The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-11-16
THE CONTEST,

port in movement to judicially right
the wrongs it Is charged have been perpe-
trated. The following extract from the I'D
dress Of the Citizens committee covers all
their ground Of complaint, and certainly it is
q very large one
| With scarcely pretense at concea1ment, I'M
sanctioned by any form of law. wrongs have
been committed and the boldnet frauds perpe-
trated by the officers at many Of the polls in the
l. in excluding from tho polls citizens legally
entitled to vote, and registered as the law re-
quiles
D. In knowingly permitting and connivlng at
tho voting of men under assumed names and
upon false regisration, certificates
3. In receiving ballots cast urOn papers OF
persons VIGOROUSLY absent from the city.
T. In excluding from lhe polling, booths citi-
Gems who claimed the right, guaranteed them by
the law. Of witnessing Il proper count and com
pilatfon Of the votes hs cast.
3. In falsely changing votes rs cast, and the
substitution Of others.
6. In counting for candidates votes cast for
their opponents,
Those charges are based upon affidavits made
y9hh e by 20 be ea9ns @na Whch
Tho people arc uneasy and dissatisfied. Ihey
| feel that justice has boz outraged and n wrong
| committed which threatens the purity and sane
| tty Of the ballot
Those ii egal acts 50 much calculated to bring
| reproach upon the first popular administration
vOuchsnfed to US after many years Of mis-
rule. arc the moro heinOus because tho perpe-
trators claim to be acting in tho name Of tho
great purity Of the people. the Democratic party,
which has no moro devoted adherents thnu
those who compose the association which We
represent.
In reply to this bold and aggressive ar
raignment Of the Democratic management Of
the election, the Parish Committee Of the
Democratic Conservative party has sent forth
q response rs ringing and defiant, which was
printed In tho DEMOCRAT yesterday morning.
That response concludes with the two follow
ing resolutions:
| BE il FURTHER resolrcd, That az the representa-
tivcs Of the Democratic Conservative party Of
New Orleans. We pledge its honor to prosecute
every yiolation"of the registration and election
laws that may be brought to our notice. and to
uso our host endeavors toward the securing to
our people Of fair, free and peaceful elections.
| And be il further 1esolred That claiming for
the Democratic Conservative party that its in
teptions have ever been honest and its acts
provident and Just, we invite IN investigation
| of the course Of conduct pursued by the party
during the campaign just ended; and Will in
dignantly repelling every attempt to detract
from the greatness OF our victory by accusations
of fraudulent practices exerted In our interest,
we would provoke such judicial inquiry into
the conduct Of the late election IS will unearth
and by an exposition of the truth free the sup
porters of our party from unmerlted suspicion
aud abuse by fixing whatever Of corruption, or
frnrd may hnve been committed on those who,
by their acts so richly deserve the reprOaCh of
oil honest and well moaning citizens.
Thus the issue is joined. The Citizens AS
ISOLATION have entered actively and aggres-
sively into contest Of the election, charging
that frauds were committed which reversed
the honest result Of the election. The Demo
Gratis knve accepted the gage of battle and
now IHte, nay, demand the Investigation
Then IL the contest be made. Looking to the
F,,i,, I,f nj
uni;aaSy city and State we have deprecated
this quarrel and sought to pour oil on the
troubled waters We felt that there were
higher and broader questions dependent upon
tho unity and harmony Of our people than
that of whether this or that candidate Of the
Citizens Association, or this Or that candi-
date Of the Odd Fellows Hall convention,
should fill offices in this city which, in the
interest Of the people, ought to be soon abol-
ished by the Legislature or q constitutional
convention We tried TO look two years beyond
this local s1uabble to a united Louisiana, CO.
operating with united South, cooperating
with National Democracy to elect Presi-
tit=tftt att Congress which would restore the
great landmarks Of the constitution and
emancipate the South from the prosecutions
and ISLANDERS of tho Republican party.
But the passion and temper of the day have
blinded our friends of the Citizens Associa-
ton to the dangers and possibilities of the
future, and they have fixed no limit to their
hostility to the party which claims to have
won and which holds the fruits Of the cleo
ton. Tho contest then will be made. Then
let it be thoroughly made. Let the whole city
election be investigated, and those who have
intitndatcd OF brbcd voters; who have stuffed
or falsificd the ballots and the
returns; who have used false registration pa
pcrs or who have repeated, be brought to the
bar of Justice, exposed and punished. II all
the brberS of voters, suffers Of ballot-boxcs,
reporters and intimidatOrs in this great city
were on the side OF the Democratic onserva-
tive party let the fact be brought out, and, If
that army of rascals defeated the candidates
really elected let the result BIO reversed and
the candidates really chosen by the people
installed.
But if the workers for the Citizens and Ma
tionals also paid out money for votes and 9th
crwise fraudulently and illegally attempted
to influence the election, let those facts also
be given to the public. There are many ex-
ccIcnt men in the National party, and no
journal has paid higher tribute to the charac-
ter, standing and motives OF the leaders of the
Citizens movement than the DEMOCRAT. OF
all the complimentary things we have said Of
these gentlemen we have not word to re-
tract. They instituted q movement in the in
tercst of party reform, and the DEMOCRAT
gave them it's support. They inaugurated
what we regarded as an ill-advised cam
paign, and we opposed them. At no stage OF
their proceedings have we attacked their mo-
tves or their patriotism. But when they
assume that all the virtue and political pur-
ity of the city has sought a combination in
their ranks and those of the Nationals, we are
forced to dissent from 50 preposterous and
arrogant an assumption. We understand
human nature too we'll, and we have seen too
much Of politics, politicians and candidates
to be stuffed by any such fairy tale rs that
The 14,442 men who voted the Democratic
ticket were about as virtuous as the IA 900