The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1875-01-01

many parishes in the State carried their
threats of personal violence into effect
by killing some Republicans, whipping
and ill~-treating others, and compelled
the parish officers holding office under
the present State government to abdi-
cate their offices. This was particularly
the case in all the Red River parishes,
most of the Teche parishes, and III the
parishes between the Red and Ouachita
rivers.
All the above acts resorted to by this
White League organization to carry out
their purpose, were clear violations Of
both the State and United States laws,
and would subject the perpetrators of
those acts to imprisonment in the Peni-
Tertiary, so odious they are to the n
of the people of the country.
The evidence of such acts ofintimida-
ton, which prevented a fair, free and
p~eaceable election in the parishes of st.
Martin and Grant, was so general and
overwhelming that the board felt COM
PEELED to throw out every box in these
parishes, and in many other parishes
where there was satisfactory proof that
intimidation had been usedat designated
polls, so as to prevent a fair, free and
peaceable election at such polls, they
were excluded from the compilation, as
the law requires.
When the friends of a political party,
such as the White League organization
is toward the Democratic party, shall so
clearly and generally violate The laws of
the country to control an election in
their interests, it is but just and proper
that when they are shown to have
brought such acts to hsar on an.election,
that they should not be permitted to
profit by it, and such is the intention of
the law. The board, however, in this
case did not exclude any poll from the
compilation except OF satisfactory proof
that such violation of law had been per-
petrated, and that it had the effect of
i~ntimidating a sufficient number of vo-
tiers to change the result of the election.
AS all these acts to produce intimida-
ton had been perpetrated in favor of
the Democratic party, and against the
Republican party: the polls excluded
from the compilation generally gave
majorities in favor of the Democratic
party, and their exclusion from the
compilation reduced the vote of that
party, and in some instances, had the
effect of returning Representatives and
other officers of the opposite party, diff
ferent from the returns made by the
supervisors. This is the natural result
OF an illegal attempt to accomplish an
object, and is no fault of the board,
The counsel of the Democratic party
protested against the counting of GER
tain polls in the parishes of Natchitoches
and Bossier on the grounds that the
United States troops we're expected at
the polls on the day of election, or did
actually visit the polls on the day of
election, in order to assist the United
States marshal to arrest persons charged
with violations of the United States
laws, and that in consequence q great
number of Democrats did not attend
the polls and vote for fear of arrest by
the United States troops. Even if such
facts had been fully proved as alleged,
we do not see that there was n viola
ton of law in the United States troops |
doing so. Certainly q person charged
with a.crlme against the United States
fact that the marshal with the United
States troops is trying to arrest him; it
is his W fault it he is guilty, and he
can not urge his own crime as his pro-
lection, and certainly persons not con-
scious of their guilt would not flee from
the presence of the United States mar
shall and his posse of United States
soldiers. This is preposterous and we
did not consider this a good ground of
intimidation.
There were no returns of election
from the parish of DeSoto made by the
supervisor of registration as the law re-
quired. Persons interested produced
the clerk of the court with such papers
as by law were entrusted to him and
offered them as the returns from the
parish. The board decided they could
not receive and canvas and compile
such returns. The parties in interest
applied to the proper court for a manda-
music compel the board to receive, can
vass and sompile those returns, but upon
trial the court sustained the ruling of
the board. The same principle was
acted on in the Terrebonne case.
There was no supervisor in the parish
of Winn, the one appointed for that par
ish having been expelled from the par
ish and an unauthorized person as
sumed to act. The board could not rec
ognize such laWlesssness.
The board submit to the Legislature
and the people Of this State the result
OF NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. with a conscious
ness thatthey have properly discharged
their trust.
j. MADISON WELLS, President.
New Orleans, December "a, 1874.
The board adjourned subject to the
call nf tba npaci1an+