St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-04-09
HEPRDTEST.

THEPRDTEsT.
Hon. John s. Young, and ,Messrs. Nc
Csaeb, Zacharie AID Molse, members
If the committee If sevon, appointed
to canvass the returns and ascertain
the result Of the Recent primary cleo
ton keld In this Mate, to determine
whether the HonS S. ID. McEnery OF
the Hon. Murphy.J. Foster. with the
respective Candidates Of the ticket,
of which they wese the head, are the
nominees Of the Democratic party:
The conclusion which you have
just reached in respect Of the con-
test in the first precinct Of the sixth
ward, City of New Orleans, is SO
far reaching in its results, and 50
contrary to what We regard
as the first principles Of justice,
Of law and Of honor, tina,
an explanation o the course which
We are about to kursue in reference
thereto becomes aecessary and ap-
propriate.
The returns from this ward, sign
ell by Messrs. Taeard and Felix J.
Dreyfous. prominent members Of
the Foster faction, lawyers and
notaries public, who ofliciatcd as
commissioners. representing the
Foster faction n the ward, show
that S. ID. McEnery received 79A
votes and Foster received 81 votes.
These returns were certified in
triplicate. one to the chairman Of this
committee, enc to the MeEnery COM
mittee, and one to the Foster com
mittee, all attest'ng that fair law
full and peaceable election had been
held ut the poll, with no other OBJ
lection than thiriy-seven challenges
which were made by the Foster
commissioners and overruled.
On the assembling Of this COM
mittee y contest was presented
against the comSilation Of the re-
turns from that precinct on
THE roLLoxrxc GROUNDS.
1. That the barrier prescribed
by the rules adopted by this com
mittee for protection Of voters had
not been erected, and that in conse-
quence thereof the friends o: S. ID.
McEnery had bSen enabled to in.
timidate voters, land that voters in
groups Of from i've to twenty had
come to the poll, instead Of coming
one by one.
?. That the votes cast at said
precinct were not stamped by the
commissioners IT both factions as
required by the rules.
5. That the 'McEnery commits
sioners, being is the majority. had
refused to permit the Foster COM
missioners to inserro9ate the voters
presenting themselves, in order to
establish their identity and right to
vote, whereby / large number Of
illegal votes had been cast, and in
consequence of:which, it was claim
ed, all votes at this poll should be
excluded and net counted. In as
certaining the result of the recent
election at the precinct, it appears
from the evidence that by an agree
ment between the representatives
Of the respective factions in that
ward, the construction and placing
in position the barrier prescrib-
ed in the rules, twas left entirely to
Mr.. Surgi, the leader Of the Foster
faction in the ward, and president
nj the Foster Cub in that precinct.
It further appears from the evil
dence that the barrier complained
VI was made and placed in position
exclusively byi him. or under his
direction, and that no McEnery
man had any part in placing it in
position, or IN disturbing it from
The position in which it was placed,
and it SO remaiaed without change
Df position during the entire cleo
hon. |:
1t further appears from the evil
dence of the Foster commissioners
hat the tickets were stamped in ac-
cordance with the suggestion Of Sfr.
Iheard, one of, the Foster commits.
sioners,
WITH THE ASSENT OF THE OrgER
FOSTER COMMISSIONER,
Mr.. Dreyfous, and in accordance
with their Instructions. 1t was
further shown BY the testimony of
Mr.. Theard, a Foster commission
er, that no fraud was thereby
intended OF accomplished, and that
no ballot was placed in the box, ex-
cept rs it came from the hands Of .
voter, and that no vote was count
I'd except rs it came from the
box, and all Of them thus counted
had been stamped by one who act
ed for themselSes and as the agent
and representative of all of the COM
missioners, thereby assuring the
Of each ballot by all of
the commissioners.
It further appears from the evil
ience that according to the returns
certified by Hessrs. Theard and
Dreyfous, 35e lawful votes were
in the box before any
was snterposed, and that
If all the vote{ cast of that poll on
y thirty-seven:s SO far as shown by
he return met with an objection
rom any one # the commissioners.
And yet notwi .hstanding this ofiici-
l declaration you have permitted
;hese two commissioners to testify
hat they were, refused the right to
lsk voters as they presented them