The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-10-16
ST. MARTIN PARISH.

The Supervisor Of Registrtiop, L. E. La
loire, is busy manufacturing record OF vlo'
lence and intimidation in the parish OF St
Martin, for the obvious purpose OF defeating
the registration of voters, and Of having the
election of its officers RENTED to the Return
ing Board of Elections. The plan is simple
one Upon manufactured efidavits OF vio-
lence and intimidation the vote OF st. Martin
is to be rejected as whole ; and the profitable
duty will then devolve upon the de .facto to ap-
point his creatures to all the offices in that
parish.
The following letter from Judge G. A. Four
net, of St. Martin, will enable the public to
set proper estimate on the kilograms OF the
above mentioned official:
BREAux BRIDGE, PARISH OF ST.. MABT1N, |
Oct. Sth, 1874.
Hon. R. H. Mari. New Orleans:
Dear Sir Several letters have already been
written to our friends in the city, exposing
the conduct of the Supervisor Of Registration
for this parish, MIR. Louis E. Laloire. So far
as he has proceeded in the work of registra-
ton, there has been the least disposition on
his part to deal with fairness and impartiality
towards the white people He has, in several
instances, registered negroes who did not re-
side in this parish, and on the mere oath OF
the parties, he has qualified as voters young
negroes, who apparently cannot be over II or
Is years of age, whilst he requires, in every
instance, the strictest proof Of competent age
for white applicants
The Supervisor had caused to be published
notices, which were posted in different por-
tons Of the parish, notifying the voters that
be would commence registration at Breaux
Bridge on the Sth inst. Trusting i'll these adj
vertisements, the white voters in and around
Breaux Bridge, which is situated fifteen miles
from the court house, failed to go to the latter
place in order to obtain their certificates of
registration, while we have been informed
that Lahore had notified the negroes, in an
underhand and secret manner, that he would
probably not open his Office at Breaux Bridge
at the time advertised, which proceeding
caused a large number Of negroes to go to
the court house and register.
To-day about 200 white voters, members OF
five clubs, came early to town in order to get
their certificates, and remained all day wait
ing in vain for the arrival of the supervisors
At 5 o'clock P. NJ, he had not yet opened his
Office, nor appeared in this locality; so that
all those men who had been compelled to re-
main in town whole day at great expense
and lost of time, went back home, great
number of them completely discouraged,
saying that they would not come back.
1t is proper here to state that the super
visor advertised that he would register, during
four days only in this precinct, which is, by
far, the largest one in the parish, containing
nearly 1000 voters
1t must also be remembered that Mr.. Laloire
kept his Office closed for more than two weeks
in St. Martinsville, when all the citizens
daily asked and requested him to open the
same; thereby having lost a large part Of the
time allotted for registration
We know not, nor does anybody else know,
how far this mans word can be trusted, and,
although be has promised to open his Office
in this and two other precincts, which are very
distant from and of difficult access to the seat
OF justice, the Conservatives here have every
reason to fear that they will obtain neither
fairness nor impartiality from him. The To-
calities where he has already registered con-
tain large majority of negro voters; and this
accounts for the registration to stand to-day
400 whites to 500 blacks, whilst this precinct,
the Bayou and Atchatalaya precincts and the
Junction precinct, contain a large majority of
white voters and it was on this calculation
that he based his action in thus allowing such
o limited time and in going to such delays for
the registration in these latter places.
l beg you will place these facts before the
Advisory board and demand a peremptory re-
moval Of Louis E. Lahore as Supervisor of
in this parish.
have the honor to be, most respectfully,
your obedient servant
GABRIEL A. FoURNET.