New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-29
The Conservative Pre,ext.

w len MtU DOLBY LUdC li-N o."
rebels. who DEFY their government and a..
il. laws, they make i. absurd for them 20
claim that the are merely defending cheir
legal rights The CONSERVATIVES" OF Lou-
isiana boldly avow their intention to resort
60 armed revolution. %. indeed, they have
done once this wear already, and We there
fore care iit:.s for .hs preteJts which they
A!ie2e. A man who - cApab Of resorcny
90 rebellion in this free country il abua.
dainty cspAhi. OF telling any nuMoes o:
lies, if lies are necessar,v 10 afford him y-e.
text. The Conservative committee. CON.
boset: Of three men. publishes declaration
that certain persons have been duly elected.
and in the list are seyenty-Ons COnAesvA-
siyes and thirty seven Republican caldl.
dates for the legislature. We have 20
hesitancy whatever in declaring that these
pretended :eturss are false ana fraudulent.
and will give excellent reasons Tor 'he oelis1.
First. these is hu. one body lawfully al.
fhorized TO deeide upon the correctness OF
election returns ia Louisiana, namely. She
Returning Board We have precisely "a
much right ou,selves % declare the resul:
of ,he election in tina. State A. any party
committee hA.. !f:. he claimed that the
Returning Board may os guilty OF fraud,
we reply that II 10 a. least - likely shat .
eommit.ee OF Conservatives who have ii
ready detiaI all law by AIMED Ee.o.ut:o.,
NAV be guilty Of fraud.
Ia, the e!vcum.t saces make :c very lA1ch
more likely. As every candid man who con-
! elders ste:a will admit. Foe this Returning
| Board knows full well sha: ac0maittee
| COMPOSED Of .2e;2berS vino have never been
| known to tavog party az The expense OF
truth WAS appointed by Congress come days
| axo to visit IoUisians and 20 invest: gate
| shi. case. TIE board knows that |: il 10
I guilty of any ~ iuss OF improper decision ic
I 10 Sap al IN RannhlJparA nj
! ana whom Congress comes 70 pa-s upon the
| report Of eue. committee. Il 10 Utte@iy
! unreasonable therefore. 20 presume. with.
/ out ether proof chan che assertions Of .
| party committee, that this board is guilty
! Of fraud. On che contrary. the fact that the
! party committee has net dared to wait fos
! the arrival Of 80 coAspicuousiy fair an in
vestigatn2 committee from Congress 10. 60
our mind. strong proof THAT they know
! that they have 10 csse that wiz besr iDyes-
ti2stisn.
! The facts already known Prove East che
I Conservative s-aremeE: is in all probability
7 utterly false. ~h>tsvef else may be erue.
Louisiaca had in 1870 .: white inhsbitsn.s
I 362,OG5 and oS soiovd inhabitants 36A1lS.
It 10 wei! known that there are thousands
Of Whiss- Republicans IL cha: State. Sni
! that the solsrea voters there are more
| nearly united "a Republicans than are ehs
| white votsrs ss Conservatives. To suppose,
| then, that 3G2, ,G65 whites elrcSed seventy.
one members and 36s2lo eolored person,
elected only thirty sex eA members. is utterly
absurd. except upon sbe theory Chat in some
/ locSlities the colore6 yocsrD we're 80 COM
pieteiy deprived Of freedom Of choice. eithe.
by force. teas or xrand. OF To- Gender the
| vote OF those localities utterly illegal. The
Returning Board, on Shs Othev hand. .ndl
thus far fo.ty-six Conservstivs and forty
seven Republican members-~a result which
aceOrde closely with the known stren9-s o.
tue opposing elements. Indeed. eve years
ago. when yeturns 50 grossly fyaudu.en,
! were made on both ai.es that. a. . evn
| gressional committee found. !: was abso
Iutely impossible % determine which party
really had the majo.i-v the Conservative
! even then did not claim 20 have carried
more than tLizt:-;hres ~: Of tie dfty.seys,
parishes.
There is every reason, therefore. 70 ;e
!,eye that tEei. returns this gear have beei
even more shaneiess!y fraudulent. and thu
far We look in vain tor any proof o! simiia
frauds On the Reprblcsa s;da. The Con
servat;yes do. however. assert tha. the Re
.urnin, Board has ~rongfuily decided no
70 accept returns from nine parishes. and |:
I refer them TO tLe Legislature: but il j. Q
record that Of those h!ne parishes. five
namely. Ascension. Carroll. Concordia. Re.
River and st. Vammanv. gave Rerub!lca:
;naiorities two years age according 20 bot
sets Of returns: that four. namely. Assumr
ton, Avoyelles. Bossier and Natchi:ochei
:hen gave Republican majorifies accordin
to the Republican returns. and Democrat
| msjorit!es according to the Consecva,;v
| returns: and, finally, that there i. an owe,
| whelmins majority Of colored inhabisant
in all those parishes except Ayoye!iea an
st. Tammany. and in all except Red Rive,
| which did not exist in 1879. there were
| according to the census. only 1888! white
and ;,,7is colored persons. Manifestly tn
the Conservatives have returns which prt
} tend tha. these parishes hare elected Cor
. servatives-that the 3iN0(s whites hay
| outvoted the j,.O0o blacks! We do n
wonder that the board has doubts about i
Here the Louisiana case may rest. l. a
J armed rebellion attempts to carry int
effect the mar;testly fraduien. claims of tn
=, Conservative committee. we hope it will
SO suppressed that the country shall uey;
. lear q anotHec.-S.. Ls"is DeN.c.r..
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