St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1892-04-09
Political Robbery.
n. Q. Times.Democrat. April 5.

n. 0. Times Democrat, April ).
The decision which was arrived at
last night by the Foster majority of the
committee OF seven to disfranchise
nearly 5000 Democratic voters of the
City ri New Orleans, and by that
means to steal tho nomination from
Gov. McEnery aad hestow it on MIR.
Murphy J. Foster, is one Of the most
tlagrantly iDiquitoas decisions on rec
ord. 1t is political outrage Of the
most atrocious character, devised aud
executed in the interest of IL rebelllous
faction Of the Democratic party, and
perpetrate1 in utter disregard not only
of Justice but of common dccancy
There was neither irregulality nor
fraud to speak of in either the 9th
or the 9Th ward of Orleans; there
was neither irregularity nor fraud
in either of the three contest
ed wards Of so fragrant character
or of so extended dimensions but that
the polling boxes could easily have
been purged of if, and the honest votes
counted for the candidate for whom
they were cast and there was neither
irregularity nor fraud which was not HIS
fully participated in by the one set of
poll commissioners as by the other.
In the country parishes, like Sabine
aud others, in which irregularities
and frauds were committed Of quite
as gross nature as in New Orleans,
there was no throwing out or attempt
to throw out entire polls. The polls
We're purged Of the fraudulent or irregu-
lar votes, and the remainder of the bal.
lots was counted for either the one
ticket or the other. But in these
country parishes, where the frauds
were mainly discovered, the lhajorities
were in favor of Foster; and the Fos-
ter majority of tile committee Of seven
did not see It's way to throwing ont
these entire polls, as their candidate
would have suffered in the process.
That is the reason, of course, that
one line of action was adopted by the
very honest committee of seven in
counting the Votes of the Foster coun,
try parishes, and the opposite line Of
action adopted in counting the Nc
Emery city wa,ds. The majority of
that committee Intended, in defiance Of
equity and of principle, TO connt in
their man, and they were not over
scrupulous or nice as to the means by
which they did it. All they wanted
was pretext, under shelter Of which
they could enact the egregions wrong
which they contemplated aud the cry
of fraud" in the wards referred to an
swered the purpose as we'll as anything
else.
Not the least black and ugly part of
the whole th"ggisl performance was
certainly that iii which Chairman
John S. Young conspiculously figured
with regard to the ballot box 10 the
first precinct of the sixth ward, Mr..
Young, who, throughout the whole
count up to Sunday night, maintained
an appearance of judicial impair
TALLY, as well in bis manner
as in his rulings, stopped Meessrs.
Boatner and Jonas, it will be re-
mcmbered, when they were proceed
ing to prove that there had been no
fraud in the balloting in the precinct
and ward referred to. He told them
that no fraud had been charged against
the polling 10 that precinct, and that it
was unnecessary for them, therefore,
to undertake to prove negative. And
yet at the very moment when the
chairman was giving them this assur-
ance, he mnst have had it in his mind,
as lie was lu!liug them into state of
security, to throw out the entire poll
against which he was forward to tell
them that there was no charge Of
fraud No colder blooded piece of
rank treachery than this on the part of
Chairman Young is recorded since the
days of King David, when .Ioab, under
the guise of soiicitousneSs for the
health of Anasa took hold of that war.
rior by the beard rs to Kiss him, and
with bis sword smote him under the
fifth rib so that he died. The traach
cry of Joab vas re. enacted by Chair
man John S. Young toward Messrs.
Boatner and Jonas.
The conduct of the chairman, as it
came out at yesterdays session of the
cqualled in atrocity the
acts of Thos. e. Anderson and Madison
Wells.
1t cannot be forgotten by us, nor
by ten thousands of Democrats IN this
State, that Mr.. Foster has obtained the
over Il man whose shoe
latchet he is not worthy to nnloose, by
the same methods 10y which
Rutherford B. Hayes "conveyel' the
from Samue! j. Tilden iu