New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-09-18
VOLUME VINO. 1873. -'-
LOUISIANA.
TIE FUSION WIREPULLERS SHOW
HOW IT WAS DONE.
Testimony Of Their Registrars
and Election Officers.
THOROUGH EXPOSURE o. The RECENT
FRAUDS.

THOROUGH EXPOSURE o. The RECENT
FRAUDS.
s-S-e
The facts stated below have been IN our
possession for several DAYS, but we have re-
Trained from publishing them at the sequest
Of parties interested:
'tFrom the st. Louis Globe, septembe. ISL
NEW ORLEANS, September 10, 1874
The Globe was informed by special dis
patch of the strange. disclosures recently
brought to light respecting the frauds in
Louisiana. Subjoined are full particulars
of this damaging expose:
WHAT BLANCHARD SAYS.
Brainard p Blanchard, the chief mani
pulator of the fraud, in an affidavit of sew
enty closely written pages, swears:
That he was appointed by Henry c. War
moth, Governor of the State of Louisiana,
to the office of State Registrar OF Voters
beirg also, by virtue of said Office, ex-Officio
supervisor Of registration in and TO. 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 move
ment. and subsequen .ly, upon the fusion 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 devised plans for
carrying the general election in the State Of
Louisiana on November 4. Is72, 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 advan-
tage of all the powers conferred upon him
by the acts of the General Assembly of the
State of Louisiana, numbered respectively
acts Nos. 80 and 100, approved March IT,,
1870, and known as the registration and
election laws of 1870. s-s----,-- s-.
HOW THE DEAD MEN VOTED.
That, in furtherance of his scheme. lie
caused a careful compilation to be made Of
the lists OF deceased male persons over
twenty-one years of age, who had died since
the close of the registration in 1870, which
lists were required by law to be furnished
to him by the sections of the various ceme-
teries in the parish of Orleans. and that
said lists, 80 compiled, were carefully col
lated with the registration books, and the
registry number and the election precinct
in which the deceased was registered we're
noted. That, instead of carrying out to
the full letter the provision of section
seven of the registration law above re-
terred to, he caused to be erased from
the lists of registered voters only the
names of such deceased electors as were
well known in this community, and in cases
iwhere the deceased was an obscure person
age Ia majority of the whole number being
composed of such), he caused to be made
ont a duplicate registration certificate in
his name, the same to be retained and used
at the general election as hereinafter set
forth. That fer this purpose he caused to
be printed fac-similes of the blank forms OF
duplicate registration certificates used in
1870, which were d different style of type
from those intended to be used in 1872, in
order to have them filed up with the names
of deceased electors as above stated. That
the number of duplicate certificates so filled
up for the purpose aforesaid was $50, all of
which were voted for the Fusion candidates
in the city OF New Orleans.
FRAUDULENT PAPERS OF 1870.
He further says tha. to hi. knowledge a
large number OF certificates of registration
had been Issued. in 1870, in the names OF
fictitious persons; that he CAUSED a careful
examination of the books of registration to
be made, and OF othar records and memo
raIdas in his possession, to ascertain the
fraudulent registres, and also made efforts
to ascertain i'll whose possession such pa
pers in the names OF fictitious persons were,
and that he obtained possession of some
1000 OF such, and in relation to such of said
papers as he could not obtain possession of,
tho following course was pursued: When
ever he ascertained that they were
in the hands Of persons belonging
TO the Republican party, he then and
during re registration, caused the said fictitious
names to be erased from the registry lists
as fraudulent; but in all cases where he as
certained that such papers We're in the pos
session of persons IN the interest of the
Fusion party, he instructed the assistant
supervisors of registration not to erase
such fictitious names from the books, in
cases where he had confidence in those Off
GERS; but in cases where he had reason to
suspect the fidelity of any assistant super
visor to the Fusion cause, or to believe that
any of them would not assist in or abet
such manipulaticls. he prohibited them
from making any erasures whatever, re
serving that work for himself, or assigning
i to some confidential clerk or confidential
agent whoih he could implicitly trust.
CoLoRED VOTERS STRICKEN OFF.
Deponent further says that he also in-
,tructed assistant supervisors OF Tegistra
ion in the parish OF Orleans that whenever
hey found upon the registry OF 1870 names
If persons making their marks (Xl, and
to be negroes, and not known per-
onally to them, to procure two persona,
registered voters in their respective wards,
% prepare list of such names and make an
that they "had reason to believe !
md did believe that the persons named
herein were not residing IN the ward on
he tenth day preceding the election, and
he assistant supervisors were directed TO
rase from the lists OF voters all names put |
iown in said ailidavits; and this was done, |
although the law made it the DUTY OF the |
Board Of Metropolitan Police Commission
Ps to cause a. canvass of the city of New
orleans, and prescribed that the names of |
uch persons as should be reported by them |
IS mot found only should be stricken |
rom the registry list. Such atfidavi:s were |
made, and resulted in the exclusion of 2472 |
egally registered colored voters from the |
'oils in the city Oh the day of election.
HINDRANcEs TO REGISTRATION.
Deponent further says that in order to |
nnoy and hinder colored men in register |
ng, he instructed the assistant supervisors |
D throw every possible obstacle in the way |
f the United States supervisors of election |
nd deputy marshals appointed to repre- |
ent the Republican party, such as refusing !
hem access to the books. or permission to
emain behind the railing, etc; and the as |
istant supervisors were further instructed |
hat whenever any considerable number of |
egroes were waiting for registration they |
hOuld raise some frivolous objection to the
ction of the United States officials, and
efnse to submit to the requirements of the
q forcenent acts, which conduct frequently
asulted in the arrest of assistant super
isors and the closing of their offices some
mes for the entire day, large numbers Of
oters being thus deprived OF registration
sTUFFrNG THE BOXES.
Deponent further says that in each ward
{ the city of New Orleans he employed
ersons whom he intended to appoint com