The Opelousas courier., 1888-06-16
stagg VS.. Duson.
THE CONTESTED ELECTION CASE FROM
IL TWELFTH DISTRICT.
Minority Report of the Senate Committee--
A Strong Array of Reasons why senator
Duson Should be 0uieted in His Seat.
N, O. Times-D Democrat.

The majority report OF the Senate
committee in the case of Hon. Louis
Stagg against Hon. G. C. Duson has al
ready been published. Mr.. Stagg is
contesting the seat of MIR. Duson, State
| Senator from the twelfth district. The
majority of the committee reported in
favor of sending the case back to the
people. The minority were of opinion
that this would operate % denial of JUS
tice that there was no evidence be-
| fore the committee to overturn the ma
iority received by Mr.. Duson on the
face of the returns, and tnat, therefore,
| the contest should be thrown out and
| Mr.. Duson Quoted in his seat. The mi
nority adduce a series of strong reasons
to sustain their position, which will be
found in their report, published below:
SENATE CHAMBER,
Baton Rouge, June s, 1888.
To the Senate of the State of Louisiana:
The undersigned, members of the
committee on privileges and elections,
respectfully submit this as a minority
report in the cast of Stage VS.. Duson,
contestDg for the seat of Senator from
the Twelfth Senatorial District in your
honorable body.
At the general election held on the
18th day of April, 1883, C. C. Duson
and Louis Stage were candidates for
| Senator from said Twelfth Senatorial
District, both running as independents
and neither having received the nomi-
nation through the Democratic organi
cation in that district.
The contest-made centres in the vote
polled at what is known as the Leon
Vile Poll, and therefore the subscribers
will ~contine their discussion entirely to
the facts as they appear from the evil
dence adduced before the committee on
elections, which bear upon the vote
polled at that precinct. After the facts
are stated, and all the material facts
will be stated, your subscribers will di-
rect the attention of your honorable
body to some principles of law and rea-
son which ought to govern the consid-
GRAFTON of this contest and control the
Judgment which shall be given in this
case. .
FACTS.
The evidence submitted and received
by the committee in their consideration
Of this case was:
l. The statements Of votes filed in
the office Of the Secretary of State and
in the office Of the clerk of the District
Court for the parish of st. Landry.
2. The tally sheets filed in the Office
q the Secretary of State and in the of
fee of the clerk of the District Court
for the parish of st. Landry.
The statements of votes and tally
sheets are all signed by the three com
missioners who acted and are undel
oath.
Two of the tl3ee commissioners wht
acted were produced before the com
mittee, and other witnesses, notabl,
, Mr.. Alexis Moreau, who was presen
: when the the tallies for the candidate
Duson and Stage were . footet
up and carefully noted at tn
side of one of the commits
/ sioners the ITALICS he was count
ing and adding up, and as he testified
/ made a memorandum OF, and which
. agreed with the total number of vote
put down in figures on each of the tally
sheets and written in letters upon tn
statements of votes transmitted to thu
Secretary of State and the clerk of tn
( District Court.
1t may be remarked that Mr.. Moreal
was a candidate fenneonstable from thu
f ward and precinct,uwas a man of into
) ligence and of large experience in til,
t local politics, and had an active inter
t est in watching and counting the bal
: lots at that precinct.
BY the statements of votes filed witt
the Secretary of State and in the clerk
Office, c.. G. Duson appears to have re
y eeived 232 votes and Louis Stagg Il
} have received 269 votes. o
By the tally sheets in the last column
known as the 'total number of. votes
on both sheets, G. C. Duson appears t,
have received 232 votes and Loui
Stage to have received 269 votes. Thu
far there is no discrepancy.
Going back to the row of tallies op
posite the lame of G.. G.. Duson on ont
E tally sheet we find 46 tallies and tire.
votes more, two at the end of the row
and | about the middle Of the row max
ing q total number of votes on one tai
1y ShCSU. AOtG Ss Ss50 A6Vh O4 JOC NOHC6.
Opposite the name of Stage on boil
tally sheets we find Sd talfies and fou
t votes at the end of the row.
1t wilt be observed that there is
discrepancy between the tallies whel
counted, 274, and the total number o
} votes as added up in the last column
, of the tally sheets and the statement
) of votes made in writing and figures t.
the Secretary of State.
), Ii you take the figures in the las
columns of the tally sheets and tn
sworn statements of votes written on
in full, G. G. Duson was elected by th'
majority of votes. If you reject th'
figures in the last columns of the tall,
sheets, known as the total number o
votes and the statements of votes, an
accept the tallies as they now appea
in the tally sheets, emitting the extri
vote in one of the tally sheets
then there was a tie vote 70
Senator between Duson and Stagg il
the Twelfth Senatorial District, com
prising the parishes of Acadia and ST
Landry.
Upon these facts and with only thi
evidence it would be impossible foI
any mind to reach a conclusion upon
the case submitted.
On the one hand you have the sWorr
statement of votes, which the law re.
quires to be transmitted to the Secre,
tary of State, and the statement Of
votes which the law requires to bs
lodged with the clerk of the court