violation of the or.
ganic law of the State? III tell you. Neworleans
has Offices Of emoiument. The tax on each one
brings a handsome sum into the political Golfers of
the Democratic State Central Committee. This.
money Is quite necessary in a place like New0rleans,
where votes are put up and sold like sheep in sham.
bles-where human beings will swear into The ballot
boxes as many votes during an election as Won will
place dollars into their hands. Pass the Registry
Law, frauds are ended, and these lucrative Offices
pass IRON such dentocIacp. Its their death warrant.
This is the reason. And this is the mlietrs read to
the consciences of their Legislators when the llth
article of the Constitution stared them in the face.
Serious results have followed from your violation Of
the Constitution.
The blood of human beings has flowed in NewOr.
leans. Take the blame to yourselves, you that have
ruled the State since 80. Under the sanction of A
solemn oath to support and carry into effect the Con-
%stitntiol, Democrats, how have you discharged your
obligations to the State and the citizens of NewOr-
leans / desire these facts to reach the people, I
desire that they may know how serious have been
the results of your violations of the Constitutions.
You tell us there are representatives here filling
g blood-stained seats u What an insult to NewOr.
leans! The crime is your own. IF the expression
be well founded, sirs, | vastly prefer q seat secured
by the legal votes of my district, even though Oh
tanned at the expense of blood, than to sit in one
gotten by trald, perjury, and the pollution of the
ballot-boN and the elective franchise. Is there a
choice in such a case as thisY
Gentlemen from the other side of the House tells
us that the American party, of New0rleans, i'm
ported 1nliians and bullies from Mobile, the Five
Points and elseWherc, to ofliciate at the late election
Oh shame, shame on you, gentlemen! Suppose it
SNcli TRUE, (WHICH L uGlly)- i ChaiicnEe you To pro-
dpce an Instance Of native born citizens, thus coming
from a neiglboring city, that attempted to perjurc
themselves or offered to poll illegal votes and pollute
the h%allot-box of their country. Talk Of men I'M
ported! How was IL in times past in NewO orleans F,
Men lead around in crowds, from one precinct to all
otiler, and vote as often as commissioners could be
deceived or bribed to take their tickets. Who will
ever forget the famous election of '53! A wrathful
swept over Our city, thousands OF souls
were hurried to their account, the city was depopn-
tltnl n htttira1- - - ,-1 .-L = 4 n
this fatal calamity, in the vote in my own precinct.
there was an increase of above SEQ!
Need | tell you how such q thing could be? Need
L tell you OF the perjury and pollution of that election
Day IL Is complained of, that in the recent cleo
ton in NewOrleans, the American party had fwo
commissioners at each poll at the election following
that fatal epidemic all the commissioners were of the
Democratic party! ! hear no complaint Of this in
justice from the dominant party. Not a word. One
oil the Commissioners Of the third precinct informed
me that " when the last gang Of twenty-five were
marched mp to vote, that he ordered the leader to
take them away, as sufficient votes had already been
10 assure success, and they were not
needed" The counting too plainly confirmed the
sAtement. / might refer to other precincts for like
examples, but it is unnecessary. For Democrats 10
the American party with importing bulies
and rrthans nom Five Points, Mobile and elsewhere,
what etlrontery! Have they forgotten the hundreds
OF men they carried down to Plaquemine and other
places, not 70 protect The bahot-bor, no, but to fiji up
0of with illegal votes! Importing men indeedi
me American born party is free from such horrid
deeds Of infamy.
Our fathers fought for the rights of the elective
franchise. Their offspring still desire to enjoy these
figtts IN good faith. The son of the soil expects his
vote to count as many as thar Of a naturaiiSed citi-
No more. A provision TO secure this right was
10 the native citizens of NewOrleans by
lRe constitution, You, gentlemen in power, withheld
tn,S security from these ci~tizens-yon, under the
s9!sA4H sanction Of al oath to make a registry law to