The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-01-27
REPORT
THE COMMITTEE Of CONGRESS-
sm3Y I on sTasfE
AFFAIRS in LOUISIANA.
THE ACTION OF THE RETURNING BOARD
PRONOUNCED ARBITRARY, UN.
FAIR AND WITHOUT
VIBRANT Of

being so threatened Or discharged
Not single colored man throughout
the entire Parish was produced to
testify either to such a threat or to
the execution of such a purpose,
either before or after the election.
The action of the Returning Board
in the Parish of Rapides alone
changed the political complexion of
the lower House, but their action in
other Parishes was equally objection
able. For instance, in Iberia Parish
it was claimed before your committee
that the vote of poll No. l in that
Parish had been rejected on account
of intimidation, bit the papers pro-
duced by the clerk Of the board
showed no such proof whatever.
One Of the counsel, Mr.; Ray, pro-
duced some af1idavits which he de
cared had been submitted to the
board by another of the counsel, Gen.
Campbell.
The Conservative counsel insisted
these had never been before the
board. Opportunity was given to
the Republican counsel to show that
the paper had been submitted, but
the testimony offered for that pur-
pose by them so far, however, from
establishing that fact established the
reverse. ahg,.....t ..........s
1t was then asserted the returns
were rejected because the accounts
of the election were not delivered to
the Supervisor of Registration with
in twenty four hours after the close
of the election, which was 6 o'clock
on the Sd day of November; whereas
it appeared that both in the morning
and afternoon of the Sd day of No
vember, search was made for this
Supervisor of Registration for that
Parish in order to deliver to him
these returns, and he was not to be
found until after 6 o'clock, but as
soon as he could be found on the eve
of that day, they were offered to
him, and again re-offered the next
evening, but were refused to be re-
ceived.
This same Supervisor of Registra-
ton received other Republican re-
turns after he had refused to receive
these Conservative ones, on the
grounds that they were too late, and
the Returning Board, although it had
held, as to the other polls in the
State, that the returns were 1T to be
rejected. merely because they were
sent too late, rejected the returns
from this poll, thereby changing the
representation of the Parish from
Conservative to Republican. So in
the Parish of DeSoto, the returns
show Conservative elected by over
one thousand majority. Tr.t
1t was alleged that the Supervisor
of Registration had brought the re-
turns to New Orleans and had left
them with woman ofbad character,
who offered to produce them on pay
ment of one Thousand dollars. The
Conservative committee took legal
proceedings to compel their produc-
ton, but the court held that it had
no jurisdiction to that end. They
then caused to be produced before
the Board the duplicate Of these re
turns, from the Office of the Secretary
of State, together wit h the tally
sheets, poll lists, ETC., filed there &C
cording to law.
These duplicates correspond ex-
actly with the alleged result of the
compiled returns which the said wo-
man had. produced; and of these al
legged facts undisputed proof was also
submitted to the Board. Neverthe-
less the Board refused to count the
vote for that Parish. 49,.
So in VIM Parish, where 404 Con
sentative and 1874 Republican votes
were cast, upon verbal protest that
the Registrar of Elections was not
properly qualified, of which the only
proof was that he had failed to for
ward his oath of office to the Secre-
tary of State, although there was no
pretence that the election was not
fair representation of the will of the
people, the whole vote of the Parish
was rejected and the case referred to
the Legislature. 81. --..
So in fTerrebonne Parish, where
there was Conservative majority, it
was proved that the Commissioners
of Election, through misapprehen-
sion of their duties, inclosed all the
returns in the ballot boxes and de-
posted them with the Clerk of the
Court, with whom the law required
the boxes to be left. The judge of
the court thereupon issued manda-
mus, commanding the clerk to take
the returns from the boxes and for
ward them to the Secretary of State,
which, has done. Nevertheless the
Board rejected the returns from these
polls, thereby giving the Parish to
the Republicans, with the result of
changing Republican Senator, two
Republican members Of the Legisla-
tgre and the Republican Parish Of
ttcers. .....5... $3.50. ..... +
Without now referring to other in
stances We are constrained to declare
tbat the action of the Returning
Board, outhe whole, was arbitrary,
unjust, andin our opinion Illegal, and
That this ::rbitrsyy, unjust and illegal
action alohe prevented the return by
tue board of a majority of Conserva
i've members to the lower House.