Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-05-30
LOUISIANA POLITICS
| An Object Lesson in the Election Meth
| DDS Prevailing in the South.

An Object Lesson in the Election Meth
DDS Prevailing in the South.
The recent occurrences at Lafayette,
La. illustrate the Southern political
methods when carried out to their le-
gitimate results There was to have
been municipal election there on the
9th of May, ard there were two Demo
cratic tickets in the field. The colored
! voters of the place were nearly a unit
for one ticket headed by the present
mayor, who was a candidate for re-
election There were no Republicans
in the field. When the polls opened a
band OF armed regulators, organized a
year ego in Lafayette. St Martin and
neighboring parishes for the purpose
of suppresslng colored suffrage, rode
up to the courthouse and announced
that no negroes should vo.e. The
sheriff Of the county made a show of
escorting the negroes to the polls, but
when the regulators drew their pistols
and threatened his death the negroes
fed. The officials thereupor declared
it was impossible to hold an election,
and the town of 1000 or 5000 people
surrendered 1T discretion to thirty
regulators, AMI no election was held.
The same regulators a week before
| had prevented an election at St Mar
| tinsville under exactly similar cir
cumstances, and even went so far a
few days afterwards as to return to
the place, close up the negro churches,
and forbid the negroes attendance at
prayer-meetings.
Upon the closing OF the polls the
sheriff notified the Governor of what
had occurred. and it is said arrested
some of the regulators. His action,
however, does not seem to have in
Inundated the latter. for a day or two
afterwards a still larger gang of them
appeared at Lafayette, and after taking
complete possession of the town COM
PEELED every negro holding office to re-
sign, called upon the town marshal, a
white man who had vainly tried to
secure the right of suffrage for the
blacks, ordered him to desist in future
on the peril of his life, and then
coolly mads an arrangement with the
authorities to hold a municipal cleo
ton at which only white citizens
should vote, and as the election would
be clearly illegal the names of those
receiving a majority of votes should
be sent to the Governor for appoint
ment to the Offices.
As usual in such cases we are told
that the Governor is going to arrest
the scoundrels who have been guilty
of this usurpation. that he is going to
the Attorney-G General of the State to
investigate the business, ETC., etc. The
Governor was equally Jealous and
abundant Of promises in the New
Iberia outrages a few months ago,
but nothing has ever come of it. And
nothing will ever come of this. The
law-breaKers will not only go unpun-
ished but they will carry out their
scheme to success. There is not suffi-
cient regard for law in those parishes
to enforce it. There may be few
white persons who are respecters of
law, but they are too feeble to secure
obedience to it and the authorities
themselves dare not antagonize public
sentiment. As the National Govern
ment can not interfere in local af-
fair Of this kind the case of the ne
grOes is a hopeless one. They will be
disfranchised, or if they attempt to
vote they do so at the peril of their
lives. At Lafayette the Southern
method has been carried out to its le-
Ultimate results. The Bourbons are
not alone opposed to negroes voting
the Republican ticket. but they are de-
termined they shall not vote for any
ticket or hold any Office, and in this
case they have carried out their de-
termination in defiance of equity. JUS
tice and the laws of the town and
State. Law is trampled out of sight
and an armed mob is in possession.
If the bulldozers dared do it this
would be the case all over the cotton
States Chicago Tribune.