Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1874-12-27
DISPATC HE'S.
BY Overland Telegraph.
ESPECIAL. TO THE DAILY sESrINEI.1
Report Of the Returning Board In
the Louisiana Election Eases
Desperate ARRAY la illinois,
Miscellaneous.
NEW ORLEANS. Dec. 2S.

NEW ORLEANS. Dec. 2S.
The Returning Board has made a
statement. the points of which are as
follows: The election was conducted
very loosely by the Commissioner of
Elections in registration matters; tally
sheets and reports to the Supervisors
and the Returning Board returns were
carelessly gotten up by the officers.
who sometimes eve failed to swear to
them. The board has had to compile
returns from $50 polls, and has worked
v a month for nine hours daily to
accomplish the work. The disputed
cases had been deferred till the last
board had adopted a rule that when
tia Supervisors had returned any evil
dence showing an election was held,
although it be only II tally sheet or
sworn to, that in the absence of any
evidence of fraud or intimidation.
it would compile the vote as
shown by such evidence or docu-
ment, if it might be called evidence.
This decision disposed of a good
many protests to reception POLLS, but
when the substantial forms OF law had
not been observed and the evidence of
fraud or intimidation was produced,
the failure to subStantiate in compliance
with the forms of laws was considered
as evidence of frauds, and the polls
were rejected. This jus. rule they adj.
hered strictly to in several cases. which
they cite. In regard TO some of these
they say the general facts prove that
about May, 1874, a military organiZa-
ton known As the White League was
established in this STATE, which extend
ed to every parish in the State and
every neighborhood. The object of
this organization waste prevent colored
men from voting unless they could be
controlled to vote the Democratic ticket,
and prevent them from holding office,
and further, to compel Republicans
holding office under the present STATE
government to abdicate their offices
and to prevent the Republican parry
in this State from organizing, with a
view OF concentrating their party at the
late election. and expel White Republic
ans from the State unless they would
desist from organizing the Republican
party in this State and withdraw from
he active support of that party.
The means taken by the White
Leagues to accomplish the above pur-
pose are shown TO have been threats
that il colored voters did not vote the
democratic ticket they should be en-
PEELED from the plantations OH which
they were farming; be deprived OF
their crops and excluded from renting
lands hereafter or being employed,
and deprived of rations or credit to OBJ
tain them, and leading colored men
threatened with death if they persisted
in organizing the Republican party.
White Republicans were threatened
with personal violence and proscrip-
ton and with hanging if they persisted
in organizing the party. This organi-
zation in armed bands in many par
ishes in the State carried their threats
Of personal violence into effect by kill
ing some Republicans, whipping and
i'll treating others. and compelling par
ish officers, holding office under the
present State government to abdicate
their offices. This was particularly
the case in all the Red River parishes.
These acts Of violence were clear vio-
lations of the State and Federal laws
and would subject the perpetrators
to imprisonment in the p~enitentiary.
In several parishes the Board was
compelled to throw out the whole bal
lot because intimidation was so APP
parent and overwhelming. When the
friends Of a political party such as the
White League organization shall clearly
and generally violate the laws of the
country, to control an election in their
interest. it is but just and proper that
when they are shown to have brought
such acts to bear on an election that
they should not be permitted to profit
by il, and such is the intention of the
law. The Board, however, only ex-
cludeG from the count those polls
where Intimidation was clearly roven
1t appears this violation of law changed
the result OF the election in favor of the
Democrats. In g case exclusion
therefore of these ballots was invaria-
bly, in tavor of the Republicans. There
was no proof of the alleged presence CT
troops at the polls in Natchitoches
parish where the Democrats assert
they were inundated, but even if
proved it would not be in violation of
the United States laws; for the troops
were only there, if at all. to arrest per-
sons charged with violation OF the
L nited States laws. This is not intim-