The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-04-30
THE ELECTION FRAUDS.


An intelligent correspondent suggests sew
the facilities as well as the inducements to
fraud, at the recent election, were all on the
side of the vagrant and mendicant carpet
baggers:
1t is a well known fact that registration was
commenced In this city some time before regis
trsrs were sent 10 the other parishes. And II Il
equally well known that negroes from the ada
cent, and even some OF the distant parishes,
focked TO the city for the purpose of registering,
fearing they would have no other opportunity OF
becoming enfrsnchised These negroes, thus
registered, returned to the parishes where they
belonged. and where they afterwards re-regis-
tered. In this way the number of registered
colored voters 10 the State was swelled TO more
than eighty thousand.
The certificates given some of the negroes from
the adjacent parishes, were returned 10 General
Sheridan's headquarters, but there Is no evidence
that they were destroyed, or that the names OF
those to whom they were given were stricken
from the registry. But judging from the pub
shed lists of registered voters for the city, 1t Is
fair TO presume that the names stand "a originally
entered with the exception of those OF white mea
that were stricken of with a view to reduce tue
white voters to q minority. The result OF the late
election leaves little room for doubling that there
we're negroes found to represent those who came
from the parishes and were registered in the city,
as above stated.
In the third ward, where the largest number Of
country negroes were registered, the original, or
first registration stood, whites $500, blacks $3.50.
The second registration added more to the fermer
than TO the latter. The recent vote on the Con
stituton stood 1884 for; 22l7 against. 1t is fair
TO presume that as many blacks voted against as
there were whites voted for that instrument. Nov,
had the first registration been conducted honestly
and fairly this result in the third ward would leave
but little ground for the charge Of fraud or cor
ruptiOn against either party But, tits well known
that this wes not the On the contrary, there
were hundreds registered who were not entitled to
the privilege.
Could the matter be fairly tested, it would be
found that there are not as many colored voters
in the Third Ward, by several hundred, as there
are names registered; that individuals cannot be
found TO respond to those names, without prompt
| ing, unless majority of them should be George
Washingtons, of which the published lists of re-
| gistration show there are q thousand or two in
| the State.
The fact that the names of these nonresident
| coored voters were on the registry, afforded the
| carpet-bsggers ample opportunity to COLOMBO
voters from the neighbOring parishes with little
| fear of detection. Consequently, revision oil
the returns or a recount of the ballots will fail TO
| detect and expose the glazing outrage and fraud
prscticed by the "trooly loil, !" with view to OBJ
tanning control of this city and parish. Investiga
ton will not expose the nefarious designs of the
| carpet baggers, or counteract the evils their par
tial success is likely to entail upon this city, IN
| less the vote of all who voted on affidavits are
| cast out of the count. The public have not the
| power TO right these wrongs, but they can take
| active and prompt measures to prevent their re
currence.