New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-12-27

thsns saxisted: understood that the board
mnst 6otermine the results of tho election
Vas aware that charges Of distur rbancee d
previuus Alecti0ns had been made against
Democrats: ell were charged against them
the REPUBLICAN, has large ciroulauon
North, while our papers have hardly py;
there is little opportunity of refutaton,
ma "a we're therefore anxious that there
should be no disturbances; know that the
board has thrown ont polls on chsFges OF
violence, but don't know that the violence
did Influence the votee; there have been
riots in 1866 and September Ia. 1874, in New
Orleans. and Id 1873 in Colfax; they we're
ell attended by loss of fe; heard the mum
ber stated. but have NO specific knowledge;
in 1866 don't know, but think most of those
killed were Republicans; in Colfax there
were q few members of the Democratic
party killed; in 1874 some of both; in Col
lax the colored people were largely in ex.
cesss Of the Democrats killed; We had suf'
fered from bad government eight years
nnder Governor WarmOth and Governor
K llogp; the government has been bad.
unquestionably; it was q government which
wrung large taxes from the people and
conferred no benefit, bad not the confidence
or respect of the people or the property
holders; my experience 10 that It had not
the confidence of either white or black; the
tax now is fourteen mills. for year or year
and . half; prior to that it was two per
cent; don't know whether the fourteen mill
assessment appertains to one or two years;
think it is adopted by statute; don't know
the valuation of the farming lands; heard it
complained that it was high; can't state
what it was; heard that it was more than
the market value; am sure tho government
they are very high in New .Orleant; smy
S.ate tax is GIG" city $l76, assessment
$1,000; the assessment is made by atState
board Of, assessore; the City aC0unoil fixes
the amount of tax to be raised for city
purposes; don't think the property would
hing as emotion within $4,000 Of the amount
of she assessment; gave $500 and would
take thse for il; the State board only as
aa1ooo for New Orleans: the board Wa fAp-
pointed BY the Gover.or under . statute
,passed since the war; there 10 . tax on per.
aenal property; blanks are cent round to
be filed up and sworn 70 BY tho owner;
think the city tax of tl76 includes the per-
sonsl property; didn't make any return of
that; there vas an assess mont Of - Of $lO
by somebody; that would Indicate shout
$500, which 10 not exorbitsnt; am very lit
tie acquainted with the territory of the par
ishss; plsnted in St. Bernard and Madison
pl lAi9ed 0fin it, organization Of its courts,
its Metropolitan police ard twenty other
things; como OF tte courts arc organized nn-
der the constitution end some uAl1oE stat
utes; the Superior Criminal s0d Superior
District Courts Wero organized under stat
utes; the jurisdiction of the Superior Dis
trict Court is tho Same - the Eighth Dis
trict, which was abolished in the interest of
Governor Kellogg; there is IN appeal TO the
Supreme Court; the judges of the District
Court are elected; the Governor fills vscan-
cies; the objection to the Superior Courts is
that they were created by the Republican
party to trv the rights of the people and
exclusive jurisdiction given them taken
from the other courts which b ave equal jp-
risdiction in other cases; would prefer
to have judges appointed by q good
Governor than elected. The Gov.
o. n ,r can not remove after confirmation
by the Senate; think these judges wers sp
pointed by bad Governor; do not know
enough Of their law to speak of their or
gsnizstioD; the objection to the Metropoli-
tan police Is that they are paid by the peo-
pie, are organized into q brigade, and have
been transport I'd into other parishes; they
sre organized under tho Law; their forma-
tion into troops il by executive order; the
Governor appoints the superintendent and
. board that appoints the members; the po-
lice should be under the control OF the city
and kept in it to preserve the peace on
their beats; know that they were sent into
country; into the Attskspas country; .
couple of hundred men were sent and we're
absent . we K or more; don't know the
number of murders that the city suffered
while they were gone; another objection is
that the municipal judges are all sppoiated
by the Governor; the oity authorities
should apo mt them, % has been done
heretofore; don't know when the law was
adopted; it has been the practice the last
Euo aiv HoNNnI1AQkinn
10 that it was during the administration
Of Governor Wsrmoth. The Eighth Dis
trict Court was crs ated during his admins
tratiOD; Judge Elmoro was elected to 1t in
1872 Had no Democratic Legislature since
Governor Kellogg was elected; had tbs
House of Representatives in 1874 made by
the Whetlsr compromise; the Legisiature
made NO efforts to change these laws. The
police ws,: =. to Late, R.r:s 5 dor don't re-
pose Of quelling disturbance. Ny theory
L. that we could not have our State gov
ernment We elected unless We had . differ
emit national government; cautioned tho
party throughout the State against the sp-
pesrsnce of any violence, for fear of the
effect on voters in tn. North; it would not
Affect this vote here. The people of Louisi-
ana did choose Democratic Governor; it
is fact from my standpoint; i: is my
Louisiana the mere fact that Brown has
50 600 votes for Governor and Jones $4,000,
does not constitute an election; there are
other facts TO be determined by the cleo
tiOn law; hold that that law is uncOnsti,
tuti0nal; under the organic law all that is
necessary is the actual vote legally cast;
don't know that 1000 votes which were
prevented from being cast for Brown
should be counted: think the one who pre-
toH <hov,o a. ha xnou1d In
it at my own risk and peril: don't know
of law of any State which
counts votes that have not been cast.
Referred to section twenty-six election
law BY this law the board is authorized
to inquire if body large enough to ma
teri ally affect the result has been pre-
vented from voting That the law is uncon-
stitutiOnai is m after of construction; con-
slider it to be 90; if the board thought it was
constitutional there is no tribunal in L,uis-
lana which could settle the difference be-
tween u; in the national government l
think and hope that If there was . change
the government would recognize ani up.
hold the State government which think is
the right one; the Supreme Conrt has de-
cided that they could not;go behind tho re-
turns of the board; lawyers told me that
they had not touched on the constitution
slity of the law; know that they can decide
on the oonstitutionality of every law when
properly brought before them. Besides
that, Nichols received . majority of the
votes cast and the law being unconstitu-
tionsl, there were acts of the board that
were complained of and which are grounds
to show he was elected. Companions of
COncordia, East Baton Rouge, and polls
in Orleans followed ss instances of diff
ferent rulings Know of polls being
thrown out at these parishes; these alone
would not be enough to overcome the Re-
publican majority OF $500 Witness wished
to show returns enough 10 do it, but the
the chairman stated he only wished the
facts he knew in order to ascertain whether