New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-04

bonded debt of the State was created in two
years by the Democratic Legislature Of 1866
large portion Of the present oppressive
city debt has been created under Democratic
administration. Divided upon all othel
questions, split up into five or six differen,
factions, each with a distinctive title, the
Democracy OF Louisiana are united on { We
points-a desire to get control of all the
offices of the State, and wish TO exclude
the cOlOred people from the rights conferred
upon them by the constitution OF the cOun
Try. Upon these two points they are q
terrible unit.
The second charge brought against me
by my opponents ia that was not elected
to the position hold. Mr.. Mars commit.
tee, in their recent address attempt to for.
tify that assertion by extracts from the cen.
sus of 1870, showing a small excess of white
over cOlored males over the age of twenty.
one. The whole force Of the argument is
destroyed at once by the fact. which
Mr.. MARI designedly or accidentally
fails to mention, that the same cen
sus shows that there are nearly $1,000
alien males over the age of twenty-one in
this State. who are Of course disqualified
from voting. Deduct these $4,000 aliens
from the total of white citizens claimed for
the Democracy. deduct also the 5000 or
10000 known white Republicans and add
made citizens by the war-and the census
argument establishes larger excess Of Re.
publican over Democratic voters in this
State than even the Republican party claim.
There are two other points that may be
mentioned in this connection. First, that
there are large number of colored men in
this State so nearly white as to pass for
white, and who were doubtless so classed
by the census enumeratOrs; and, secondly,
a., %I1u I>o, TO-
continues, steady immigration of col
ored people to the fertile, alluvial lands
of this State from other Southern
States. The assertion that the Republican
party was divided at the last election may
be passed by with the single comment, that
it Is not true. Governor Warmoth and
Messrs McMillen and company may have
carried over their own votes to the Fusion
camp, and probably did so. but they took
nothing else: and for every vote they car
ried, at least a corresponding number of
honest Democrats refrained from voting the
Fusion ticket. disguised with the unholy
alliance on which it was based. Governor
Warmoth was wanted by the Fusionists,
not because it was believed he could
bring over to them any appreciate
number of Republicans. but because it
was believed he could SO use the then
existing registration and election laws as to
prevent the Republicans carrying the State.
or, failing in that, could so disguise and
change the result through the manipulation
of the returns as to make it appear that
the Fusion candidates were elected.
Mr.. McEnery and myself were the only
candidates for the GOvernorship. We both
stumped the State; especially went into
nearly every parish, making the first thor
Ough Republican canvass ever made in
Louisiana. It was we'll known throughout
the State that / represented the Republican
party and the national administration, and
that all my antecedente had been Republic
an. IN my canvass advocated Republican
principles, pure and simple, defending the
reconstruction acts of Congress, the four
teenth and fifteenth amendments and their
legitimate reaults. On the other hand Mr..
McEnery was we'll known a. the infcxible
opponent of the cOlOred man. 1t was well
known that as q member OF the Legislature
of 1865, 1866 and 1867 he had supported the
vagrant laws SO obnoxious TO the colored
people; that he had opposed the fourteenth
amendment and had supported the several
acts passed by that Legislature discrimi-
mating against the colored people. In short,
that his official record had shown him cspa-
bic OF expressing the colored man when
ever opportunity offered, and Of reducing
hin again to virtual slavery. IL it likely
that the colored people voted for Mr.. Nc
Emery. When I was nominated for
Governor the conservative papers in
many instances spoke apprOyingly OF my
nomination, and warmly commended the
course had pursued in the Senate ia ad.
vancins the material interests OF the State.
The New Orleans Picayune editoriaily said
that 1.-THE nomination OF Senator Kellogg
was a source of qualification to all good
citizens and, though the whole strength
HIx,<
against me, their own returns show that !
ran far ahead of my ticket.
The question as to whether Mr.. McEnery
or myself was elected Governor Ut this
State is one that have several times pro-
posed to submit to arbitration. When the
suit brought in the United States Circuit
Court was still pending, offered through
my counsel, Mr.. William II. Hunt, a South
ern man and one Of the foremost lawyers at
the bar of this State, that the returns
should be submitted to five prominent and
disinterested citizens. two to be chosen by
each side and the fifth by the four, and I
proposed to abide by tho result Of their
decision; but this proposition was declined.
I am prepared to show before any compe-
tent tribunal that portion of the returns
upon which Mr. McEnery bases his claims are
fOrgeries manufactured in this city. ain
able now to produce the judicial officer be-
fore whom a portion of the blank tally lists
and returns were swOrn-tO be subsequently,
filled up here in this city, and palmed off
upon the public as the genuine returns Of
an election held in strong Republican par
ishes far distant from this city. Even Sena
tor Carpenter, in his speech in the Senate
on the fourth OF March, said, ~ do not
think McEnery was in fact elected, though
the returns show that he was" hold my
self now ready to impeach the returns
relied upon by the Fusion boards as altered,
defaced and IN some instances forged out
right. charge moreover, that the returns
from Iberville, St. James, Terrebonne, st.
Martin and other Republican parishes were
thrown out by the Fusion returning boards
for no just reason, but because they gave
myself and the Republican ticket a heavy
majority; and assert that by the genuine
returns, counting the votes actually cast l
and upon this issue AIN ready to stand or
fall.
The State constitution provides that in
November next there shall be an election
for Congressman. State Legislature, and
various State and parish officers. The
present election law is substantially the
law passed during the last administration,
in the interests of the conservative citizens
OF the State, but which Governor Warmoth,
at the request of the Fusionists, refrained
from signing until after the election,
in order that he might use in their be-
half the much greater powers conferred
upon him by the old law, whose repeal
they had, previously to their alliance with
him so urgently demanded. Under the old
law-.he law under which the Fusionists
conducted the last election-the ballot
boxe. were removed from the polling places
to the offices OF the supervisors Of election
and were counted wherever and whenever
the supervisors pleased. without any ade-
quate supervision. Under the new law the
ballots must be counted openly at the
polls. Immediately after the election, in