New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-10-20
ABOUT REGISTRATION.

We mentioned in our edition OF Sum
day morning that in about dozen par
ishes nothing was known respecting the
work OF registration. We now propose
to state more specifically what we have
been able to gather touching the progress
OF registration. .....
Nothing is known in the Office Of the
State registrar of voters as to what is
being done in the following parishes:
Cadda, Calcasieu. Carroll. Cameron. Cata'
houla, De Soto. Grant. Jackson. Living :
s.on. Natchitoches, Eichland. Sabine.
Vernon and VIM. We here have four
teen parishes. containing according to the
United States census nearly twenty-five
thousand (24.G92) male citizens over
twenty.one years Of age: a number equal
to nearly one.sixth Of the voting popula-
ton of the entire State. The parish OF
Vernon having been created since the
census was taken. is not included in the
above figures.
4 careful examination Of the census re-
turns shows that there are nearly sixteen
hundred (l578) more colored citizens
above twenty-one years. in the parishes
named. than there are whites. Six Of the
parishes above named show a majority OF
ffty-six hundred colored voters. Now. in
view Of the above facts, how does it hap
pen that nothing is known by the State.
registrar as to the progress Of registration
in SO many parishes? Registrars have
been appointed for all the parishes in the
State, but many who were appointed de-
clined to qualify; others having qualified,
were either murdered, run out of the par
ish, or declined to undertake the task Of
in view of the risks incurred,
and the general reign of terror inaugur-
ated by the White League Democracy.
The registrar of DeSoto parish was
the books Of Sabine parish
were stolen; the registrar of Winn parish
deemed it unsafe to stay there, and so
came to town. It is reported that regis
tration is going on at Natchitoches par
sh, but whether by a duly qualified per-
son, is not known. And the same remark
will apply to some other parishes in the
State. The reason of this is that as soon
IS the Governor learned that the person
appointed declined to qualify, blank COM
To ha Glad oy,tx NTH |
he name of whoever could be found to
Undertake the work Of registration with
ii its risks. The result is that instead of !
he registration Offices being open for |
ixty days. as is repaired by law, a great |
many of them will not be open half of |
hat time. When all the facts touching
his matter are at hand, we shall be able |
o see to what extent the White League |
movement has controlled the election.
One thing is clear and certain. If the
Democracy we're in decided majority
n this State, there would be no ne
essity for them to resort to murder,
hreats and intimidation to enable
hem to outvote the Republicans.
n view of the frauds practiced by the
Democracy IN 1872, it is useless to refer
o the election of that year, but careful
and comparison Of the census
f 1870 with the registration and election
eturns of that year discloses the fact that
here is nearly sixteen thousand (15,62Sl
lore colored men than there are white
! the State. And it must not be
,rgotten that there is probably not less
IAN three thousand colored men in the
tate whose complexion is light enough
" them to be classed as white men,
hereby giving majority of not less than
ghteen thousand colored voters. 1t is
ell understood that ninety-nine per cent
the colored men vote the Republican
cket. Now, let us admit for moment
lat there are only six thousand white men
the State that are Republicans, that will
i've us twenty-four thousand majority fol-
lie Republican party in this State.
To be a little more explicit, here are
me of the figures, the study Of which
e commend to the Democracy. hoping
icy may be able to wrestle with them
lccessfully. The United States census
1870 shows that there were in this
ate ia, 1877 males twenty-one years of
e and upward, of which number 159,O0l
ere citizens; the remainder, Is, 1885, must
be aliens. Now, in order to
certain what proportion the males of
,enty-one years and upward bear to the
tire population is simple rule of three:
e. if 1868 (the entire population of
c State) gives us 159,00l males twenty I
e years of age and upward, how many
Ill 1000 give? The answer is 22l, leaving
t fractions. In other words, in every {
90 of the population there are 221 males ;
enty-one years of age and upward. APP {
ying this rule to the colored population, {
yes US So,4it colored voters, and when
piled to the white population gives US !
,002, from whiclrare to be deducted the !
1856 alters, which leaves Ga, S16 white 6
liens. Tie case then stands thus
lored Citzena over twenty-One. 80, 444
lite citizens over twenty one. .......... 6f3io
Total voters by the census...............I;Jl 100
Now let US turn to the registration ,
cords Of 1868, the first complete regis :
alton since the war. What do we find? g
ne hundred and forty-six thousand three
inbred and ninety-eight were registered
lis was two years before the census, and