The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-11-24
THE RETURNING BOARD.

At about II O'Clock the Board was called to or
der, all the members present.
Mr.. Arroyo asked information as to the return
on the communication sent by the Secretary of
the Board, by the order Of the Board, to the
Commi ssioner Of DeSoto parish, requesting him
to send in his statement Of votes.
The Secretary reported that the letter had
been dispatched on Saturday, but that no answer
had been received.
No further action on the matter was taken,
the Board deciding TO allow further time for the
receipt of an answer.
The question of informalities in the several
wards Of the city was then taken up, and Mr.:
John Ray, of the Republican Committee, filed
his brief. which in substance took the stand that
the election law was passed to prevent fraud and
| secure fair exp, esson of the voice Of the peo-
ple that to this end certain formalities to be
complied with were laid down; that Il viola
ton of any of the fOrmalitles was evidence OF
fraud. and If allowed to stand. precedent for
the violation of all and that the Board was act
ing under the law and must see that all the pro-
visions OF the law were carried out.
In fact, the question was narrowed down to one
| Of technicalitles
| The document wound up with the following
STATEMENT
| &C Of the polls at which the forms of law We're not
complied with, an d the particulars In which the
| forms of law were not complied with:
| l Polls from which no list Of vo ers were re-
| q.
to was returned in four cases, leaving ia poi!s
| from which this list was not returned.
| Polls fron which the list of the names OF per-
sons voted for the offices for which they were
each, etc, were not signed by the commission
ers: Ward /, poll z; Ward 4, poll .; Ward 10,
poll2.
Polls from which the g list OF the names Of per-
sons voted for, ETC.. we're sworn to more than
| twenty-four hours after the election. Ward 2.
| nolls z 4 3 g. and IL.
Polls from which there was no lists of the per-
sons voting nor of the persons voted for, produc-
ed to the Returning Board, only the tally sheets
were sworn to- Ward 2, poll II: Ward 8, poll s
Ward IL, poll l ; Ward Is, poll 2, 4.
Polls from which lists OF the names of persons
voted for etc, were sworn to before the United
States Supervisors or Supervisors OF Elef ton,
persons not authorized to administer oaths
Ward Three. polls 2, 4, So, II, IA. IS; Ward
Four, polls l, 2. H., Z; Ward Five. poll 4; Ward
Six, polls l, 2, 5,6,7 Ward Nine, polls 4, 4;
Ward Ten, polls l, 2, 8, e.; Ward Eleven
Polls from which the list of persons voted for
were not pretended to be sworn to. Ward Three,
poll 3; Ward Five, polls l, 2, 6, Z; Ward Nine,
poll 5; Ward Ten, polls s, 9, 3; Ward Eleven.
polish, 7; Ward Twelve, polls 2, 3.
(NoTE.-The peculiar style and the grammar
of the above, is the committees own.)
1t will be seen that almost the entire vote Of the
city is questioned on the ground OF informally in
| the returns.
Ill
the committee as to the powers and duties OF
the Returning Board prepared by the Democra.
tic Committee, which has already been pub
lished.
The contest of Poll 5. Seventh Ward, was called
and Monette. the Radical commissioner, was
brought forward to the stand. Under formal
protest it was stated, and in his direct examina-
ton he stated that there was intimidation at
the poll, and that under this intimidation he
signed list of voters and statement OF voters.
In his cross-examination by Mr.. Zacharie, he
said that he knew Of no man that was entitled to
vote that had been prevented from voting that
he signed PROPER returns (shown to him) on the
Sd of November Of his own free will and accord
which we're deposited with the Secretary Of State
he believed them to be correct.
| (The papers signed voluntarily correspondent
with those signed, as alleged, under compulsion.
That he would not have signed after the close OF
the D. lis if not intimidated, because the list Of
voters was missing. That the intimidation COM
planned OF was loud talk on the streets.
The returns which the Board were in posses.
sion Of were compared with those turned IN t
the Secretary of State, and found to correspond
Bernard Lusto, Assistant Supervisor, said
that the poll was opened after the appointed
time, twenty minutes after o'clock; that there
was crowd of men at the poll that they made
a rush. and that the Commissioners were com
PEELED to receive votes before they were organ
lied that one man who was going out hunting
insisted on being allowed to vote, and was vlo
lent there was souie difficulty in finding biz
not allowed to vote until his name was found
and it was not through fear that they allowed
him to vote.
They kept no list of voters until half-past nine
o'clock, when Judge Solomon came in and fright
ened them so that they took man by the name
of ms to keep the list. Salomon had said i
they did not take Collins he would see about it
The poll-iist was kept until $50 O'Clock, when i
was destroyed and new one made By Monettt
and the Democratic commissioner. Ihls list wa
| o;o hafnr ba hOy wa A
list of voters was On hand, ana the names were
scratched as the parties voted. This list wal
placed in the ballot boy.
Mr. Leon HolZat, Democratic Commissioner
, said he was at the poll at O'Clock in the morn
ing, and that it was half-past before the other
commissioners came. That man who was
going hunting was rather impatient because his
name could not be found. He used no violence
or threats. Judge Solomon did not compe! thu
| commissioners to take Collins. He said there
must be a clerk, and suggested Collins tt
witness clerk, and witness accepted him
Monette administered the oath to Collins, ant
did not Object to it. Monctte chose clerk,
, man by the name of Dn art, and 1t was Du
parts fault that the that led to the deetruc
ton Of the first list and the making OF the sec
ond one was made There no intimidation
at all.
The box of this poll was sent for, and th'
printed list of voters found to tally with those
before the Board. The Board took the brief
} of the two committees under consideration. ant
after mature elaboration decided to ignore mere
technical informalities, and compile the vot
OF the city as canvassed. They will no doubt b.
promulgated to-day. After this recess wa
. taken until o'clock.
At O'Clock the Board re-assembled, and afte
canyassing the parishes Of Jefferson and st
Charles adjourned until II o'clock to-day.
MOUNT CARBON Coal, 1873 GRAvIEE STREET, u