New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-05
ABOLISH THE RETURNING BOARD, OK
REVOLUTION.

| A conviction possesses the Republican
) mind that it is the Democratic purpose to
carry the elections by terror and violence.
. To counteract this, it is deemed necessary
to have a board which shall sit IN TINS
. city, under the protection OF the 1eoera'
government if necessary, and to decide
whether the elections have been conoocted
fairly. Such revisory board constitutes
the only guarantee which the colored
r voter can possibly have that he will be
admitted to the polls, or that bis vote will
ever see the light of poll book. The
board becomes, then, necessity, for with
out it the Republicans believe the cleo
tons will be but Mulligan burlesque
The Returning Board is rampant be-
hind which the Republican voters stand,
and if it be broken down, nothing re-
mains but unconditional capitulation.
We can not see from the heated speeches
in the Senate that the Democracy admits
any arbiter. There is no suggestion even
on their side that any other mode would
assure the personal safety and political
rights of unarmed Republicans. One of
the organs of Democracy has gravely as
serted that "a majority which can be in
undated is essentially incompetent to
discharge the duties Of suffrage We
candidly admit that the majority entitled
to vote in this State can be intimidated.
They require the protection of military
force against any armed occupation Of the
polls. That the Democracy intends to
carry the election by force Of arms is rem
dered reasonable supposition by the fol-
lowing statement. Senator Ogden says:
And will say to the gentlemen upon the
| floor of this Senate. if they desire wsr l am
tor war. will tell them if they pass this
| biz which means nothing more nor less than
arar, ,rhy, then, let il be rar.
| Senator Grover
Believes it would plunge the State again
into violence.
Senator White agrees
Entirely with the sentiments expressed
| BY the gentleman from Orleans (Mr. Og-
| DEM that if this bill is adopted trouble and
bloodshed will surely follow.
Such are the thr eats Of members Of a
grave, deliberate body. They accept wal,
and prophesy bloodshed. A Democratic
special organ contains the covert threat,
which follows:
The present condition of things in this
State is too desperate to last. and we shall
and will have a change. When we pro-
- 1al hnn I,roa ron
with ,rords we are sneered at. What we
must next do is to act, and when the proper
time comes for action, forever Ostracsed be
he who proves a craven and lags behind.
Republicans of the Senate, abolish that he
turning Board!
With this indisputable avowal Of a
purpose to carry the State by intimidation
and murder, it becomes proper in common
prudence to examine whether these violent
men have the means to execute their
menaces? We proceed to show that they
have ample means to do so.
Those who are familiar with the military
ability Of the New Orleans Democratic
clubs, and those who have proved the ac-
knowledged inability of the Republican
militia and Of the police battalions, are con-
WINGED that Messrs. Ogden and White
would have but to pass the word and
military force could appear in this city,
which would execute the bloody predic-
tons in the Senate.
In the parishes there is G still more
formidable element. When the outrage
upon the German family was published,
the German press united in warning Ger
mans from emigrating to Louisiana.
Why Because Of an alleged ''diabolical |
hatred Of foreigners. TO correct this
diversion of numbers and capital, the Rep |
resentatives of certain parishes attribute !
the blame to lawless element which they |
thus describe:
Hon. Mr.. Levy (Democrat) says
There we're set of law lees and bad men |
in Louisiana. who would perpetrate gross |
outrages indiscrimiLarely on all, Germans |
and natives. They were not, however, the |
former slave barons," but set of worth |
less ecamps, who never owned negro.
Mr.. Ellis Democrat
Was sure that the outrage had been com. /
mitted BY set Of regulators who had |
organized last fall for the purpose Of pro-
tecting their cotton crops against pllterng, |
but had since degenerated into lawless |
mob.
Mr. Spencer (Democrat) said Louisi-
ana
Had large number of wild. ungoverna-
BILE young men who had entered the war as |
boys and had come out CT it as young men,
Of course, with a very neglected school |
education.
Mr.. Morey (Republican)-
Conceded in the views Of the rest of |
his colleagues, and said the tronbles were |
caused by an irresDr nsible body of men |
who cared nothing abont the welfare Of /
Louisiana, and deprecated the idea Of |
holding her entire population respOnsible |
for the action of few individuals.
Here, then, are the men Of Colfax, Of |
CousAatta and of the two Felicianas. They |
have been reinforced by men of the same
class from the adjacent counties of Missis- |
sippi
With such threats from leading Demo-
Gratis in high legislative station, with such |
acts as the armed overthrow Of the State
government, and with such an element as
even Democratic Congressman admit to
exist in the parishes, we appeal to any
Conservative whether an impartial COM
mission, sitting in New Orleans under
the protection Of a just public sentiment
and of federal authority will not tead to