Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-12-21

containing any considerable majority
colOred votes, and hence the act of 1871
acquiesced In by both political partie.
and amended in 1872, was passed; crea
ing Returning Board, authorized I
sit In New Orleans, and having sur
rene authority to canvass the vute
cast throughout the entire State, an,
authorized If convinced that riot
tumulf, acts of violence, intimidation
armed disturbance, bribery Or eorrup
influences had prevented voters fruu
reg sistering or had materially interferet
with the purity or freedom of the elec
tion at any poll or voting place, or haC
materially changed the result of tn,
election, to exclude votes east at sucf
polls or voting places from the fina
count. This law, with some amend
ments not, materially changing its ma
ture, is that under which the presen
Returning Board of Louisiana is now
organized and sits. That some such
independent tribunal was necessary fol
the protection of the legal voter, and
as check upon the violence and init
mldatiOn which had before prevailed
throughout the State, NO one can deny
lt Will be seen, when the statute or.
ganizing this Board and defining its
duties is examined, how inadequate
are its provisions to afford full relief
against wrongs it was designed to pre-.
vent. Thus the powers of the Board
are Limited to the rejection cf the vOte'
polled for causes stated, whilst it can
not, in any case, add to the returns
votes which would have been polled
but for intimidation, violence, etc,
mentioned. To illustrate, the under,
signed will refer to the five parishes of
East and West Feliciana, East Baton
Rouge, MOrehOuse and Ouachita, W which
appear, as the evidence disclOses, to
have been especially rejected for the
perpetratiOn of such violence and in
timidation as should be necessary to
prevent the Republicans from casting
any considerable vote in either.
In each and all of these there is q
large Republican majority. In all of
them the white voters registered for
this year numbered 5134, the colored
IL. 244-a majority of S1l0. If, by in
timidation and violence, the Demo-
Gratis could secure in each of the par
ishes majority, an immense gain
would thus be achieved; for if the
Board should, upon canvass, reject the
vote of all, it would be powerless to
administer that complete justice which
would consist only in declaring for the
Republicans such majority in each
parish as, but for intimidation and vio.
lence, would have been cast for their
candidates. The law, therefore, i'm
this but provides for partial and in
adequate remedy for the grave wrongs
which colored people and white Re
publlcans of Louisiana have long suf-
tered, and when the proof taken by the
Board is examined, and weighed, il
Will be found, as we believe, that the
returns by it excluded for causes men
TONED, are generally from the polling
places which, but for intimidation, vi
Olence, outrage and murder, would
have given Republican majorities,
thereby greatly increasing that decla-
red by the Board. In considering its
powers and duties, this important fea-
ture of the law should be borne con-
stantly in mind, for while that tribu-
nal may, upon proof and in the exer.
else of judicial discretion, reject votes
for lhe causes mentioned, it cannot
upon so doing return any vote actually
cast. 1t will therefore readily occur t.
any one that careful selection of DO
Iitical managers of certain parishes
known to have large Republican ma
JOrlties, for scenes of intimidation and
violence, in the belief that other bar.
ishes within the State would enable
them to carry it for their party. even
Should their majOrities i'm the parishes
thus selected be rejected, might well
a be favOrite method for achieving sue
cess, and, as we proceed, it will be ap
parent chat such was the mode adoDt-
ed to carry Louisiana for the Democrat |
lc party, whilst from the very nature |
Of the mischief to be remedied the law
could but partially repair it,
The statute under which the Board |
ACTS Is so Trained as to prohibit the re-
ectiOn OF votes cast at any poll or vo-
ing places, unless certain solemn for
nalities are first complied with. which
must be supplemented by the testimo-
ny OF witnesses. The statute cryani-
ing the Board declared in substance
hat whenever from any poll or voting
)lace there shall be received by the
Board the statement of any Superyi-
ors of Registration or Commissioners
,f Election, confirmed by affidayits of
hree or more citizens, of any riot. tu-
mutt, acts of violence, intimidation,
rmed disturbance, bribery or corrupt
which prevent or tend to
'reVent 1alr, Tree or peaeeahle vote of
Ill the qualified electors entitled to
ote at such polls, the Board shall pro-
eed to investigate the facts, and if ,
rom such statement and affidavits ;
hey shall be convinced that such eau
es did not materially interfere with {
he purity and freedom ofsuch election, .
r prevent sufficient number of quail
ed voters from voting to materially {
hange the result Of the election, then $
1ch vote shall be canvassed and COM ,
lied. But if they are not thus fully I
onvinced, it shall be their duty to ex- 6
ml0e further testimony i'm regard I
hereto; to that end, shall have power
send for persons and papers, ,aud lf,af- c
er examination, the Board shall be |
OnVlnced that such acts of violence. {
etc., did materially in $
erfere with the purity and freedom of (
ne election at such poll, or did pre-. S
ent sufficient number of qualified
oters from registering or voting to a
Materially change the result of thel q
lection, then the Board shall not can I
ass end compile the votes of such poll. q
ut shall exclude them from their re. =
lrns.
Nothing can be more simple, more
lst, than these provisions. They are, (
'r reasons before stared, inadequate to S
scure the administration of COM y
lete remedy, for it may be fairly said e
nat II, by reason of violence and in c
midation, committed in the interest b
one political party, the adherents OF d
mother are restrained from voting
trough fear, an equitable remedy, If t
racticable, Tor the outrage would be a
} count ia favor Of the injured every I
ote the" lost. \
The ascertainment of this being, O
owever, difficult, the statute of Louis s
ma has provided only for the rejec- a