New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-11-17
TIE Conduct OF the Election.


prominent citizen and Democrat Of Ra
pidss parish. 20 United States Supervisor
Woolfey:
RAP1DEs PaR3sYR, November 7, 1879.
To 2. .. woolfey, United States Chief Supervisor
of Election for the District of Louisiana;
SIR-As one of the supervisors OF cleo
zion foE the parish Of Raiides, appointed
by the United States court tor the district
of Gouioiana, it becomes my duty, under
section seventh Of the act of the Congress
of the United States, entitled An act to
amend an act approved March 81, 1870, en-
titled an act to enforce the rights of citizens
Of the United States to vote in the several
States Of this Union, and for other pur-
! poscs,'" approved February %. 1871. to
make 20 you the following report:
was in attendance on the fourth instant
at che election precinct ia this parish
I know as "PineYille precinct" yhave moth
ing special to report relative 20 the proceed
ings at this precinct, excepting the refusal
i! Of the commissioner to receive the votes Of
! those citizens Who had not been registered
! and received their proper certificates there
| of, as required by the election laws of Lou
| iSiana This class Of voters in number eX-
7 ceeding two hundred, presented themselves
! at the said precinct and made demand Of the
| commissioners in my presence to receive
| their ballots in the form ant in strict ac-
| Cordance with their rights as defined in sec
| ton third of the act OF Congress, entitled
| AN act to enforce The right 0f citizens of
7 The United States TO vote in the sew
erai States OF this Union. and for
othes purposes" approved May 81,
| 1870. All this class of legal votes
| were selected at the said precinct, and
| affixed my official signature testifyiDg to
J the fact OF their said demand and rejection,
TO each Of these certificates attaching there
80 also the tickets they proposed to vote, as
required by The act above referred TO. In
mitigation If the wrongful acts Of those
commissioners in violation of the law. /
feel it right 10 say that the registrar, j. q.
p, 1looe. gave them peremptory orders in
my presence noe to receive the vote Of any
person presenting himself as a voter unless
they exhibited certificate Of registration
with his signature attached thereto I fur
Their report that on the morning of the fifth
instant | was informed that the said super
visor OF registration II. G. 7. Hoce) intend
ed to canvass and count the votes p0lled on
the fourth instant in this parish, at the h0-
tel Of which he is the proprietor in AIexaR-
dria, and not at the courthouse, where, in my
opinion, it was his duty under the law to keep
his office. l therefore went to the said hotel,
and after some difficulty ascertained that he
was located in room No 81 of said hotel,
tho door Of which | found closed and locked
and on my demand, in the name and by au-
thOrity OF the United States in virtue of my
commission as supervisor Of election, to be
permitted to enter therein, the said HO0e
unlocked the door and asked me what was
my object and purpose, when l informed
him that it was my wish and purpose to
discharge the duty imposed upon me by
section five of the act of Congress OF the !
United States, approved February %, 1871, |
to-wit: 80 supervise the counting and |
canvass Of all the votes polled in the parish |
on the fourth instant" Hereplied that ''he |
would not admit me fUP any such pur- |
pose, but that | would he permitted TO be |
present when he opened the box and count |
ed the votes cast at the precinct where |
l was present III person on the day of |
election, but he would not permit any in |
reference with his rights under the laws of |
Louisiana, nor did he intend to recognize |
any authority IN any person 10 interfere |
With him Ia CanvaSsing and counting the |
votes" | stated to him THAT | claimed |
the right to remain with the ballot boxes |
until every vote cast in the parish had been |
counted, and the proper certificates made |
out, and that ! could not and would not |
submit to his cuTtailmcnt and limitation Of |
my rights and duties under the law" And
as he still persisted in his refusal to admit
me into his room, upon the conditions de-
manda0 by me, left the premises, and am
not therefore enabled to report how the
parish was conducted. AS you will perceive |
from the above statements, my inability
to make the TepCrt. which by law am re-
CURED &c doom this branch OF the duties
Ut % supervisor OF elections, arise NOT from
any indispositiOn on my part to perform my
dutyo but because [ was resisted and op-
posed by the said supervisor Of registration
in the attempt pIade by me to discharge the
functions deyolved upon me under the laws
OF the United States Ia this connection
[ will further state that for more than
forty wears have taken an active part in
the political contests III this State, and this
is the only election that has ever been held, |
TO my knowledge Excepting, perhaps, dur
Ing the war in which all OF the commits
eione9B to hold the election were selected
from one political party alone, and this is
the only instance, within my recollection,
in which the Tsrtos p0lled at an election
were counted in private room, with doors
locked.
also feel IL my duty to say that ali tie
made here Of Partially and un-
fairness in conducting the registration Of
voters, are made by persons adhering to the
Republican party, and that these com
are well founded, and that
there is abundant evidence accessible to
these allegations. The aggre-
gate Republican vote of this parish will. in
ny opinion, fall short fully one-third by
he return, of the number they could have
OOllcd, and the eagcrnesa with which those
Who had failed in obtaining their registra-
ion papers pressed their rights to vote
without them On the day of election, indi-
lated clearly to me that it was not their
ault that the provisions of the law Of
Louisiana had not been complied with gela-
i've to the registration Of voters.
Personally, [ belong to that political