New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-01-03

Conceivable hlnC-IIcEhtiy 0ChL I ,
in Eall0On-A Fair statement.
fCompiled for the REPUBLICAN from Statistics, Re
turns and Anidavits By John E. Leet.l
PREVIOUS ELECTIONS.
The State election in 1868, an d the State
election in 1870, are the only criteriOns OF
which we can airly avail ourselves IN any
attempt to ascertain the approximate
strength of the two parties. The late
Horace Greeley proved to the satisfaction
of the country that the presidential cleo
ton in the fall of 1868 was farce IN Lou
isiana; that it was bathed IN blood, and
was more like d battle than peaceful
choice of rulers.
ELECTION IN 1868.
Nobody ever denied that the election in
the spring of 1868, under military auspices,
was fair and impartial, so far as it ex-
tended. The regular Republican candi-
date for Governor then received 6i,9Ol
votes. almost all colored. His opponent,
also Republican, was supported by the
bulk of the white Republicans, by the
Democrats, and by large number of col
ored Republicans, but only pOlled 38,Ol6
votes. Regular Republican majority $3.50
Many colored men in some parishes, and
many white men in others, did not vote at
this election. Total vote lO2,9H.
ELECTION IN 1870.
Wamoth, who conducted this election,
says it was fair Total vote, l06,Sl7. Du-
buclet, Republican candidate for Treasurer,
received s., 647. Blair, Democrat, received
fl 10. Dubuclets majority, 2l,40.
1t has been charged, but never proved,
that frauds were perpetrated in some OF the
parishes at this election, not upon Demo
srats but upon one class of Republicans by
Il ~, hn fiat "a m
Tie Legislature.
It has also been charged, but never
proved, that in New Orleans frauds were
berpetrated upon the Democrats.
1t has been charged and proved, on the
other hand, that in at least a dozen parishes
thousands OF cOlOred men were inundated
from voting. The colOTed population Of
Caddo, BOssier and st. Landry is, accord
ing to the United States census, SOB. ES-
timating one in every five as Il voter, there
were in these three parishes 1872 col
ored voters, but tho returns show
that only 1852 Of them voted. The
fact that over five hundred col
ored men were murdered in these three
parishes only two years previously for try
ing to vote, explains why almost 5000 of
them desisted from voting in 1870. This
rrfmucr Of intimidated voters is sufficient OF
itself, without going any further, to eoun-
terbalance any possible frauds committed
in favor of the Republicans III New Orleans.
We are thus warranted in the inference that
Dubuclet's majority OF 2l,41I Is not more,
but really much less, than the actual Re
publican majority in the State would have
been with full, free and fair election.
THE WORK TO BE DONE.
The Democrats at the late election setout
to overcome an established Republlcan
majority in round numbers of $4,000, con-
sisting mainly Of cOlored men, not 100 Of
whom could be induced, by fair means,
either to remain away from the polls vote
the Democratic ticket. no attempt was
made to convert the colored voter The
whole Democratic campaign was denuncia-
tive of the negro and Il class appeal to the
whites. The cOlOred vote was sOldly con-
coded to the Republicans, and every effort
was directed to polling the white vote tor
the Democratic ticket.
WHAT THE CENSUS SAYS.
Just here the census interyenes and de-
clares II would be impossible to carry the
State against the colored vote on this plan
without the aid of fraud. All inaccuracies IN
the last census are favorable to the whites.
This is shown by comparison with the re-
port of 1860. Everybody supposed the de-
yastating war had decreased the white and
increased the colored population, until the
recent census declared the opposite result.
4
colored family in the rural districts was
omitted in the enumeration, which still re-
pOrts 1854 2l0 coOred to 3d., O65 whites in the
State 4 colored majority in population,
of 2ll5. If we admit that one IN five OF the
colored population is voter, there are, ac-
cording to the census, 71,Sl2 cOlOred voters
in the State.
The same ratio of one III five would give
lis almost as many white voters. But there
is a material difference IN the two races.
According to. the census there are SU,9l0
foreigners in the State, of whom very
large proportion are men, and OF natlonai-
ties who do not readily become citizens.
From any estimate of the white vote at
least twelve per centum must he deducted
for unnaturalized foreigners. Besides this,
1he ratio Of males to tie ColOrcd Is larger
than it is to the white population, from the
fact that previous to the war sugar and
cotton planters exclusively imported male
slaves from the border States. In some
marshes tie excess of coored men is noto-
rious. The ratio of one III nine is therefore
generally used to ascertain the legal white
vote. This would MAKE i0E@. COlOred
majority 32,6l3
THE WHITE REPUBLICAN VOTE,
There are no means Of ascertaining the
exact number of white men IN the State
who voted tor Kellogg. In each country
parish there were from 30 TO 300. In Iberia
alone it is not, eau not be DENIED, lhdJ up
ward of 500 white men, heretofore Demo
Gratis. voted for him and the entire ticket.
In the city the German votes, over 1000
strong, were cast chiefly for Kellogg. Be
sides, there were large Republican clubs OF
various other nationalities which supported
him. The Democrats charge that 1000 OF
5000 place holders and employees under the
city and (, deral governments worked Tor
him On all sides it is admitted that very
large number of property holders, mer-
chants and bankers voted for him. Ills
friends claim that he received Throughout
the State not less than 1900 white votes.
CoLoRED MAJORITY ACTUALLY REGISTERED.
A statement of the number of voters reg
istered M to the day of closing the regis
tratiou. taken from the books of WarmOth's
Den &c lie State supervisors 10y the fed
eral s yisorS OF registration, which IN
Clu.l. cry parish in the State except
forr. .-- the two races are about equal
show registered colorcd majority OF
10000 cIs if we allow q white majority
OF 10HvJ in New Orleans, in spite Of al the
devices to prevent them from registering
which succeeded so signally in several
parishes.
SUMMING TT.
Vote for Governor in 1863
Total iht 81
Regular Republican ...............F...-.. ti.Jo!
Boilers ana Democrats. 5000