Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-02-27
The Louisiana Political Ring.

The power of that gigantic fraud and
State monopoly, the Louisiana Lottery
company, has been tested within the last
twclvemonth and found to be too great
for even the United States government to
successfully cope with. The recent CON
test between the PostmasterGeneral and
the lottery company, with respect to the
use of the mails, and the complete triumph
of the lottery company through the sub
sidizing of National Bank in New Or
leans, is probably fresh in the minds of
some of our readers. The Louisiana Lot
terry company is not merely legalized
gambling lshment-legalized, that
is by State law,-it is this; but it is a
great deal more than this 1t is also one
of the Instruments of "A powerful and cor
rupt political ring of the Democratic par
ty of that State, at times exercising al
most absolute power over the legislature,
the courts, the municipal governments
and in fact, the entire political machin-
cry of the State of Louisiana.
The frauds practiced by this organization
and its agents during the recent presden-
tial election are just being brought to
light and so enormous are they that the
New Orleans PicHWuiC itself Il Demo
cratic paper, is moved to say of them;
The proof of frauds and manipulation ut
the polls are So overwhelming that no hon
est man can doubt them. There never
was in any age or any country more de
/ liberate perversiOn of the will of the peO-
! pie than was exhibited at the last so-called
/ election in this city. To say that
/ the whole count was a swindlc and lie
/ is putting it mildly. 1t was such "A raid
H. IL
presided at most OF the polls as to make
every honest man feel like Shouldering a
muSket in defence of his ballot.
This is strong language but when we
come to look ut the actual facts, we can
hardly think the condemnation severe
enough. In spite of its almost absolute
/ power over the ballot through control OF
the officers of elections throughout the
| State, the Louisiana political ring resort
ed to the shotgun policy with the most
astounding recklessness during the recent
national election. In the parish of New
Iberia several colored voters were shot
the Saturday previous to the election, and
prominent white Republicans were called
out at night and warned to leave the
place within twenty four hours. Recorder
Furd-whO has recently been tried for a
political murder in New Orleans and nc
quilted with the most shameless mockery
of iustiCe-with his associates, is said to
have caused the arrest and imprisonment
of several hundred colored voters on cleo
ton day to keep them from the ballot
boxes. In the city of New Orleans Mayor
Behan refused to he controlled by
the ring and in the municipal election
WAS deprived of Il denomination by the
ring authorities. lie accepted citizens
nomination and went into the field on an
independent ticket. The ring, alarmed at
the strength of the opposition, resorted to
fraudulent measures to secure Its defeat.
Under the pretence that the mayors in
spectors of elections and police were in
tending to carry the election by violence,
the ring authorities appointed a large
number of deputy sheriffs from among
their INSCRIPTIONS followers, and gave