Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-01-08
Statement by the Louisiana Returning
Board.

vote u the State Of Louisiana, given at
the election " the ed of November last,
says:
It is but just and proper that TIC tstur9ing
officers should give statement of the dill
eulties attendant on their labors, and the
principles laid down, drawn from law, to di-
rect theih in the discharge Of their duties
In the first place. the sleetiot Nas very loose
ly conducted by the Commissioners OF Elec-
tion so much so that at ohttetfth 6f the
polls in the State the forms required tty law
were not observed. The law requires the Sus
pervisors Of Registration to forward TO the
returning officers, first, list of the votes kept
by The commissioners Of ElGction; second,
statement OF persons voted for, and the num-
Der of votes received by each; and, third,
tally-sheets, all Of which the Commissioners
Of Election are required 70 furnish the Sti
pervisors, and they TO forward them to the re-
turning officers. In many cases no lets OF
voters were kept by the Commissioners; OF,
If they were, they were not forwarded to the
retdfnins officers by the Supervisors, and
many that were forwarded to the Returning
Board were not signed Or s-fofn to rs the law
requires. In many cases thefe vas no state.
mcnt of persons voted for and the nuftber OF
votes received by them forwarded to the Re-
turning Board, and many that were re-
turned were neither signed nor sworn To-; and
in many cases there we're no tally-shcets for
warded to the Returning Board TO enable
them to test the accuracy of the statement
Of votes. In some instances only the tally
sheets were returned TO the Returning Board,
with list of the voters or statement of the
votes, and they not signed or sworn 10 as the
law requires. This being the case, it becatftc
necessary that papers received from polling
places should be carefully examined. There
were over $50 pollng-pIaces in the State, and
there was long list Of candidates; So it be-
came q very laborious duty, which occdpisa
fha nordn nnnn la
a. m. to p. M, and from to IL p. m, every
day.
The law requires that, in such canvass and
compilation, the returning officers shall OBJ
serve the following order! They shall COM
pile statements from all polls or voting places
at which there shall have been fair, free and
peaceable registration and election. When
ever from any poll or voting-place there has
been any riot, tumult, acts Of violence, in
timidatiOn, disturbances, bribery, or corrupt
influences, which prevented or tenaed to pre-
vent fair, free and peaceable vote OF aH
qualified electors entitled to vote at such, the
returning officers shall not canvass, count or
compute the statement of votes from such
poll or totlng-place until the statements of all
other polls or voting places shall have been
canvassed and compiled. The returning Off.
GERS shall then proceed to investigate the
statements of riot, tumult, acts of violence,
intimidation, armed disturbaEees; bribery or
corrupt influences at any such poll or voting
place.
The Board has followed this requirement OF
the law, as it was their imperative duty to do,
and, in examining the proceedings of Com
missioners of Election forwarded to it by the
Supervisors, when either of the counsel ap-
pointed by the political parties objected to
the count of any poll, and laid before the
Board any evidence to sustain such objection,
such polls were passed over and not can
vassed until the Board had compiled the vote
from all polls not objected to. In the progress
Of the examination large number of polls
were objected to, including some twenty
seven parishes. The grounds of objection TO
some Of the polls were the failure of a sub
stantial compliance with the law in conduct
ing the election and making the returns to
the Supervisors. In others that returns Of
the Commissioners had been changed after
they had been made to the Supervisors; that
a greater number than there were voters had
been returned registered, or that those voting
were compelled to vote differently from what
they desired.
Had the Board decided that anything like a
strict compliance with the forms of the law
in holding the election and making returns
to the Supervisor would be required, the
effect would have been that so many of the
polls would have been thrown out that there
would have been no election in the State
The Board then adopted a rule that when a
Supervisor had returned any evidence show
ing that an election was held, although it be
only tally-sheet, unsigned or unsworn to,
in the absence Of any evidence of fraud or in
timidation it would compile the vote as shown
by such evidence or documents. This decision
disposed of a good many protests 10 the re-
ception OF polls, but when the substantial
forms of law had not been observed and evil
dence of fraud or intimidation was produced,
the failure of substantial compliance with the
forms of law was considered a badge of fraud
and he poll was rejected. We believed this
to be lust and reasonable rule, aud the
Board strictly adhered to it in the cases OF
Carroll, st. Helena and st. James parishes,
where il was charged and proved that the re-
turns made by the Commissioners to the Su-
pervisors had been changed after they had
come into the hands of the Supervisors. The
Board took evidence to ascertain the true
state of the vote, and made the compilation
accordingly.
The question raised against the greater
number Of polls was the charge of intimida'
tion TO prevent voters from voting, and fore
ing them to vote against their wishes. To es
tablish this charge great mass of atiidavits
were taken, some applicable to whole parish
| es, and some to particular polls, and a mass
| of counter afiidavits were also filed. The
that, about May, 1874, a military organization
known as the White League was established
| in the State, which extended to every parish
in the State and permeated every neighbor
| hood; that the object of this organization was
| to prevent colored men from voting unles:
they could be controlled to vote the Demo
cratic ticket, and prevent them from holding
| office; and, further, to compel Republican:
holding Office under the present State Gov
ernment to abdicate their offices, and to pre-
vent the Republican party in this State from
organizing with view of concentrating theil
| party at the late election, and to eXpel The
! white Republicans from the State unless they
would desist from organizing the Republican
party in this State and withdraw from the act
i've support of that party. The means taker
by this White League organization to accom-
plish the above purposes is shown to hay,
been by threats that if the colored voters die
not vote the Democratic ticket they should bC
| expelled from the plantation on which they
| were farming, be deprived OF their crops, bI
| excluded from renting lands hereafter, or o
being employed, and deprived of rations o.
credit to obtain them; and leading cOloreC
men were threatened with death if they per
sisted in organizing the Republican party
and white Republicans were threatened witt
personal violence, prescription in business
and socially of themselves and families, ant
with hanging, If they persisted in organizing
the party with view TO the late elections
This Organization, in armed bands, in man,
parishes in the State carried their threats o
personal violence into effect by killing SOM
Republicans, whipping and ill-treating others
and compelled parish officers holding otiic
| under the present state Government 10 aDul
cate their offices. This was particularly th
case in all the Red River parishes, most Of tn
Teche parishes, and in the parishes betweel
Red aud Ouachita Rivers. And the abov
acts resorted to by this White League organl
cation to carry out their purpose were clea
violations of both State and United State
laws, and would subject the perpetrators {
these acts to imprisonment in the Penitent
airy.
These acts of intimidation, which pre-
vented fair, free and peaeeable election |
the parishes of St. Mary and Grant wei
so general and overwhelming that the Boar
felt compelled to throw out every box /
these parishes, and in many other parishe
where there was satisfactory proof that il
timidation had been used at designated pol
so as 10 prevent fair, free and peaceabl
election at such polls, they were exclude
from compilation as the law requires Whe
the friends Of political party, such as I'll
White League organization Is, clearly an
generally violates the laws Of the country
control an election in their interest, 1t is bl
just and proper than when they are show
TO have brought such acts to bear on an ele
tion they should not be permitted to profit