South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1876-11-24
Dem. ma


T.: renclana, Sal LESS l,T53
w. felclana, SOL 1850 465
e. Eaton Rouge, 1856 2,+i6 COO
Morehouse, 654 or 52s
Ouchita, s66 l,C7i OIL
Total, 4,32i s,ls5 4,4l7
At the election in 1874 these parishes
gave Republican majority for State
Treasurer of 1861. They now give a
Democratic majority of4, 4l7, which ex.
ceeds the Democratic vote in 1874. The
Democrats admit that, had the Repub
lican vote been polled, the Republicans
would have had q large majority. Now
the controversy stands: On the one
hand the Democrats insist on the vote
being counted i'm exact accordance with
the number of tickets cast; on the other
hand, there are two propositions: l.
1 hat the vote ofthese parishes be Who'll.
~ disregarded and thrown out. on the
grounds OF intimidation. by the Canvass.
ing Board. 2. That the vote polled be
counted, but that the Canvassing Board
reckon also as rolled the votes of those
absenting themselves from fear of bod
lily harm. The average Northern voter
has no precedent for such a condition
of things as this. In the first place.
deadly intimidation is not known ut the
North, and in the next place Il ,riW be
d.Gc"U for Northern nun ofnny partv
10 understand hoc 1000 rioters Of one
party ia a county can be 50 successfaUy
"mtiDHdted"b by 1000 as 10 be unable to
approach tie potfs, though tie latter acere
protected, or supposed 10 be, ty tie United
States Supervisors. II ,eiu DC difficult to
persuade ute people Of any Northern
county Mot Tie minority, nnmJeyiag 900
rioters, could 50 tRtinliddte the mojority in
Last F'HciGna. numbering 1900, that
nohe Of lie latter dare .ho,c Mcmselres at
de puts Ncyertheless,it is certain that
the negroes did not vote for some reason.
We assume that those uh0 did coie ,cere
lcgdl rioters, and knoU emo right recog-
"@ed jy any lar Of any State ohere the
g,otes Of lGgal rioters, tarfaty polel, can
be rejected and they di@Japchise5. We
ito not Leiisre, therefore, Met me moral
sense Of The A ne'icon people ,oW consent
10 or tolerate that The eicciion ofa Resi.
dem Of tie Caitc6 States duH be dcteym.
incl and dccided by hrowing out the rofes
ofscvcral thousands of!egdl U9ieyS, 7cqaM
Polica an any State Of Mc Union. We
take II, hOJ re- Mot the rotes actually
pollea In these fCe 'GuHdo-ercd' marshes
Of Louisiana iyW be couaied, no matter
'ohat mag be tie result produced upoa tie
eiection 1y so doing.
If the facts be "a stated, and we have
tried TO collate them fairly from the
statements OF both sides. the Republi.
cans OF Louisiana and Of tho country
have TO bear tie consequences Of the
panic. which seems 10 have so stricken
the colored voters in these five districts.
We look upon it rs n calamity, because
we know of no legal remedy. There is
no precedent knorn 10 any ciection lar
that nee crer heard Of whcre tie rites If
persons MT roiiag, and not oGsriHg TO roie.
can be coUntcd, no matter how strong may
be the presumption that if such votes
bad been pollcd they would have chang.
ed the result. In 1874 the Democrats
elected at least fifty members TO Con.
gress in Republican districts because
Republicans stayed away and did not
vote. For the same reason the Demo.
Gratis elected The Governors of several
States, and majority Of The Legislature
in several States in 1874 No such
thing as oTsctting the vote actually
pOllcd by that not polled has ever been
recognized at any election i'm any State
in this country. Even i'm tie desperate
conflict in Louisiana four years ago both
parties claimed the election. but both
parties assumed the vote counted TO have
been polled.
lt is claimed by the Democrats that
their party will have n majority Of the
whole vote OF the state, over and above
their vote in these parishes; but. while
this ought to settle The matter. IL may
not not do so. If the counting orthe non.
polled vote be insisted upon by the
other side. H. horsUer, me Democrat,
do MT hare IT maturity cyccpt Jy countip1
tie rotes ia Hcsc fre poriahcs, ANIL me re.
sWt IN he State d,ppd on heir Jeip0
copHiod ar nat c1uHted, hcn The issue UiL
/ be q direct onc, and ouc UpcH which The
+ country nil promptly tcach n jpdgmcat
/ and no C0Hr0syiug Boryd ,rW dare at
tGppt 10 pHt ne jVdgmcHt 81 ne nation al
/ dSh0Hcc oHd THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
/ Will NEVER rNGhCE rs 4 CIVIL WAR r.,
/ UPHOLD TIE COUNTING or VOTES NEVER
/ CAST oE OFFERED TO BE CAST, or TC
REJECT LAWFUL VOTES LEGALLY CAST
/ AND RECORDED or THE POLL-LIsrs.
lV'Thc two negro members Of Oh,
/ Louisiana Reform Board are said 20 be
on one Of Che gunboats in tho river, as
/ the radicals are afraid the conservatives
may undertake to open negotiation.
with them. Think Of it, We boasting
American freemenl The destiny Of Z
sovereign State and your own Liberties
/ possibly commodity in the bands Of q
couple Of creatures whom their profess
cd friends cannot trust at liberty
/ Ch0rlesfown Free Pycw.