The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-06-16
THE LATE ELECTION.

'news from New Orleans concerning Genera
Buchanan's action, to invent history of tn,
late elections, which we are informed by tn,
New York Tribune, they intend to lay befor,
the General commanding our Armies.
This admirable fiction declares that "the cleo
tons were conducted on the part of the Re
publicans with the greatest forbearance,
which is illustrated by the fact that they i'm
ported only two or three thousand negroes from
the country parishes when they might have
brought five or six thousand 1t asserts that
the most open and fragrant violations ofindi-
vidual rights were perpetrated by the Demo
Gratis, with the knowledge, it is alleged, of Bevt
Maj. Gen. Buchanan" It was certainly flag
rant outrage on the part of the Democrats to
attempt to prevent imported negroes from
voting once, twice or thrice in the city of
New Orleans, and still greater outrage on
''trooly loil" rights that they succeeded in
electiDg their city ticket But who can
measure the turpitude imputed to Gem
eral Buchanan in the solemnly express
sive intimation that things were sup
posed to have been done with
his knowledge. If there could be a greater
degree of guilt than this it was reached by
that officer, when, as we learn from the docu-
ment in question, he received "men well
known as rebels and their spmpathizers with
smile, whereas when addressed by trooly
loil radicals, he wickedly announced his
criminal intention of taking "the subject
into consideration" If this statement does
not convince the mind of the General COM
handing our Armies " that the commander
of the Fifth Military District is en-
gagged in a plot to keep the hungry carpet
baggers from the enjoyment of their promised
spoils, thereby impeding reconstruction and
exhibiting reasonable insensibility to the
claims of the "trooly loil" population,
reason, argument, fact and fancy,
will have been exhausted in vain.
The address then recites that, after the
election, the registrars "were permitted to
expel Republicans from the places where the
ballots were counted, while allowing all Dem
ocrats to remain Moreover the ballots were
kept, in some instances, three or four days
after elections, on the pretense of counting
them, but in reality to afford time to alter
them, so as to show small Republican ma
jorities in those districts which were known
to be preponderatingly in favor of the con-
stitutional ratification. After this political
legerdemain had been thoroughly enacted.
Gen. Buchanan ordeEed a commission of
military men, instead of an equal number
from each pprty interested, to count the bal |
lots as handed to them. Of course these |
gentlemen could only report on the votes
they found. Although in cities containing
treble the population of New Orleans results
OF elections are known the next morning, the
general commanding forbade any official
announcement of the result until now. And
why? The secret motive of this action on
the part of this commander of the fifth mill
tary district would seem to be-frst, to ascer-
tain how the State elections had resulted, and
then with this knowledge to arrange the
results of the municipal elections, so as to
oVerhalance any gains which the Republicans
might have made in the State at large
Hence no results of elections for either State.
parish or municipality, were announced until
TX weeks etter election; and then they were
10 reported as to give the control of city
Iffairs into the hands of Democratic rebels
md their sympathizers"
1t would be difficult to find. even in the
history of carpet-baggery in Louisiana, a Sc
les of statements more strictly antagonistic
notorious facts than those contained in the
bove extract. By order of General Bucha-
ian, two members of each party were per-
nltted to be present during the counting of
be ballots, and the Republicans availed them
elves of this privilege at every poll in the
lty. 1t is true that, in three instances, there
'as great delay in counting the votes, the re- ,
lrns from two polls in the Third Ward, and !
ne poll in the Seventh Ward, not having
cen made until the Wednesday following the S,
lection but it happens that, at the only two !
these polls at which fraud was charged, ;
lajollty Of the commissioners were radicals.
HON the Democrats suspected of an inten-
on to stuff the ballot-boxes or 10 tanner
18th the tally-lists, or to adopt some other of :
le numerous devices in which carpet.bag
Fry has become so proficient and expert. ;
ne of those commissioners, the senior Off :
II at the poll where the ballot-box seemed to
ave been stuffed as explained by Mr. q
thompson, the registrar, signs the call to Mr. ;
urant to enlighten the citizens of New Or
ans on the politics of the day. There GER
inly were frsuds committed in New Orleans :
l those da5s-frauds of the most shameless
I'd in!arlous character-but they were
arpetrs.ed exclusively by the carpet-bag-
rs; by the men who led the poor, deluded,
untry negroes from poll to poll, attempting :,
vote them on all kinds of fraudulent :,
Ipers; by the men who brought negroes up :
the polls with notarial certificates, and in =
'ted that their votes should be received; by '
e men who imported negroes from st. Ber- :
I'D and Jefferson and st. John, the day ;,
fore the election, and made them swear =
at they had been ten days in the parish; by :
e men who appIauded Sheridan for his open :,
olations of the law in DISTINGUISHING quail :,
ID white citizens, and who contrived the :