New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-12-08
NFW opTFANs REPUBLICAN, SUNDAY DECEMBER g. 1872.

purpose, in the appointment OF supervisors
of registration, he has selected persons tor
the Office of supervisors or assistant super
yisOrs of registration as to obtain persons
pliable to his will, and who would concur
with and aid him, respondent, IN the execu-
ton OF any unlawful plans and 1raudulent
devices; nor is it true that to that end, and
for that purpose, this respondent did es-
pecially, or any otherwise, makeit condl-
ton precedent to the appointment OF SAID
officers that they should in all things, ana
by all unlawful means within their power,
assist in the accomplishment OF said ends
That it is not true that one of the unlaW-
full devices, plans and schemes of the re-
spondent was through the instrumentallty
Of the said registering officers, and with
their aid, and by the pretended aid OF laws
of the State, to deprive large number OF
the citizens of the State of Louisiana, III all
respects lawfully entitled to the franchise,
by refusing to register the SAID citizens
upon the list of registered voters, by reason
of their race, color and previous condition;
nor is it true that IN the execution OF SAID
scheme or in the execution OF any other
scheme, a large number OF citizens OF the
State, who are colored and who had been
i'll former condition Of servitude, were SO
refused registration on various frivolous
and unlawful DreteXts anu pretenses,
amounting to 10000 votes, or any other
number
That it is not true, as charged in said bill,
that this respondent adopted the means
aud devices aforesaid, or any other means
or devices, for the purpose OF depriVing
said voters Of their right OF franchise as
aforesaid, with the intent thereby to pre-
vent their ballots being cast for the com
plainant, and thereby to defeat complain
ants election to the office of Governor.
And this defendant, further answering,
saith: He knows not and has net been IN
formed, save by the said compliments bill,
and can not set forth, as to his belief or
otherwise, whether when tue said super
visors Of registration had completed the
registration of the qualified ell ctors OF the
Safe that they had succeeded in preventing
the registration of a large, or any number
of electors, as charged in said bill of com
plaint; nor that when persons so refused
registration as aforesaid offered to deposit
their ballots for the complainant III the bal
lot boxes at the places Of election, they were
refused the right to deposit said ballots; nor
that the complainant is IN possession OF EVIL
dence Of that tact, preserved under the pro-
visions Of the act of Congress of May 81,
1870. and the acts amendatory thereof; nor
that there is in existence from 5000 to 0O0O
documents of the same character that have
been in the same manner preserved, with
the ballots attached to said atidaylts and
certificates, in which the complainant was
included by name, as candidate for the office
of Governor of the State of Louisiana; nor
that the persons so offering to deposit said
ballc.s were in each and every instance per
sons of color, and were refused the right OF
franchise on account of race and color.
And this defendant further answering
saith, that is not true, as charged IN SAID
bill Of complaint, that this respondent, com
5ining and conspiring with the supervisors
and assistant supervisors OF registration Dy
him appointed, has caused dishonest, IN
COZ rect and false account Of the votes cast
in the several parishes OF thissState at SAID
election. Nor is it true, as charged IN said
bin. that this respondent has falsiied and
caused false and untrue returns, and certl-
ticates of the result and canvass q the
votes cast in the several parishes in this
State at said election nor that SAID count,
canvass, and certificates are SO false ana
| untrue for the reason that large number
OF the ballots deposited in the said ballot
boxes at said election by persons Of color
have not been counted and considered, and
the evidence thereof preserved and certl-
fed so that the same may be canvassed by
the returning officers for elections IN this
State nor is it true that they were so sup
pressed, or that any ballots were suppressed
and not counted and considered that were
cast for and in favor Of the complainant as
VHNtluDF Oh iIIlS VI LLctL tjlNf wa AZ
ali things sufficient to have elected the
complainanB to said office, and this resp nd
cit denies that he has any knowledge OF
any suppression of any votes whatever. or
that he ever authOrized aided or abetted
the suppression or false return of any votes
cast at said election, or did any other un-
lawful act to defeat the election OF the COM
plainant.
This defendant, further answering, saith
that it is true that the returns OF the cleo
tions for the precincts OF the State were, by
the law as it stood, on the fourth OF Noyem-
Der. 1872, to be sent by MAIL addressed to
this respondent as Governor Of the State of
Louisiana; that the law as it then stood
provided that the Governor, Lieutenant
| Governor, Secretary Of State, John Lynch
and T. G. Anderson, or majority OF them,
should be the returning officers OF all cleo
tons of the State, d majority OF whom
should constitute quorum, and have
power to make the returns OF all elections;
| that in case of vacancy the same should be
filled by the residue Of the board; that
within ten days of the election the return
ing board should meet to canvass and com
pile the statement of votes made by the SD
pervisOrs, and make returns to the Secre
tary of State: that the Governor should at
such meeting open, IN the presence OF
said returning officers, the statements
OF the supervisors of registration, and
that the returning officers should
from said staten9e its canvass and compile
the returns of the elections in duplicate:
that one copy of such returns should be
fled in the office OF the Secretary of State,
and of one copy they shall make public
proclamation by printing in the official
journal, and such other newspapers AS they
may deem proper, declaring the names, etc,
Of persons elected, etc, and said board was
vested with full authority 10 examine the
| t!uth!ulness of the returns, and reject or
accept the same, should it appear that a
sufficient number of the qualified electors
entitled TO vote at any poll or voting place
were refused the right OF franchise unlaw-
fully. so as to materially change the result
OF the election, and this defendant further
saws that the law on the subject of elections,
under and by which the said board Of re-
turning officers was created and came into
existence was repealed, and ceased to be
the law Of Louisiana, by an act of the Leg
! !s!atuTe Of Louisiana, approved the TWEEN
lieth day OF November, 1872, which said act
went iuto operation on the day OF it, pas
sage, and the said returning board ceased
:nen and thereby to exist.
and this defendant further answering
saith; That it is not true, as charged in said
bill Of complaint, that the said board was
reduced by the ineIigibility Of P. B. S.
pinchback and T. G. Anderson to this re-
spondent as Governor, Francis J. Heron as
Secretary of State, and John Lynch; and
that said board so constituted, and being a
majority Of said board, did fill the vacan-
cies therein by the election OF Jacob Haw-
kins and James Longstreet, and that said
board was properly organized to proceed to
said canvass of said returns, and that they,
the said Heron, Hawkins and Longstreet,
were duly sworn according to law, and
qualified to act as members of said board;