The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1876-02-09
THE RETURNING BOARD.

community, as regards the infamy
and fraudulent intents aad purposes
Of the Returning Board, which yet
the Statutes Of our State.
We all know why and wherefore it
was created by Radicalism here, we
all know it has answered we'll, faith
fully and blHstingly the aims, intents
and aggrandizements ofthe party yeti
in power here, and we know too well,
and have felt too sadly, that at its
head and control were placed the
"men of bad men," who could manip-
ulate it to perfection, to radical per-
lection, and that their work vas we'll
and faithfully done
1t is not our intention here to d.
late on its fraudulent infamies, yet
reeking with corruption all over the
State, and no where more than in
Rapides, but we desire merely to
beat the drum of alarm to Rapidians
and tell them, tell them plainly, that
we vet linger under its ban, that it.
has not been repealed and its foster!
fathers, its prostituted proselites yet
cling to it, with the ardour of
first love and are determined to die
at its deathbed and stake their all
for its continuance. There can be
no doubt that should it be permitted
to be the law of the land, that
we may as well give up the ship and
bid farewell to any and all hopes Of
being successful at the next election.
Not half of cur voters can ever be
rallied again, and must necessarily
shun the polls, if their ballots are to
be cast over and counted the wrong
way by the Returning Board. These
things they have faced through too
often and cannot again be puppets!
with the show mans string thereto
attached, to be handled and pulled
by the magician and robber hands of
the Returning Board. That has
been played once too often and ssno
lovely OF high hanging goose" can
ever again invite or seat them to such
a table feast, and surely we shall not
sound the bugle blast to summon
them to duty on such a path, for we
too have tired on that harp of
thousand strings.
The Election Bill, which has pass
ed the Lower House, and which is a
god, fair and protective one for all
parties, yet hangs fire in the Radical
Senate, and the retention of the Re.
turning Board is the fire that cracks
and blazes in its passage, and all
combined Radicalism is shielded
and III full armor for that retention.
Here in Rapides, at home within the
sound of the click of our types, there
yet exists the Organ Of Rapides
Radicalism, the property ofthe Pres
ident of the Returning Board his
faithful and loyal mouthpiece, and
that has spoken and spoken by the
card. Though at its masthead there
flutters no names of Editors or Pub
fishers, and Jafet-like some think it
is in search of a father, still its stool
pigeons here are regularly furnished
with editorial leaders from the head
quarters of the Returning Board in
New Orleans. And the last issue of
the Returning Board Organ has its
say, the say of it's President and we
are not left in any doubt as to how
he stands and how we'll he clings
to his bantling, his life blood, his
pap blood, his very political exis-
tence. And surely right here to fur
ther our warning aims, there can be
no harm, no personal harshness, to
compliment the President of the Re
turning Board, if such thing is al
lowable as a compliment, in his usual
boldness and sang troid in such a
game as he longs yet to play with US
and our rights. In the issue of HIS
Journal of Saturday he shuffles
again his cards, and if permitted to
deal them four jacks and Bowie
knife will be his turn up and up we
go again.
We reserve further comments for
another occasion and wind up with
what the home Organ has to say:
"This of course does away with
the present Returning Board if the
bill shall become a law. It has
passed the Lower House, and is now
in the Senate where it ought to be
stopped, because if it were to be ap-
proved by the Senate and by the
Governor, the Republican party
might as we'll "give up the ship