The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1874-09-30
Communicated

on the French side, there appears
owe the signature of i. FOntelieu,
what purpOrts to be All answer TO
certain remarks previously made
in reference to q refusal Oh his
part to permit the United Stated
Supervisor to make a list OF those
registered prior to his appoint.
ment, and entry upon The duties
of his Office.
do not kuOE why Mr.. FUute.
lieu so persisteptly refuses 10 pes
init Mr.. Judice to make for the
people such list. He was frank.
y told that it was wanted for the
purpose of detecting those who
have fraudulently registered.
Many register as we have raSUt
TO believe, under false names aud
neither Mr.. Fontelieu nor any
other man can detect them by
looking at the registration book.
If q man registers rs John
Henderson from Sd Ward, can
Mr.. Fontelier or Mr., Judice BY
looking at that name, say and
prove Il to be y fraud, and that
no such man lives Is any man,
or Mr. FOntelieu and MIR. Judice
expected to know tho true name
aud residence Oi every negro in
the Parish
A list waS wanted by the
United States Supervisor, that
ii might be placed in the hands
Of twenty citizens, who would
20 into the different Wards and
fud out whether any frauds had
been committed, in order that
they might be corrected.
MI. Fontelieu ct ates in his an-
swer that two delegates from the
White League demanded that he
should make them a list. This
Is not correct. AT the request II
members Of the White League,
Mr.. Alcibiade Judsce, United
States Supervisor, wished aud
demanded the right to make such
a list. Mr.. FOntelieu was not
asked to make 4 list, but 10 allow
one to be made by the United
States 5upos visor. lie vas not
asked By the White League, but
by the United States Supervisor.
Mr.. Fontelieu quotes a para
graph of instructions to show
that it il not his duty TO make
such list. The quotation is not
from the law BY which he should
be guided, but from a pamphlet
of instructions prepared by q
committee of Radicals in the in~
teregt Of the Radical party.
In truth, tue registration books
are the property Of the parish,
and any one has the right to iu.
spect them and make lists fIom
them.
An Act OF Congress providing
for the purity of elections makes
it the right aud duty of the
United States Supervisors to pro.
vide and prepare lists in certain
contingencies.
It is an inherent right of the
people, and whether the law
specially requires that Mr. Fon-
telieu should make such lists or
permit them to be made, is mat.
Ter Of no Importance. Il was
clearly his duty not to refuse to
allow Mr.. Judice to make such
list.
AS Register Mr.. FOntelieu is
bound tn use every effort TO So.
cure q fair registration OF the
qualified electors of the Parish
and to prevent fraud. Is it nee
ossary that the law should say
so, in order to make it sof Ger
tainly not. But the law of regis
tratlon is full of clauses clearly
show Ia this to be his duty, pre-.
scribing penalties and punish.
ment both to those who fraudu.
lently register, aud to the Super.
visor committing such fraud.
The Law Of registration is too
long and there are too many sec.
tons devoted to this subject to
be quoted in this communication.
Readers are referred to the law
itself.
But suppose in order to make
this matter clear We should adj
init that no express law requires
Mr.. FOntelieu TO allow such list
TO be- made. Certainly no law
forbids 1t. 1t IL very clear to
every one that such u list made
ont By the United States Super.
visor, under tile supervision Of
Mr.. FoDtelieu ii he wished, could
not possibly do any harm. 1t
could only be used in the detec.
ton Of fraud, aud the bringing
Of peTjurers 10 punishment. II
Woul1 he an assistance to Mi.
himself in securing q
pure and correct registration.
And it IS the best way to detect |
Of parties WHO may impose
themselves upon the Supervisor
Of Registration aud OH the PEG
pie. But because he thinks tile
very letter OF the law does not
absolutely require him to permit
sGcll list to be made, he refuses.
Why, gentlemen OF Iberia,
lOes he refuseG / have never
charged him with any frand, but
believe that he ~ going
straight forward In his registrA.
ion. let, by refusing TO the
the nleaus Of detecting
,raud committed without his
,onnivance perhaps, does lls not
screen them, assist to defeat Il
air registration and election,
md make himself responsible
u what fraud may he committed.
Thus it appears TO us, Mr.. Fon
ellen surely caun0t be willing TO
ave himself stand IN such light
fft.A t.nasttn xrI.n,. H..