New-York tribune., 1876-11-25
LOUISIANA ELECTIONS.
HOW THE TRUE VOTE IS HIDDEN.


BE CoNsIDERED-CoNTRADICIoR PARTISAN RE-
PoRTs-A BATTLE OF AFFIDAvITs COMING.
[FRoM A STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUHE.I
NEw-ORLEANs, Nov. 1s.-It is pretty we'll settled,
or will be before this letter reaches NewYork, that
the Democrats polled majority of all the votes
actually found in the ballot boxes in this State on
the 9TH of November. If those votes were all
legally cast rather, if there was fair and free
election throughout the State, then Gov. Tlden is
entitled to receive the electoral vote of louisiana
and to be inaugurated as President This is the
question which the Returning Board exercising ju
dical powers under the laws of this State. is to de-
termine. The Republicans say that in many in
stances the election not free one, and in proof
of the assertion point to the fact that in of the
parishes Of the State, where the negroes consd
erably more numerous than the white people, and
where at former elections the Republicans had large
maorities the returns now show Democratic majOri-
ties or large Republican losses. This. it is asserted,
is prma facie evidence that improper means were
resored to- since it is assumed that the negroes if
left to themselves and uninfuenced by fear, would
always vote the Republican ticket. Southern Re-
publican politician if called upon to state his theory
automatically, might put it in this form: II "a"
represents the number Of coloredyoters in given
State, "b" the number of white Republicans and
"cp the white Democrats, then a" plus " bD minus
&C" will be equal to the majority which the Repub-
licans ought to have in any election in that State.
II the majority is reduced below this figure if the
Democrats succeed then it is held that there must
have been fraud, that the negro voters were In
tmidsted
shall not in this letter discuss this method Of
reasoning, but will simply say that while unex-
pected results in any election may furnish grounds
for suspicion. and make investigation desirable.
vvhi 10
to base any positive conclusions. In the present
crisis in the political affairs of Louisiana and of the
whole country, the people will demand on the one
hand that all the facts bearing on the election in
parishes which have been revoutionized shall be
made known and full explanation Of the change
shall be given and the other that no action shall
be taken which will affect the final result IN this
State unless il is based on the satisfactory and
conclusive evidence.
One Of the most important questions which is sure
TO arise during the discussion of the Louisiana ques
ton viii be in regard 10 the exact character of the
intimidation which will vitiate the election in
parish or voting preciuct. A Republican of national
reputation who has resided in NewOrleans since the
close of the war told me the other day that in GER
tain portions of this State il is impossible for white
Republican OF a black Democrat to live, except IN
the large towns He did not say that men who
Louisiana would certainly be murdered but he meant
that they would live in such constant fear, hated
and avoided by those of their own race with whom
they came in daily contact that of two courses
only would be left for them to pursue-ether to quit
the country or yield the pressure and go with the
tide of public opinion. This assertion was made to
prove to me the absurdity Of the Democratic claim
that negroes had voted for Tlden and Nichols in the
last election.
Now in n parish where such a state Of things rs
this gentleman described exists is plain that free
election Is impossible. No violence may be used, no
unlawful means rcsOrted TO to influence the ndivid-
ual voter either election day or at any time dur
ing the campaign which precedes II, and yet the
very essence Of free election, the deliberate choice
Of the elector may be wanting on both sides. This
ia a kind of intimidation not less dcplorable than
Others but one which il seems TO me impossible for
any election law to reach IL is the result of All in
berent defect i'm the constitution of society where il
evists and il is extremely difficult to say how that
defect shall be cured. l don't suppose any one
wonld pretond that the returns of the election IL
parish where this state of affairs Is known to exist
ought to be rejected by the Returning Board IN the
absence of direct evidence of violence or threats
and am sure that no public opinion in the North
would sustain the rejection of the returns OF su'h
parish without conclusive evidence of that kind
Another kind OF intimidation WHICH thp htPloH- |
cans of this State assert has cost them thousands OF
votes can hardly be brought within the scope OF the
election laws. can best describe it by giving an
cvomnle. 81. Landry Parish has been carried by |
tbe Democrats at every election, | believe, SINCE
1868 until this year. Now it has beyond dispute |
gone for HAYES and Packard. The explanation |
which the Republicans give of this change is as fol-
lows; They say that in St. Landry Parish there |
yvos n horrible massacre of blacks in 1868 which |
struck terror 70 the hearts of the negroes, and |
the memory Of il has prevented many of them from
voting at every subsequent election In other |
words. the colored people, being by nature easily |
frightened and remaining longer under the IN |
Aucnce of fear than white men, have actually been |
kent away from the polls for six or eight years |
through intimidation, the cause OF which may not |
have been repeated Although 1t Is greatly 10 DE
regretted that such condition OF affairs rs this can
exist in any free country, don't believe the eiec-
ton laws Of this State cover such case' OF 'h't
they ought TO do So At the same time, as we Drihg
the scenes of violence nearer and nearer 10 Tue |
election IL may he that the very delicate question
will arise as to how recent act of violence must
be in order to make it vitiate an election.
II negro from Grant Parish swears that he dared
not 20 to the polls and vote on the 7th OF November
1876, because he remembered the slaughter Oh he-
publicans In his parish in 1871, and IL ne can
specify no threat OF act OF violence since that the
will the board decide that the election was not |
legal one this month"; And suppose the violence 10
have occurred year ago. or even SIX mohths-SuP-
pose negro Republican and all negroes, inc he-
publicans say, belong to their party Has peeh
lynched or assassinated, say last Spring anu IL Is
proved that this event alone caused Such "iue-
spread alarm among the colored people that they
N. thn lnf a a