The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-06-15
THE PLAQUEMINES FRAUDS -
SCRAP OF HISTORY.

One Of the most hopeless of tasks is
that of disproving the mendacious fc-
tions invented bypolitical parties during
an exciting campaign. When one of these
lies gets firmly fixed In the memories OF
passionate and prejudiced partisans 1t
becomes. like cancer. a constitutional
disease, which is only extirpated by the
death Of the patient. One Of the most
fragrant of these party calumnies we
INDUCED the hope had been eliminated
from our history. The death OF the old
Wing party, we imagined. had involved
the extinction Of the old Plaquemines
fraud story, SO current and used with
such effect by the Wing party In 1874,
and the subsequent years Of the exist
ence of that party. But it appears we
were mistaken, and the moldy old fic-
tion has been revived and reproduced
with grosser falsity and exaggeration
than characterized its first appearance
at the period Of violent partisan excite
ment in which 1t originated.
Mr.. Charles Francis Adams having in
recent letter described the process by
which Mr.. Hayes attained the Presi-
dency as the first triumphant fraud in
our political history. some ancient but
very inaccurate Old Line Wing, by way
of offset and palliation for the great
fraud Of the Radical party, reproduces
the old Plaquemines fabrication as
a precedent of greater fraud and
falsity than that of our Returning Board
Election Commission outrage. The
statement of this writer purports to be
based upon assertions of the late Horace
Greeley, of which, however, we should
demand better evidence than the writer 8
averment, Though a violent partisan
and, at times. rash and reckless in his
partisan charges and assaults, Mr..
Greeley was hardly capable Of such
gross and palpable misstatements as
are imputed to him by this writer. The
preposterous allegation that Mr.. Polk
was chosen President by the six cleo
toral votes of Louisiana which were
obtained through frauds In the parish
of Plaquemines, is contradicted by a
reference to any political almanac or
other record Of the times, and by the
knowledge of any school boy that with
out the vote of Louisiana the electoral
majority of Mr.. Polk was fifty-three.
This patent error does not interest us
as much as that which would perpe-
tuate gross SANDER upon our State
and people by the singularly perverse
falsity and erroneousness of the presen-
tation OF the facts of the alleged
Plaquemines frauds Of 1914, as made by
parties not unfriendly to our State.
Thus the New York Sun, which as
sails Mr.. Hayes with great bitterness
for the fraudulent method Of his install
lation, undertakes to mitigate or modify
the repulsive features, invented by vic.
lent partisans. Of the Plaquemines case,
by a version which falls a little short in
erroneousness and defamation OF the
original SANDER.
This Is the Suns version:
Moreover, the truth about that years voting in
plaouemines IL that 1t all performed in strict
| accordance with the law OF Louisiana, and that
every vote cast there was legitimate vote. Al
that time every citizen OF Louisiana had the RICH,
| to vote in any and every parish of the State in
which aG he owned land. The plaquemines voting
oh Mr.. Greeley complained OF, was organized
! by John Slidell, Democratic politician Of
! celebrity, afterward Senator OF the United
States. and still later sent to Europe along
with John NJ. Mason, Of Virgins, as repre-
sentative Of the Confederate Government.
Slidell bet $4,000 with Dr.. Duncan, Of Natchez,
Miss, that Clay would be defeated and Polls
elected. He then bought at q rrifling price .
tract OF swamp land 10 Plaquemines, selected his
men, and gave each of them deed Of piece 81