New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-01-05

The following important paper we haste
20 lay before the people, to excite whom I
domestic violence attempts are being mad
: by INSCRIPTIONS and ambitious polNiciars
, go THE PEOPLE OF LOUISIANA.
An address to the citizens of this Stare
7 lately published in the Picdyas7le aud othe
journals, enainating from Colonel Johl
McEnery, claiming to be Governor elec
9 OF the State, is so reckless in its state
| ments, so incendiary in its TEMPER and S,
mischievous in its suggestions and pur
poses, as to demand public review and re
buke; and il becomes my duty,as the acting
executive Of the State, charged under oati
with the faithful enforcement OF the laws
solemnly to call your attention to the po
litcal and practical issues raised in said ad
dress, aud plainly to suggest your duties
and mine under the circumstances.
This remarkable address begins with the
assumption that the so-called fusion State
ticket was elected, received majority o.
the votes cast at the late election, and rep
resents a majority of the electors of the
State of Louisiana. The probable, not tC
say actual, truth of this assumption is in
conflict with certain patent, conceded facts
with which you are familiar First among
these is the fact evinced by the military
registration of 1868, and with the
registration of 1870, that the colored
voters, with rare exceptions, Republican
in their character, exceed that OF the
whites in the State of Louisiana. This
alone would make % Republican victory
probable, if the party lines were so dis
tinctly drawn as in the past election. From
local considerations the Republicans might
lose in the State election, but there has
never been doubt that the full colored
vote of the State would be cast for General
| Grant; vet the pretended fusion victory Of
the State ticket required not less than
| 10000 c0iOred votes for Greeley, and no
man of ordinary intelligence or honesty
| would pretend that any such number
| OF votes were cast in any such way.
. Again, there are in the State not less than
| 5000 or 10000 white Republican votes,
| which, with great Unanimity, were cast
| for the Republican ticket and u. 5. Grant.
| Still another fact, the fusion ticket, from
| the questionable alliance of its leaders
| with Governor Warmoth, neither had the
confidence of nor received the votes OF a
large anti Republican element in the State
OF Louisiana. The Reform party, repre-
| sented by the Picayltne, owing to the mis-
| trust Of this misalliance between War1noth
and the Democracy, never gave hearty
support to the fusion ticket, and many are
known to have voted the Republican ticket.
With a respectable majority of col
inforced by 10000 white Republicans and
thousands of disaffected anti Republicans,
the fusion ticket could not be truthfully re-
turned by the registrars in a majority. If
then primary returns from said registrars
the appointees and creatures of Governor
WarmOth-indcated fusion victory, the
premises considered, such indication nfust
be fraudulent. No such result could be
fairly obtained. And fraud, IN some form,
to wit in denial of reGistrati and the con-
sequent denial Of voting, or concealments
and secrecy Sealative to the polls OF
certain places; or a stutnng OF the boxes
falsitcation of the count, must have been
practiced by the registrars and commits
siOners of election in order TO make q
Democratic or fusion victory even possible.
Any one familiar with the anomalous and
WOnC ertul election law OF this State will
perceive that the registrars possessed the
power to perpetrate frauds II each'ot the
directions indicaSd. That manipu-
lation OF the votes and utilization
of the large executive power granted
by the election law were contemplated
both in the public press of the party and in
the conventions thereof when discussing
the expediency OF an alliance of said party
and H. G. Warmoth. His friends publicly,
in the press and in convention. announced
and affirmed his capacity and disposition to
manipulate the returns Of she election, both
primary, through his registrars, and ulti |
mately, through the returning board; as the |
strong reason why tie Democracy should |
make the combination with him. 1t was |
publicly affirmed that his cooperation Was |
worth 10000 votes, the meaning OF |
which was that his power under the election |
law, in creating and destroying, was equal |
to the force of 20, 000 treemen marching to |
the polls and casting their votes. As con
nf ha ri fgt
Warmoth would use his large power III favor
OF the Democracy, the Liberal Democratic |
in the city OF New Orleans
pledged its support to HIM for the Senator
ship OF the United States, ana he in turn,
appointed the registrars exclusively from
the Democratic party, and said registrars,
in their turn, appointed none but Demo
cratic commissioners Of election.
With such capabllity for fraud and
such incentives thereto, and such actual
partisan conduct by the executive and toe
Democratic leaders acting in conjunction
with hlm to put the whole machinery Of
The government in the bands of their parti-
sans. we might expect that on some frivo-
Ous pretext registration would be denied
voters, and that the voting
places would be kept secret and placed In
inaccessible localities and that II the Re
publican majority by these methods, was
Of the fusion party. the boxes would be
substituted or stuffed, OF the returns
alsitied SO as to compass the same end.
These reasonable anticipatlons OF fraud
nave been more than realized in practice,
as appears from the sworn statements OF
more than 5000 Republican voters, filed IN
be United States Circuit Court as evidence
If the wrongs perpetrated against the
political rights of the American Citlz"n
~ the socalled oldest and best citi-
,ens of this State. IN anticipation OF
uch outrages, and to prevent tho same,
unr before the late election, and
,etore Governor Warmoth had made his
,ctlal combinations with the Democracy,
, large number of the Republicans Of Lou
siana, supported by many prominent Dem
crats, asked the congressional legislation
ouud in the amended. enforcement act
,nopr the provisions OF which it was eX-
,ected that The federal supervisors, repre-
eutinr both parties, should 50 check, by
heir presence aud inspection, Governor
yarmoths partisan and unscrupulous reg
strars as to prevent the frauds subse quent-
Y practIced, and OF which the people so in
Iiguantly complained.
And il is mainly through the presence
nd inspection of such federal officers that
he great frauds committed against AmeIl-
an citizens in Louisiana have been brought
o tie cognzance of the federal courts. 30
ouch fol the gratuitOus. assumption that
he existing State government Is held III
raud, and does not represent majority OF |
he legal voters of the State. IN view o. |
,rs,, facts. these fl 9uda, whether attempt
d or accomplish. S,>clude any popu'ar
y1npathy Cor 20 lilly political lea"tr'; ,
:h0, in theiS ste6esS are accialmlllS aa anu
80 te political martyrs. Ihe
ota hes Been cast under the law, I
ofsc-;va 40 ip is and the result |