New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-02-25

Mr.. Blackman-No, sir; speak off, n 40 |,
sarts of the State. How easy, l say s,ders
would be for malicious and designing poInato
ians TO get up disturbance so as impb
brow out the votes of those four pl m
incts, and so to give the parish to the X ,d I
mbIicans The Senator from Terreb bonn tn
Mr.. O'Hara) has stated that some tim rni
100 the edict went forth that he was 10 d. sh
defeated in his parish. How easy 1t wiiSeI
be under this law to do so. say ines ice
laws are wrong in principle, ana hhete
curses they Will come nome 10 l.st ,, anu o
kbev will rest with those who enact them. il
section nfty-one of the old registration
A,w. which il is proposed to insert INTO this :
ALL nroyides that whenever statement
Is received from a supervisor, an assistant
supervisor or a commissioner ol eiection'
IN affidavit of three or more citizens OF riot,
umult, acts of violence, etc, "nlcn pre-
zcnted or tended to prevent 1uf, lar
aid free vote, said returning officers shall
Sot count the vote of that poll until the
b to-. ments from all the other polls shall
| ave been mpleted. There Is no limit 10
Inc discretion of the registrar Ii he nap
liens IT, be a weak minded man. morally
! physically cOward,Or easily innuenceG'
ither by money or threats, it is LETT in his
1 owpr t0 decide whether there was intiml-
alton: and the firing II q pistol, or al
4 agrv word. or a violent declaration, may
e in his opinion such an amount OF vlo-
spce, intimidation and fraud as to prevent
full and free expression OF the VIII OF Tue
.eOple 1t is lett to the discretion OF the
,oard. upon the showing OF this one regis
rar and the showing OF Oue or two parties
rho perhaps may have been connected with
he threatened violence. to throw out the
.cte on the ground that violence was used
rhe board Of canvassers perhaps SIMPLY
ook over these returns, taking the ex parte
tatements of those irresponsible super
isors, as they generally are, and the votes
# thousand people are thrown out Oh,
heir mere ipse dixit. That Is the second
PRACTICAL operation of your law. 1t 1t Is re-
publican, if it tends to promote republican
)rinciples then l am at q loss TO know
what republicanism is. If understand the
definition of a republic, it is a government
T. where the people rule-where II once the
\peOple have spoken 1t Is not IN the power OF
kny man or set of men to deprive them o1
their rights. l say that this law, which puts
il in the power of board of returning OIL
GERS to decide who shall be the officers OF the
people. is not republican. Suppose the
( registrar reports from any one parish that
there has been intimidation and suppose
the board receives the return about twenty
GAYS after the election. just before the
meeting in January of the General Assem-
bly,. This board, sitting in New Orleans
without any right to call witnesses, simply
receives ex parte statements, upon which
the Governor issues his certificate of cleo
ton. and on the first Monday In January a
person walks in and takes his seat as duly
elected who perhaps has not received ten
I votes in the parish from which he Is re-
Il turred. | ask it that is i'll accordance
with republican institutions Does the
Repblican party want SUCH a
iawl If were to take the high moral stand
of III gentleman from Carroll (Mr. McMii-
lenYI would say, preserve the liberties ol
theieope and let the Republican party go
doA, for it makes not much difference
- Whit party is in power, SO that 1t admins
terfhe govern iuent in accordance with the
lad and the constitution. The preserva
tiabf Que constitution and laws is prefer
N sbto the success of any party: You are
n nobattling for party alone. Are you u
/, k leflate solely for the success OF one party
( or1r the success of one set Vt individuals
ou2 another. must say that this has beer
II tbIcourse of our legislation for the last few
Nv Us. and thus the charge is thrown upon
H VnA full force, that in the State OF Louisa
d al we have no republican government IL
s. distance, ana very little in form. As fol
Isl Is troubles of 1868, which have been 81
III den and SO forcibly alluded 10; ana u
E ~ mich some Senators seem to look BACK ul
vi Al they have become almost an 'gntS Jdtun
T II, hiding them in the measures OF the future
III saw that in 1868 there may have peel
.ntimidation and violence. In 1870 the ties
timony of almost every Senator on the fno
''Ows there was swindlns and frand. Inc
"a. kFerynce between these two elections L
n EXPRESSED in one Ut Bulwers novels
! Ne wanted things and took tSln, fh an,
took them by ins,nivation.'" say that
\ 4 ia time both of us quit this sort OF thing
Let MS put down intimidation and max
nenal st flutes such as will punish any ma
4 who dares to interfere on the eiec'lon GA
i with any other man who has the rght 7
~ yote / will support such measure, lie tn
4 nupishment what it may, but II you piac
this offense beyond the law, assuming b
the ,snpointment of this returning Doart
\ mowers which in one instance belong TO IL
courts alone, and in another instance peion
TO the Legislature. l say you commit a
state. which should not be tolerated. The:
movers can he used for the purpose OF kee
mo ont every Republican and every Dem
Srst not in sympathy with the admlnlstr
tion. Do YOU want to give TO any man SUI
y 4 nowers as that l certainly do not. IL
q the interest of the colored men to oppose III
law Itmay be made the means OF destroyln
" 18th them and us. Ii may he the means
making the government Of Loulslan
/, a personal government, with personal a
NJ harents who will stand as firm as the anh
n rents of Pizaro and Cortes. AND coiore
men. when Republicans tell YOU that yo'
liberties must be preserved bv such law
n NAV be well for you to remember II
destiny the Indians met IN Mexico WIZ
= Cortes held out to them professions III
nro,sises for their cultivation, ciriliza'l'
and oiory. 1t may be used for like pu
/ nose, and instead Of ccEIerrlnS upon ~
the rights which you expect, may be q
means of establishing personal COVER
ment, under which you will have no rlsh
1 at ali.
| Mr.. Barber-In parishes where there
n no violence OF intimidation who Will
| hurtl
Mr.. BIackman-I say it is very easy
III charge intimidation where there Is MOI
The mere discharge of shot is intlmld
ton in the eyes of some men, ana there
snleuty of men who are ready to report
and exaggerate it. According TO the Sci
tor from Terrebonne (slr. OHara) t
votes of even Republican parishes We
thrown out in 1868. and he did not KIN
the reason, and | do not suppose be CIV
will find 1t out. Ii there is intimidation
v;oIence or fraud in the election of any
the civil officers Of your State, your |;
nroyides that the party aggrleved can
into the courts and have the contest
cide1. and if it is decided that he is di
and properly elected, the Governor Is 8,
c,,i,ed TO give him his commission. III
makes it totally unnecessary to have Il
hoord of returning officers as far as
.Iectieu of civil officers is concerned. Ill
18th regard to the elections OF members
r. General Assembly. The coustitut
.roviIes than when the returns are ma
f,v the Secretary of State the House a
Senate themselves can determine the Hu
40 factions of their own members and