The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-11-28
THE SITUATION AT NEW ORLEANS.

w Vn1HAN0 OO1M4AN
THE SITUATION AT NEW ORLEANS.
| The bewildered reader of the dispatches
now dailv received from New Orleans will
thank us for explaining that it is peculiarly
of an election in Louisiana that the election
does not begin until the voting Is over and the
returns are received at the capital The laws
of that State were framed with the simple
purpose OF securing to Louisiana Republican
administration for all time. The choice of
officers is, therefore, vested in Q Returning
Board, which is a self-perpetuating body,
being empowered to fill all vacancies in its
membership. An appeal from its decision
| even to the courts is forbidden; for although
the election law casually refers to contest,
the Supreme Court of the State has expressly
decided that the returns shall not be adduced
to set aside the decision of the Board and the
certificate of the Governor.
| The Board is empowered to canvass the
whole vote and to throw out any portion of it
almost ad lbit,m: so that it is quite possible
tor candidate whose politics are approved
by the canvassers to be declared elected, al
| though he may not have received half as many
votes as his opponent Indeed the bogus
Returning Board OF 1872 went SO far as to do
this kind of work without the scrap of a re-
turn before them and thus it was that upon
partisan estimates and false afhdavits Kellogg
and his set came into power. 1t is the fear OF
preparation of some variation OF this rascaliy
trick that causes the present excitement
among the people of New Orleans. The Re
turning Board was until recently composed
entirely OF supporters Of the Kellogg Govern
ment.
Popular cIamor, not unmixed with threats,
caused the resignation of one member, and
the appointment ola Conservative in his place,
and by the same influence the Conservatives
secured the poor privilege of having COM
mittee present during those sessions OF the
Board of which they might have knowledge.
But these concessions may have no practical
effect nor would the appointment OF another
Conservative insure the McEnery party fair
play for there is a provision OF law which
makes minority powerless by authorizing
any three of the five members of the Board to
do the whole work. The majority may meet
privately, canvass the returns, and declare the
result without any consultation whatever with
the minority, and the signatures of the latter are
not necessary to give validity to the certificate
That the Conservatives are not without
grounds for suspecting their opponents OF a
deliberate purpose to count them out, IS
proved not only by the fact that such things
have been done again and again in Louisiana,
but by Developments Of a most startling ma
ture made since the late election. Without
going into detail, we may mention among
these developments the printing OF an I'M
mense number of Republican tickets; the
attempt to strike from the list Of voters sew
eral hundred names because they did not
appear upon the printed list OF registered
bvoters although they were upon the manu-
scriut list !: tie tampering with the returns
from ST.: James, Carroll and other parishes,
> the effect OF which would be to deprive the
, Conservatives O.; advantages fairly gained
, in the balloting; the intentional irregular.
tiles of Republican supervisors committed
with a view to the rejection OF the
vote of Conservative precincts; the whole
sale manufacture Of atfidavits alleging
intimidation as soon as 1t Was ap.
: parent that the Conservatives had carried
the State; and last, but by no meaEs least, the
! recent claims Of leading and unscrupuious
:, Republican politicians that they have tri.
umphed by ex.ravagant mnjorities, whereas
. thew at first admitted that their defeat was
: complete if not overwhelming. Fortunately
the Conservatives, knowing by sad experience
the tri ;hs of the kellogg party, in most IN
stances are not dependent upon the manipd
lated returns The United States supervisors
appointed to represent this party kept tall,
e lists showing exactly how the vote was cast
0 ana to these they are prepared to make ath
were discovered and rectitied, the Board pro
: badly deeming it prudent to yield when the
i discrepancy was unmis ,akably chargeable tt
the officers conducting the ele ;tion, they being
Republicans.
We are inclined to think that the evidence
of the vigilance Of the Conservatives will no
@ be lost upon the Returning Board. Nor vii
e their firm reformation to accept no mani
n festly partisan ruling be without effect upo1
r men who since the 14th of September hav
: been in constant terror OF the vengeance o
e an outraged people. AS an additional III
! centive to do right, we tender them IN du
= season a reminder that the whole country
e having been advised of their character ant
S purposes, is watching their proceedings witt
e much inter. st, and that if the late election
mean ANYTHING they mean that the North l
f determined that the Southern States shal
: have not only peace, but honest government
/ fairly chosen by the people. The patience ez
Q nibited by the people OF Louisiana durln
the last two months deserves all commenda
E ton.
Having demonstrated the utter inability O
, the Kellogg Government to stand alone, the
9 have borne, without resort to violence, wrong
g to which few people claiming to be fire
would have submitted. Their patience mus
e be exercised still further but the day of thei
e deliverance cannot be distant The Congress
: which meets two weeks hence cannot atfor
e to decline an inquiry into the case Of Stat
n for whose sad plight it is so Target response
: BILE. In the meantime the people are pun
suing the right course in making up iuii |, an
a fair record of the misdeeds OF the kellogg
8 and Packard Government it will be a valua
O bic contribution to history, and aid material
n in the effort of Congress to reach an equitabl
e settlement of the case.-N. Y. Tribune.
: The $4,000 Bond Stealing.