New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-15


statement of votes now on file with the
Returning Board, and found that the said
tally sheets and statement do not now rep
resent the condition of the vote cast at the
said poll; at the election held for Repreeen-
tatives to the General Assembly .. L. Col
Inns received IS votes, and Floyd ~; they
have been changed SO q GO make 1t appear
that Floyd received 50 votes, and Collins 10
There is no doubt that the board will
give due consideration to these affidavits,
and make fair disposition Of the fetufns
from St. Helena. .a...
It has been suggested by good Repub-
lican. who is opposed TO the perpetratioh OF
election frauds by either party. that posi-
bly, the changes said to have been made in
the returns from St. Helena parish since
they came into the hands Of the Returning
Board may have been fixed up before that
time; that, in fact, this .nay be Q Demo-
cratic trick to create an impression in the
public mind prejudicial to the Returning
Board.
While we will not say that the sugges-
tion is correct, we do think it is just as pos
sibbe that Democrats may do wrong as
Republicans, and we do not propose to
shield individuals of either party who COIN.
init crimes to further their own ends.
Mr.. Zacharie also fled affidavits Of }. II.
Levy, G. 7. Hsupt and, II. j. Fische, lately
employed by the board as clerks, rejecting
upon gentlemen also employed as clerks;
| but az these gentlemen are entitled to
hearing before they are condemned, we de-
cline to follow fhe example set by some Of
our contemporaries it, publishing these affi'
dayits.
The Democratic press has been making
extraordinary efforts to create the impress
sion that the election returns, since they
have come into the hands Of the Returning
Board, have been manipulated. We be-
lieve it has not directly, or even by infer
ence, charged that any member OF the
board has been privy to any such acts, but
that the clerks having the documents in
charge have done it or been accessory 20 it.
The clerks were selected from both
political parties, and after the main part OF
the work was done the board discharged all
but four of them. retaining two Of each
party, gentlemen of good standing.
The first case of manipulation which WAS
detected was in the returns from st. James
parish. In this case 100 votes had been
| added to those of certain candidates. which,
however. did not change the result of the
election of any Of the parish or district
officers. All the parish and district candi-
dates Of the Republican party had been
elected by large ms;orities in this parish;
80 it could not have been any one in their
interest who did it. However. it was i'm.
mediately corrected by the board when
detected.
It is now rOntended that the returns from
the parish of st. Helena have been changed
60 as to elect Floyd over Collins to the
House Of Representatives in that parish.
The evidence is before the board, aud if it
establishes the fact the board will. no
doubt, unhesitatingly correct it.
Another case is that Of the returns from
Sabine parish, where it is charged they
have been 60 changed as to elect Smith over
Self to the House. Both these candidates
are Democrats. In this parish there were
but two Republican votes cast. If the
fraud charged is established the board Vs|l
certainly correct it.
The other case is from Carroll parish. 1t
is charged that the returns were manipu-
lated to elect Benham over Gla for the
Senate. Both these parties are Republicans,
and 90 far az party action is concerned, 1t is
utterly immaterial which one is elected.
Certainly the board nor any Of it's members
had any interest in the matter, and II the
evidence satisfies the board Of any fraud il
will be corrected.
If there bas been any changing of returns
at any time. doubtless the board, when the
| fact is established, will correct it.
The afiidavits of the discharged clerks,
submitted to the board to day, do not prove
any fraud in any one, but are intended to
| create the impression that from certain acts
of one of the discharged clerks there might
| have been fraud, and that the chief clerk
held the receipts of the Auditor for the re-
turns locked up in the vault, and could
| have Withdrawn them if he desired to do
so: but there is NO proof that he did so. ex-
cent "a REQUIRED for the action Of the board.
1t may be proper to renark here that had
those discharged clerks made known the
facts and circumstances contained in their
afidavits at the time they occurred, and
before they were discharged, it woaid have
looked better, and carried with it moro
torce; but 70 wait some eighteen or twenty