The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-07
How it is Done in Louisiana.

| u
The Returning Board" has done the work
that was expected of it, aad the work
meets with the anticipated reception. The
Moncure, Democrat, for State Treasurer, IA
67O votes; Dubuclet, Republican. 69, 7l9
votes; Moncure's majority 4,941. The Re-
turning Board gives the following figures:
Moncure, sc, $50; Dubulcet, So, 544; Dubuclets
majority, 958. Moncures vote is diminished
by 6,O84 votes, and Dubulcet's by only 175
| votes. This is very suspicious circum-
stance, and it shows how shrewdly the re-
turns to be rejected were selected, if it be as
sumed that the board was expected to count
in the Republicans and to count out the DEM
ocrats. The parish of Bienville was thrown
out altogether, and that lost Moncure 10.
votes, which were all clear gain to the Repub-
licans, as there were no votes for Dubulcet
DeSoto was also rejected, costing Moncure 4
thousand more votes than it cost Dubuclet
The vote Of Winn added 400 more to Mon
cures loss. The rest Of the work was done
by rejecting parts of parishes that returned
inconveniently large Democratic majorities.
The effect Of the changes made upon the
Legislature is greater and more important.
The original returns showed the election Of
thirty Republicans and sixty-nine De
mocrats: The rejection Of parishes and polls
ASAS mGm>
bers, and raised the Republican strength to
hfty-four. The original returns referred to
above do not include the parish OF Carroll.
whence forged returns were sent, and the Re
turning Board has left some districts unrep1
resented; hence the discrepancy in totals.
both as to Legislature and as to Treasurer.
The Returning Board RENTS to the Leeisla-,
ture the question of the districts rejected; but
as the retention of power by the Republicans
depends upon their confirming the action Of
the BOARD, there Is no sort of doubt what the
decision will be.
We cannot pretend to any knowledge Of
the facts that have been misstated or con-
cealed on one or both sides, but these returns
have certainly most unfortunate look. Il
would, OF course, be excessively unjust to the
Republicans, if they were really in a major
ty. that they should be defeated by fraud
md intimidation. But we doubt if their yer--
non OF the matter will be accepted by fair
minded Republicans at the North. In three
COUNTIES, or parishes, rejected wholly the
0emocratlc vote was returned as 1914, the
republican as 21S. Now even if the Demo 4
ratic vote were cut down one-half the State I
icket would still have been carried Tina
Returning Board declined to investigate the Z
cal state of the VOTE or pretended that it was =
impossible; yet in the case of the parish Of
;arroll, whence forged returns were received.
THAT was called vote was Obtained and
ounted. There seems to be no doubt what
yer that majority of the legal voters Of
louisiana voted for Moncure, and elected 1.
'emocratic majority of the Legislature. By
ne device OF throwing the responsibility for
ne canvass OF certain parishes upon q parti--
IN Legislature which has already been mani
ulated, the Returning Board has preyented &
fair count, unless appearances are greatly
eceptive.