The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-11-14
Louisiana.

Since the enfranchisement of the negroes
the state of Louisiana has always on fair
vote been Republican. The registration sta
tistics show clear majority of colored over
white of over 10000. The only hope the
Democrats ever had of carrying the state was
by practically disfranchising the negroes, and
keeping them from the polls by intimidation.
To further this object the Democratic leaders
appear to have selected the five parishes.
Ouachita, Morehouse, East Feliciana, West
Feliciana and East Baton Rouge as field
of operations. These parishes have always
been strongly Republican, in 1874 casting an
aggregate majority of 3,779 for the Republi-
can ticket, and in 1872, even according to the
count of the Democratic returning board, a
still larger majority. East and West Felicia
ma and East Baton Rouge were selected be.
cause they were close to the Mississippi line.
and it seemed easy to carry the notorious
mississippi plan' into effect. Ouachita and
Morehouse were the stronghold of John
McEuery, the Bourbon leader, and he relied
upon his powers of devilry to return an ap-
parent Democratic majority there. So the
parishes were terrorized, and the desired re-
suit achieved. In each parish Democratic
majority is reported, and in East Feliciana a
unanimous vote for the Democratic nominees
IS claimed. These claims are preposterous
and obviously fraudulent. In 1872 Ouachita
gave S9S Republican majority, and in 1874
gave 92S; in 1872 Morehouse gave IS Repub-
lican majority, and in 1874 gave 373; in 1872
East Feliclana gave 1887 Republican majority,
and in 1874 gave 641 in 1872 West Feliciana
gave 1857 Republican majority, and in 1874
gave S4S; in 1872 East Baton Rouge "a Re-
publican majority, and IN 1874 gave 900.
Now the Democrats claim in one of these
parishes 5000 majority and over 1000 in each
of the others. That the claim is fraudulent
| is apparent on its face.
But fortunately it appears shat the Repub-
| lican vote in other parts of the state is large
| enough TO overcome this Fictitious majority,
| and the Democrats enraged and chagrined
begin to shout fraud aud to vehemently as
sert that the Republicans mean TO steal the
state. The only reason they have for their
claim is that they have not cheated enough.
Had they anticipated so large Republican
vote they would doubtless have returned 20,-
900 Democratic majority in the five parishes.
A word of explanation as to the powers ol
the Louisiana canvassing board seems re.
quired. The duty of this board, which is ap.
pointed by the state officers, is entirely min.
isterial. The business Of the canvassers is,
as stated by Senator Carpenter in his Louis
lana speech:
"To take the statements and returns sent up
from the polls and Icompile them, aggregate
them and state the result except there shall
come from some polls certificate of the com
missioner that there was riot or fraud or bri
| berry in such degree as materially to affect the
result of the election. Then their duty is t.
canvass all the .unquestoned polls first Then
take up these disputed cases, and their jursdic
tion to inquire into the subject is based entirely
| upon the statement from the comm ssonel
| that there has been riot, fraud or bribery which
| has materially affected the result. They shall
| take, in the first place, the statement, and il
| they are satisfied from that, they may decid
| without further evidence. If not, they ma,
send for persons and papers, and ascertain
| whether there has been riot, fraud, bribery
etc.. at the polls If they find that there ha
been and are still of the opinion that it did no
materially affect the result of the election. the
are to canvass the return Just as the return il
but if, on the investigation, they are satisfe,
that the not, bribery, fraud, etc., did materia