The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1880-02-25
DEMOCRAT WEDNESDAY,, 25 $780,

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others followed uH. Mr.. Maroney and Mr.
Pothier, the two commissioners present. then
appointed John Rooney III the place Of Robert
johnson, the absent commissioners and the
poll was opened No one objected to our pro-
ceedlngs. ldon't know whether this change
caused eny one of not voting. | don't believe
IL did. ! was present when two parties came
10 vote The commissioners objected be-
cause their names were not ON the poll book,
They were allowed to vote after wards In my
presence ] gave them the ticket myself
They voted the Democratic ticket. They
voted for ". s. Perry lam a Democrat, and
brother OF the aherlH"
From the above testimony II is evident that
the polling could not he held at Guldry's
place. Guidry's son was In charge Of hls
fathers place. lie positively refused to give
the use OF n room. Any attempt on the part
of the commissioners to take possession OF
the premises without the authority Of the
| owner would have been freapaaa, subjecting
the parties TO a criminal prosecution under
the law. The contestant furthermore charged
that number Of nonreAtateted persona
voted In Iberia, IA likewise did number Ut
non resident persons. and that persons voted
on affidavit whose names did not appear on
the registration books. The committee sums
up the total OF non-registared and non
resident persons VINO voted "a above AT
thirty-eight, and delucts the number from
the votes Of Rtalh. Ii these are to be- COnsld-
cred Illegal (which y not admitted hy ns,,
where Ia the proof that they voted for Riard2
In the fourth ward Mr. Perry q It a ma
jolity tof l22 votes-oniy 59 votes were cast
Tor Rard Contestant alleges that 10 votes
were here received on allidavits of citizens
whose names were not on the lists. 1t Ia I'M
j,at To deduct these from Kards votes. since
IL Ia not known for whom they voted. but
most OF those who voted on a1idavlts we're
legal voters, Ii their names were improperly
epelled aud indexH IL is no reason why their
votes should DO set aside and Ignored.
section 81 of the election law nf 1S17 author
LEES the commissioners and any oitlznn to re-
llira a voter % be put upon bis oath and de-
c,ara among other things, whether he Ia
duly qualified eleetor Of the State, parish,
ward and precinct, etc and In case such per
anl, makes n false OATH he shall be subjected
10 the penalties provided by law tor perjury,
and the afIldavita shall he In writing and ba
presented as part 1T the returns to be de-
poaitah tn tile Office 81 tho clerk OF the court
In order 10 give an iiea how errors oc-
cured we will cite few facts In tho sixth
ward poll the clerk wrote down Kelly Bills
when ~ man by that name voted. Ihe con
tesiant says no such name appears I'm the
reg istry, hut ON careful inspection kal"h
Reala is duly registered. The fact " that
when the citizen who cannot writes applied
far registration the registrar spelled hts
name one way. and the clerk Mt tho poll In
| another when he presented himself to vote,
Again the clerk at the poll wrote Adward
Anderson. The name does not appear IN the
list The contestant complained. The vote,
gave his Testimony, and said II live IN
| the sixth ward and voted nv the last election
In that ward | YEAS a duly Registered voter,
and no objection was made to my voting,
am coloied man. ] voted the Democratic
ticket In full at the last election. aud voted
for Mr.. Perry.
Again Tho contestant says: "Clelghton
| Brown voted ~ ~ affidavit aud no such name
| appears IN the registry" The contestant has
| followed the spelling Of the clerk of tho poll
| Tho books show one rayton Brown duly
Registered in the ward. There is no doubt an
error In the spelling of the name.
| Again. the same Ia found In regard to many
others, viz: Silvain Jones' not found but
Sylver Jones': II. CnIlna not found. hut Ilar-
clos Collins u Al right. Adam .jnl1n not found
Int Adams Joe IL u voter, Red Williams not
found, but Fred. Williams all right. Louis
George not found, but Geo. Lewis correct
H. II Farr not In the index, but afterwards
discovered to he written II. II. fharr, Sharp
wood llayarinth not found. but Shepperd
4 llyacinth was duly registered William
Tavers voted. VIM. Tavnrns is duly regis
tered.
| Again. tho contestant complains that one
London i.ewis voted, and that he was moi
Registered. The books show that ono tlnoson
| Lewis ia Registered. London Lewis, being
| aworn aays: II live In the fifth ward. ! voted
In the fifth ward at tho last election on all
4 davit. my name was not on tho poll book.
voted AZ tho election hold In November. 1879
and was n duly Registered voter. voted the
| Republican ticket in full with tho exception of
| Mr.. Young n candidate for the Houaa OF Rep
| resentatves."
Again, Charles GuorinIere. Jr.. sheriff Of the
pnrish III NJ Martin, Saws: u was present
when two individuals offered to veto whom
know by sight, but whose names don't re-
member who were refused ut first by the
commissioners. because their names were moi
on the poll book but within n few minutes af
terward they We're allowed to voto In my
presence. They arc tho same PARTIES against
whose right to vote Mr.. A. V. Fournet. regis
trar, protested. They voted the Democratic
ticket"
| We can continue with such examples. but
the above instances developed before the con,
mittec are sufficient TO destroy the vague
cbargas made by tho contestant that u mum
her of nonresident and non-registercd per
sons Illegally voted, But In conclusion W.
desire to say that we were Indeed surprised
atthe statement made IN the majority report
that an tho parishes of st. Martin and Iberit
the Republicans had control OF the election.
No such proofs wore ELECTED before the com
mtttoo. Tho police juries OF those parishes
arc composed Of both Republicans and Demo
Gratis They were appointed by Gov Nichols
4 The commissioners and clerks or election
we're appointed by them from both pnlttica
parties But 40 much cannot he said In regart
to the pariah OF Latayrtte. where Mr.. Perry
ia returned 10y the commissioners with thu
handsome majority over Mr.. Riard OF no
| leaa than ~? votes.
In Lafayette tho police jury Is cntirely
composed OF Democratic. There Were ton
voting precincts In tho parish and only
/ Democrats were appointed as commissioners
and clerks of election In NIL those precincts
except one. Hence the ma jority of $50 votos
for Perry. The law provides thus, according
| to section 10 tls77l: "Thc commissioners ant
clerks for aach precinct shall he appointed hl
the police jnrics of the several parishes. nnl
shall DC s'l"rtcd from opposing parties, pro
Il