Daily Los Angeles herald., 1880-08-21
Register Tharpe.
New Orleans Democrat.)

An inquiry, however, has come
to us from San Francisco, and upon
investigation we and that the new
State Registrar of California, the
successor of honest Louis Kaplan,
IS 40 other than the Joseph L.
Tharpe who figured in this city
and State during the darkest days
of reconstruction, and whose ca
reer of fraud justly won for him the
contempt of the people.
Tharpe came to New Orleans
from Ohio about 1856 or 1857, aud
was for several years in the Inter-
nal Revenue Department at u time
when frauds in that department.
were com united ia volving millions
Of dollars, and on August l6, 1870.
received the appointment from
WarmOth of Supervisor OF Regis-
tratiou for the parish Of East Fell
ciana, and acted In concert with
the notorious "gang" Of Supervis-
ors composed Of E. w. Devices,
the burglar OF DeSoto, John X GAL
Iop, OF West Baton r 'uge, r. H.
Chadburn of ST. Cnarles, Theodore
Jacques OF Plaquemine, TuOmas D
Worral of Jefferson, Hiram Sned-
ley of Grant and D. L. Blanchard
of MOrehouse, and others of the
same stripe. The frauds perpe-
trated by these wretched hlreliugs
Of the Radical party were simply
monumental, and at the election Of
1870 Tharpe especially distinguish
ell himself by eclipsing in East
Feliciana the efforts Of the Super
visOrs in other parts of the State.
he withheld from the Democratic
voters all notice Of where regi-tra-
tiou offices were to be- opened; gave
secret instructions to Republicans
where to register, and closed the
o1ices as soon as the Ra-
publican voters were all reg
Is cred and about the time
the Democrats found out their lo-
cation. The registration offices
were placed at the most inaccessi
BILE points, being, in many in
stances, twenty miles from the
center of population. By this sort
Of low triekery and criminal VIOLA
tion of law Tharpe succeeded
in making himself a valuable
man to his masters and party.
In the then venal Radical
Legislatures he was found always
present in tho interest of some
scheme, aud was known as an in
fuential lobbyist. Governor War
moth having removed Mr.. T. Do
herty rs State Tax Collector of the
Sixth District Of this city, he APP
pointed Tharpe to that office June
Sth, 1872, and u legal contest under
the Intrusion act followed. During
the pendenoy OF this SUIT Tharpe,
aided and abetted by the Radical
| Metropolitan police, made des-
perate attempt to rob DOherty's Of.
flee at night of the books and pa
pers belonging to 1t, but failed, as
a determined resistance was made,
aud Tharpe and his police fed the
scene.
Hiscareer here during the regime
| of Governor Warmoth was that ol
a trading and unscrupulous poll.
tician, whose loyalty to his party
| was assured SO IODg as there were
hopes of reward and fat offices
Like go many OF his disreputabIe
ilk, he departed from the State
when he found there was nothing
more to appropriate, or at lea-|
when he discovered his inability tt
get hold of anything else; hut oul
gain, it seems, has been afflictiOl
to California. We now warn the
Democrats of that State that the
suspicion Of fraud has ripened, to
certainty. The removal Of Kaplar
and the appointment OF this accom-
plished registration rascal meant
fraud, and nothing but fraud. Thu
tricks and viilainies practiced By
him in this State are ubquestiona
bly, to be tried on there, aud the!
should demand his instant dismis
sal from nn office he was appointe
: to prostitute to the basest partiza
purposes.