New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-20

body yesterdsy, excepting Whist was accom-
| plished in executive session. Tho board
met a. usual, and after adopting the min.
utes of the previous day went into secret
session. during which time the contests in
the parishes of Red River, Natchitoehes
and Avoyelles were settled, and the returns
| Of those parishes ordered to be complied.
The board adjourned to inset again to-
| morrow ut eleven O'Clock.
Governor Wells yesterday submitted the
following reply to the protest of Mr.. Ar
| royo:
Hon. Oscar Arroyo. member OF The
board, has entered q protest against the
| decision of the board in the Carroll parish
I case, which the majority Of the board do
not think gives q full statement of the case,
| and it omits to give the grounds on which it
was decided. consequenJ a. owe deem it our
duty to place our decision and the reasons
! for it properly on record.
The supervisor of registration returned q
statement of the votes and the tally sheets
| from the several polls in this parish to this
board, in proper legal form, when they were
opened by the board and examined. Mr..
| Ola, Q Republican candidate for the Senate,
aud the attorneys for the Democratic party
! entered for objection to the returns sub
stsntislly two reasons:
1. That the election in this parish was not
| fair, free and peaoeable; that the voters
had been inundated, and forced to vote
/ contrary to their wish.
2 That the returns of the commissioners
| from the several polls made by tho super.
visor to this board were fOrgeries, or had
been changed.
Much evidence, in the shape of afiidavits,
! was filed in the case by the parties in in
/ terest.
A careful examination of the evidence on
! both sides satisfied US that the election wac
| fair, free and peaceable, and that on the
| day Of election there was nothing unusual
that affected the voters at any VI the polls
| that alluded to by Mr.. Arr"yO, at poll No.
! l, where it is charged that Benham, one OF
| the candidates for the Senate, intimidated
| voters and caused them thereby to vote for
| him. It is proved that Benham did
! procure colored voters TO change their bal
| lots but there ia NO such evidence as will
| Justify the conclusion that he exercised any
violeDcs or threats to induce them to do CO.
| At poll No. it is charged that the ballot
box was made 80 inaccessible that ballots
| had to be put on the ends Of canes to hand
them up tO the commissioners; this evil
xlence ia not sustained by the commission
era: even Mr.. Shaw. the Democratic CON-
! missioner at this box, does not cOrrobOrate
| this statement; but even it it were so, as
| commissioners of both political parties pre-
sided at this poll, aud there is no PROOF
that the ballots actually voted we're not put
| in the box, it can not invalidate the election.
The whole evidence satisfies US that up
| to and on the day of election there was no
| intimidation or other unlawful act that
SHOULD invalidate the election at any poll
I in this parish, but that the election was as
l fair, tree ana peaceable as usual, and that
the voters very generally exercised their
right to vote. There were $3.50 voters regis
I tered and 2263 voted. In fact, it is not at.
tempted to be proved that any one was
prevented from voting from any unlawful
| cause.
1t is clear that all was fair, free and peace
/ able up to the close Of the election in this
parish. If anything transpired to deprive
the voters Of this parish from having their
| votes properly returned and compiled, it
| was after the election; and under the law it
] power, to inquire into any such fraud, and, II
| found to exist, to ascertain the facts and
! make the proper correction and compilation.
I This the board proceeded to do. In the alb
| sence of intimidation or other acts that
1 would improperly influence the election on
I or before the day of election. the law au-
thorizes us to take evidence and even send
! for persons and papers where corrupt inau'
pnces have been used to offset the election.
turns comes under this head. Now, in can.
| wasting the returns under this authority, il
4 is the duty of the board TO ascertain the
I true state OF the vote, and to so compile 1t;
I not to reject it altogether, as Mr.. Arroyo
contends in his protest. Ii the returns
1 should be found TO have been changed they
are to be corrected SO as to chow the true
A. ho< III
jected.
tween Mr.. Benham and Mr.. Ola, both i
| publican candidates for the Senate, and
| both claiming to be regularly nominated
! There was, also, Democratic candidate
] for the Senate, Mr.. Brigham.
There is no evidence that the return
from poll tive had been. in any particular
changed.
/ There is no evidence there was any
changing of the returns of the commits
sioners from poll two. except as to Ben
ham and ella.
The evidence shove that the returns Of
the commissioners Of election, from polls
I one, three and four had been changed az
to the candidates for Treasurer, Congress
and Senate, and the real number of votes
received by each candidate are detailed IN
the evidence, but the change in the num
| Der Of votes for Treasurer and Congress
is too small to offset the result OF the
] election for either of these offices.
The evidence satifies the majority of the
board that the appended affidavit Of Mr..
BlOsch. United States supervisor Of election
tor that parish, appointed on. the recon
mendatiou Of the Democratic party. gives
| the true state of the vote between Mr.. Ben
han. and Mr.. ella. This testimony is sup
ported by the Democratic commissioners
at these three boxes. which stand as fol
lows:
| Benham. Ola
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