Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-09-27
LOUISIANA.
THE FUSION WIEEPUL-
LERS SHOW HOWH
WASDONE.
Testimony of Their Regis
trars and Election Officers.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS OF
THE RECEN TEI2.aUDS.

pulat0r of the fraud, in an affidavit of sew
enty closely written pages, swea.rs:
That he was appointed by Henry G.
WarmOth. Governor of the State of Louisi-
ana, to the Office of State Registra of Vo-
tiers, being also, by virtue of said Office, ex-
ofiiciO supervisor of registration in and for
the parish of Orleans that he filed the
said Office during the years 1870; 1871 and
1872 that in the last named year he was
in full political sympathy with the Liberal
movement, and subsequently,, upon the fu-
sion of the Liberal and Democratic parties,
with what was known as, and styled the
Fusion party, and in conjunction with
Others of the same political party he devils
ed plans for carrying the general election
| In the State of Louisiana on November a,
1872, in favor of the said Fusion party and
their candidates for Presidential Electors.
Congress and State and municipal offices
that, with this object IN view, he proposed
to take advantage of all the powers confer
red upon him by the acts of the General
Assembly of the State of Louisiana, num-
bered respectively, acts Nos. 80 and 100,
approved March IL, 1870, and known as
the registration and election laws of 1870.
CoLoRED VOTERS STRICKEN OFF.
Deponent furthes says that he also in
structed assistant supervisors of regi s.ra-
ton in the parish of Orleans that whenever
they found upon the registry of 1870 n: lmes
of persons making their marks (X), and
supposed to be negroes, and not known per-
sonally to them, to procure two per sons,
registered voters in their respective wards,
to prepare list of such names and make
an affidavit that they chad reason to be-
lieve and did believe" that the per soas
named therein were not residing in the
or6 fhe fa-f 10. H., ~, Il
ton, and the assistant supervisors were di-
rected to erase from the lists of voters all
names put down in said affidavit; and this
was done, although the law made il the du-
ty of the Board of Metropolitan Police
Commissioners to cause a canvass of the
city of New Orleans, and prescribed that
the names of such persons a. should l)e re-
ported by them as mot found" only Should
be stricken from the registry list Such
affidavits were made, and resulted n the
exclusion of 2472 legally registered co lored
voters from the polls in the city on this day
of election.
HINDRANCES TO REGISTRATION.
Deponent further says that in order to
annoy and hinder colored men in register
ing, he instructed the assistant supervisors
to throw every possible obstacle in the way
of the United States supervisors of election.
and deputy marshals appointed to repre-
sent the Republican party, such as refusing
them access to the books, or permission to
remain behind the railing, ETC.; and the as
slstant supervisors were further instructed |
that whenever any considerable number Of
negroes were waiting for registration they
should raise some frivolous objection to the |
action of the United States officials, and /,
refuse to submit to the requirements of the |
enforcement act, which conduct frequently |
resulted in the arrest of assistant superyi-
sors and the closing of their offices some
times for the entire day, large numbers of
voters being thus deprived of registration. |
OPERATIONS IN THE COUNTRY.
Deponent further says that supervisors
OF registration appointed throughout the |
State were all in the interest of the Fusion |
party, and were selected, not only on til at |
account, but because of their suppos, NJ |
Willingness and ability to carry the ele G. |
ton in favor of that party, by whatev. sr
naturalization was. possibly and necessaj "
under the registration and election law, /; |
that in the parishes where there was know n |
to exist large Republican majority til @ |
supervisors were, in most cases, persors |
sent from New Orleans to the parishes n |
which they were to act, and men we'll |
known for their personal recklesspess an Il |
INSCRIPTIONS character, and familiar wit h |
all the machinery used in manipulatip 70 |
elections and the powers conferred upo n |
supervisors of registration by the laws :; |
that said supervisors were instructed. We, :
bally or otherwise, to impede in very DO = |
sible manner the registration of colored v, , |
tiers, in such ways as closing their offics s /
when largo numbers of negroes were wal T. |
ing for registration, alleging that they we re /
out of blanks, when in truth they were eI n
ply supplied, removing their Offices to 1 o.
mote points, notifying only white men of |
their location, and giving no notice to the |
negroes; giving notice of the location of {. be 1
office at one point, and establishing it Mt |
another without notice; establishing DO IL |
places without due notice, so as to faci IL |
tate the casting of large Fusion vote, nd |
obstructing the voting Of Republicans, .ss-
pecially of colored men that to furtl Ter
carry out the before recited determinati on
to carry the election at any risk, depone,t,
without authority of law, directed tina a |
new and complete registration should be |
made in the parishes of East Baton Rou. re,
West Baton Rouge, st. James and Tangil Va
hoa, each Of which parishes was known to
contain large Republican majority, antl a
large excess Of colOred over white popu Ia
ton, on the pretext that the books of d re-
vious registration could not be found, g. lid
books having been previously purpos ely
made away with.
WHAT BLANCHARD BELIEVES.
Deponent further says that he beliey es,
and has reason to believe, and knows that
had not the fraudulent practices as above
recited been resorted to and made use of nv
persons in the interest of the Fusion party.
and for the benefit and advantage of s. aid
Fusion party as hereinbefore set sorth, and
had the election returns been properly emd
fairly made b. the supervisors throughput
the State, and had the large Republican
parishes which were thrown out, uniustly,
and for the purpose eff reducing the Rep NIB
!ican vote, been counted, as they should
have been, the candidates for Presidential
Electors, members of Congress, and st ate
officers upon the Republican national ard
State tickets would have shown to have
been elected by large majority eff the vo-
les cast III the State at the election held on
the fourth of November, 1872. And depo-