The Colfax chronicle. (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1876-1877, 1876-11-18
The Election in the City.
n. o. Picayune. 9Th inst.l

We congratulate the Democratic
Conservative party III tins city
upon the success of their cause in
Yesterdays election. The cummu-
uity also is to be congratulate
upon the most qniet and peaceable
election which has ever transpired
in New Orleans. With Il few ex-
ceptions the voting was carried on
with uninterrupted tranquility, and
but for the crowds of voters gath
cred at the polls quietly and earn.
estly attending to their duties. and
the numbers Of anxious men who
thron5e,l the committee rooms,
there was a marked absence of any
demonstration.
1t WAS day which will be long
memorable in the history Ut this
city. An mir OF suppressed excite
,nent and intense anxiety pervaded
the whole community. 1t WAS evi
dent that the whole Conservative
party was actuatcd by al all alb
sorbing unanimous purpose to carry
the city by quiet ana peaceabie
election. Order, discipline. perfect
organization. accompanied hy an
earnest devotion To the comnpn
canse, was manifest at every poll
and in every precinct. Every man
seemed actuated by a sense Of the
responsibility devolving upon him
self to do all that lay in his power
to further the cause of the people,
and to do nothing which might be
calculated to prejudice it.
It was we'll understood that in
this contest the people we're strug-
Cling for political existence, and
that all other considerations We're
to be subordinated to the one great
object of affecting the redemption
of the State. Never, perhaps, i'll
the history of this commonwealth,
was a public duty SO thoroughly
appreciated and so effectively per-
formed. The situation was not
without many and serious provoca
tons. The presence of the United
States soldiers and marines, quar-
tered in different parts of the city,
accessible to the polls, aud the
badges of the United States mar
shals who were gathered at each
voting place, were constant sag
gestion of the lawless abuse OF
authority, and the Insult to the
constitutional liberties of the peo-
pie, by revolutionary Executive
Probably in no city IN the North
would this unwarrantable intrusion
have been borne with such patience
and quiet submission. But the
citizens suffered the insult without
remonstrance, because they knew
that this insolent abuse vi autiiorIt,
was receiving a fitting and tiuai
rebnke at the hands of IN ming
nant people, throughout the Cnit'-o
States.
The fraudulent AMI criminal dis
reimbursement Of large nunbsf-'
of CONSERVATIVE voters, III pursi-
ance of what Is known as the
sewing machiue piut. was W iii
ton ousrase, which req aired some
self-control 10 endure /; patiently.
By tins infamous scheme, citizens
vino We're duly qualified Ia vote IA
every respect, and who offered
their certificates of registration
aud claimed their right of suffrage,
We're "pcnly rejected OH account oi
the fraudulent erasure Uf their
names by Radical supervisors OF
election. Some of the defrau lei
voters We're sent to the United
States COMMISSIONER, vino Seplicd
that he had no hand In making tue
erasures, and was, of course pow
erless to correct them. The vii
famous scheme was somewhat
checked by an order from Gov.
Kellogg at ll.30 am, directing
that where the name Of u person
legally entitlei TO Vote WAS found
to have been stricken from the
registration books, his name mus,
be- replaced aud duplicate certlh-
Gates of registration should be
issued to him. Much injustice