Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-11-23

for producing fraudulent results is simply Ola
bocal. The party in power, having control o
this machinery, can make any election mock
cry, and the community Eods itself locked IN ;
netwo,l, Of crafty arrangements, from which
escape seems impossible
Now, against this rrod!gious tyranny tee
people Of Louisiana have made one more uuil'
ed aud determined effort. They know no other
way to get rid Of it without violence than the
method which republican institutions supply.
Said one of them to NE: I'VE have tried every
means we could conceive OF inside Of law aud
honor TO carry this election. They prepared
for every device they knew Of. They arranged
committees, couriers, agents, to prevent frauds,
to defeat corrupt purposes u detect repeatcrs.
to collect returns. They held meetings, organ
lied clubs, had torchght professions, gave out
badges and employed pleading and argument
with the negroes. see that Mr. Redhelu 10
a letter to the Cincinnati Commercial OF last
Sunday morning, quotes tho United States
army officer stationed 10 West fchcIana
that this is so. and il is what was claimed
by persons whom | saw. saw also negro
presidents OF negro democratic clubs. When
asked Why they had formed or joined these
clubs, they replied that they were sick oi the
coriusion aud misery Of the country They
thought that the PROMISES made to them had
not been kept. They complained especially
that they had no schools, and that the school
funds were embezz!cd. They said that the
democrats made fair promises, and they we're
disposed to try them. Coorcd men made
speeches to this effect through the disputed
parishes. The democrats made the most OF
| this disatfaction, and eXertcd themselves to
win the election lust as both parties cid at !ht
North.
| Oa the other hand all means seem To have
been used to defeat them. | saw and read an
original specimen of a circular issued by the re.
publican committee to the State supervisors OF
election, in which the person addressed ls order
ed 10 bling up the republican vote OF bis parish
| to q certain figure, and is told that his recognl'
lion by the future State administration will de.
pend on the fidelity and success with which be
does this. This document was sent by party
committee TO a State officer, who got his pay
| from the parish in which he served. 1t Is N
safe hauds aud can be produced. 1t Is claimed
that polls we're established at the last moment,
or III Iu!-oi the way places, and were not open
cd for The full time, or were opened before The
hour appointed. 10 New Orleans sewing nla-
! chine clIcu!ar was seut through the postoitcc
to voters who had registered. The circulars
were oilon misliicctod iu some say or othcr,so
one had registration number ou IL aud the
| person who held that number was struck from
| the list and warrant for his arrest ASST u, put
| not served The cases We're recorded 10 book
| but the evidence circular was attachs 4 To the
warrant. a volunteer committee iidaXed the
| book, aud published the names, aud a!te lung
exertinu succeed in getins hacA The warrants
and circulars 50 az lu bring about trIal aud cX
| culpatiop. There were several thousands ol
| these crasur,s. Those who dil not dnd ont
that their nam. 5 had been erased had to spend
several hours ON cluution day To iccorcr regis
tra!ion. Those who would not take !h!s trouble
were iutniiated from voting.
New Orleans is to-day the most mourniui
city ever saw. fine city itself Is squalld and
Wrc,c!icd in appearance a1d The people arc dis
piritcd. | saw no probability at all that there
could be any use ior troops. The grave lnl.
postancc Of the election SCENE! to ne to l't III
lis nation II aspects Tho Federal power h:,:i
twice interviewed ia New Orleans to sustain !i!c
Returning E3ara il setting aside the will ct
the reopl: as expresses: by an election, on the
rrvand that they did net colnc:dG with the Will
OF he people ai expressed hy tic ccnsuS. Fcd-
erat iuieli. renee Is the key ~ the sl'uatlon.
Without il the Returning Board would have to
exercise lts great aud dangerous power under
responsibility 10 pubic opinion at least. With
that intcrcicrcncc the Returning Board Is an
| engine Of tyranuy which i. the mere frlghtiul
| because il acts uuder grotesquc trave>tY OF re-
publican goeelurieni. The people ol he North
| have too uug neglected the case OF Louisiana,
| and il it were Tar oil and foreign They nave
| lett Llusiaua to become, inside OF our oWn he
| pubiic, an instance ot as Migrant oppression
| aud wrong as auy which, III history or iorelgu
| lands, has ever enlisted cur sympathy. II mas
| however, been like a cauccr n our body poEtlc,
! and at this moment, when il Ii eating l1to a
| Presidential tle2!iou-the great nerve ol cur
political system-whrn, too. the federal ad.
| mios. ration and the federal arms are still en-
| forcing the wrong, W.. ere told that the prlncl-
| nlcs of State rights and local sell. govern
mcnt" command rs to let it alone We are
| told 1t New Oreuns that the RciurulGg Board
must act uu,ier tie law. 50, Indeed, 1t must,
for the forms oI law are sacred but there Is al
appcal which cannot be in vain TO the sober
reason and honorable will OF the American pco.
ne. The law which c0mmcndS obedience be-
cause it is the will of the governed is one lhpg
| The law which the people WHO i've under II
never consented 70 aud never made is auoihcr
thing; and those who rely upon IFS saCc!lon ior
arbitrary aud un iust action bring law under tie
most dangerous contempt. when INC pcop!c
of tho country appreciate the fact That IL is lher
power Whlch mas llnposeu upoii ~ 'l..
monstrous tyranny, their power caallo1 i"'ho'
| be turned in that direction
It was this opinion OF the national importance
OF the Louisiana election which led me to accept
! this invitation of the committed. thought thaI
| the interest At stake went far beyond any ques.
ton of person to sit in the Presidential chair l
thought that it touched the yitnls of the 1epub'
iicsn system Everything that saw IN LOUIS. .Is.
| iona siren gthentd this opinion. hoped that
we might sycrt the danger. In tha: we did not
s"ecoed ws but we succeeded at last and after per.
s,stent exertion in securing for the Northern
| people complete report OF all which may & he
dono came homo believing tnst cur l1sti;u, l;,
tions era about to be put to test compared Win
which y the war was insignificant which will
Jemand TINT we gather together oil our man.
hood and patriotism, and sil our trad'hcns oi
| civil liberty and self government.
| Msnv lcorncI notices hhre been written IN
cr,,ieism ell of Of the conflict between North and
South showing that it is a conf ct of arlstocra,
cy and democracy of Puritan and Csviller, ana
4 NJ GkAfn N