New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-09-14
TO THE PEOPLE OF Louisiana.

july 1885, Win the number of arrests and the nation
atty of the offenders and of the victims. rF
We also present the number of arrests made by
his honor, Mayor Lewis, in eleven months. with A
police force OF 4ao, and of the number of arrests
made by his honor, Mayor Waterman, for the same
period of time, with police force of from $50 to
800 men and also statement of the number sent
to the Worb-House and Insane ASYLUM with their
nativity.
These statements are made to correct erroneous
impressions produced upon the public mind by the
unfounded assertions of Democratic organs and po.
ticans.
1t has been boldly alleged-and the legislation of
the past two years has been based upon it-hat all
the murders, crimes, misdemeanors riots rows dis
ttfbances of the peace and breaking of the ballot
boxes, are justly chargeable to the American party
How unjust the charge, and how untrue in fact the
annexed tables will show. While they are complete
vndication of the American party they also convict
Democratic organs and demagogues of the perverson
sion of truth and of the fabrication of fasehood.
Grimes observed an ilustrious orator care the
acts of individuals and not of denominations and
therefore, arbitrarily to class men under general de.
scrptions, in order to prosecute and punish them in
lump for a presumed delinquency, of which per-
haps but part perhaps none at all are guilty is,
indeed, a compendious method, and saves world of
trouble, without proof; but such method instead
Of being law is an act Of unnatural rebellion against
the legal domain of reason and JUSTICE
The truth Of the above remarks is obvious to all
That native Americans occasionally are guilty of the
min nv ofap Il,
true and that crime, in all its gradatons, will con-
tnue to shock the public conscience is also unfortu
nately true but that either party as a party, is
guilty of all the enormous offences which are com
mitted, is a libel upon human nature.
With these remarks we will revert to an instance or
two of outrages which happened in the past few
years. VI all crimes against the glorious right Of
free suffrage, the Plaquemine fraud, conceived and
executed by the worst fragment of the Democratic
party in this city, is the most prominent The sue
cess unpublished in that case, led to and was the
origin of the shameful frauds of 1858. Though the
epidemic of that summer had decmated the city, vet
the vote was larger then than it ever had been Or
will be for some years to come The substantial men
of the city, after that election thought it time
to act and in the winter of 1854 party, called the
reform party, was organized, and in the spring
brought out their ticket With the exception of the
Mayor and Recorders, it succeeded. After this date
it took the name of the American party. Success
has always been certain since that date simply be-
cause the INSCRIPTIONS leaders of the Democratic
party have been prevented from practicng the infa
nous frauds OF 1858. The result of every subse-
quent election clearly demonstrates that the Demo-
cratic party is in large minority in this city, and
that its previous success solely Attributable to the
large Number of fraudulent and perured votes which
polluted the baot-boXes. At the two last elections
the American ticket had no opposition, and it is
generally understood it will have none in November
next the Democratic party not wishing expose its
weakness, but preerng to keep up the spirits of its
followers in the country by Falstatan exaggeraton
of its numbers here.
In all large cities, when political excitement is at
fever heat disturbances at the polls are likely
to occur. On two occasions the baot-boXes were
broken-in 1854 at and in 1865 at two precincts
Without any evidence, without even cause for the
slightest suspicion those acts of violence were at
tributed to the American party At these two dates
the Attorney General, District Attorney, Judge of
the Criminal Court, Mayor, Sheriff and Recorders,
were all Democrats and yet, with all their power,
with the police at their command, aided and assisted
by disappointed political faction, not single mem
Der of the American party was arrested, tried and
convicted of breaking the ballotboxes of disturbing
the peace of ntmdating any naturalIzed Or native
voter Is it not a little singular, if the American
party is guilty, that no proof of its guilt has been
produced by all the vigilance of Democratic admin
isration? Might it not beis it not more probable,
if the Attorney-Genera District Attorney, Mayor,
Sheriff and Recorders had used all the power which
the law gave them, that some arrests might have
tI,o
covered, truth would be indicated and Democratic
fraud exposed?
We will state fact which ought to exonerate the
American party from the slightest suspicion that
there is any truth in the charges made against it, Ia
all the contested election cases-Bell VS.. Hufty Aud
VS.. Walton, and others-the proof was that every
illegal vote cast for the Democratic ticket This
demonstrates beyond doubt that the American party,
has resorted to unworthy means to gain an end
and never has defiNd the ballot.boxes.
Is it not far more probable that those who will dis
regard the laws of God and man, who will vote when
they have right to vote, but who will commit even
perjury to exercise that right, the very persons
who disturb the peace, get up rows and riots and
break the ballot-boxes!
To regain lost power the infamous election law
passed. For the honor of the city but one press
could be found to advocate it, whilst almos every
Democrat denounced it. 1t met with as strenuous an
opposition from the respectable portion of the Demo
cratic party as from the American party. The osen-
sbe reasons assigned for its passage the nef-
fiCency of the police, and the intimidation of the
naturalzed voters. We will let Mayor Lewis defend
himself With police force of 456, in elevenmonths
he made l95ll arrests. Mayor Waterman, in the same
period of time, with police force of from $50 to 800
made Is 300 arrests Or with $50 men less than Mayor
LOWS had, he made 579S arrests more. The grand
total of all arrests in twenty-five months is A $50 Of
which number but $500 were Amercans-35, 900 being
of foreign birth. We do not make charges but we
state what is generally conceded to be fact that the
naturaized ctizeus vote the Democratic ticket. Now
upon the suppostion that such is the fact, would
not be consonant to truth to charge the Demo-
cratic party with the commission of otenses than the
American party? If these foreigners vote the Demo-
cratic ticket would they not constitute the majority
of the Democratic party, and then would it not be
fact that majority of the Democratic party was
arrested for violations of the law! If 5000 of
party-all foregners-are arrested does it not prove
that they are the disturbers of the peace the vo-
ators of the law, and the of rows and riots
When more than four Democrats to one American are
arrested, which party is most guilty?
The inmates of the Worll-house and Insane Asylum
show a similar result Out of AIS sent to the Work
house but S92 were Americans, and out of 30l in the