Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1866-02-10
SENATORIAL ELECTION OF 1854.

il regard to the claim set up by Messrs
Hahn and Cutler to seats in the United
States Senate, is a very suggestive and
instructive document. The facts ascer
tanned, and briefly set forth in the report
are quite sufficient to reduce the claims
Of those suppositious Senators to a pal.
pable absurdity. Messrs. Hahn and Gut
Ter have legally no more right to repre-
sent Louisiana than to represent Massa.
chusetts, Ia the latter case there might
be some peculiar moral and political fit
mes, whilst in the former there could be
nothing but preposterous incongruity.
Beyond this and more than this, the
report leads irresistably to the conclusion
that not only the pretended Senators cho,
sen in 1864 are in fact DO Senators, but
that the pretended Legislature Of that. an.
mum inttaustua was no Legislature. The
body now sitting in this city, being the
FIRST genuine representation of the whole
people Of Louisiana that has eeAfepnvok-
ed during the lastfour years, is in fact the
first legislature under the Constitution of
1864.
Without wasting any more words on a
point with regard to which public opin-
ion is SO well settled, we shall content
ourselves with giving q resume Of the
facts ascertained by the committee, and
which facts constitute so remarkable q
commentary on the history Of constitu.
ton and Legislature making during the
remarkable era which is about drawing
drawing to a close.
The examination Of the votes purpoted
{, have been cast in the respective par
ishes for members Of the Legislature at
what was supposed to be the general
election Of 1864, shows that:
In Assumption 2l9 votes were cast, of
which number $50 votes were polled at
Il ward out Of the seventeen in the per
ish. In fact. only four wards voted at all.
In Ascension 2T1 votes were cast, of
which OF were at precinct No. 3, and of
this number 2ll were the votes of United
States soldiers. At a subsequent special
election in the same precinct 5 votes were
poiled.
Gaicasieu is reported to have cast 70
votes, but no election was held at all in
that parish, as it was not within the Fed
eraI lines.
10 Concordia, 257 votes were reported
AL at the VidaIia precinct. OF these,
56 were cast by citizens Of Concordia, and
the remainder, POI, by residents Of eleven
other parishes.
Lafayette was represented by members
chosen by 20 votes but in fact no elect
ION at all was held in the parish.
In the parish of Jetfsron, out of 453
votes, 81 were cast by soldiers.
One precinct in Madison parish elected
members BY q votes.
The election in Pointe Coupee was held
within the walls of the Federal Fort at
Morgaaza. Citizens we're strictly exclud-
ed. OF the l46 votes reported, 3 were
given by citizens of New Orleans, l by a
citizens Of Morganza, and LAG py United
States soldiers.
In Plaquemine FIVE precincts ont of
nine voted.
st. Martin was reported to have elected
members BY 81 votes, but in truth no
was held at all.
The same may be said of st. Landry,
which l3f votes were reported out OF
about $500 voters.
Ia st, James I votes were cast at one
precinct.
OF l22 votes reported in St. Mary. "a
were Illegally registered.
In West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana.
Iensas, Carroll and Rapidss, not even the
semblance Of an election was held. vet
hose parishes were represented in the
: so-called Legislature.
But the manner in which the voters
we're manufactured in New Orleans ex.
nblts III the very highest degree all the
audacity, the inventive genius, and the
'einement Of political fraud. Without !
gong into the details, for which ge refer
'ur readers to the report of the commit !
ee, we may state that the general result /
showed tina Of 1895 registered voters in |
parish of Orleans, only 9e6 were le- I
rally registered. The other 9O29, had ,
ust as much right to vote in Vermont. or I
n California, as in Louisiana. /
This is sufficient to show the character !
the CONSTITUENCY represented by the $50 {
allied Legislature Of 1854. The com
n'ttee further show, by the record, that /
ven this election YES held under a militia ,
J compassion and coercion entirely ~ipcon- !
istent with freedom of opinion or liberty I
t choice. I
put 1t IS not necessary to pursue this /