The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-03-14
The Unssating of Boatner.

ner-Benoit contested election case
There is not the shadow Of doub
that Boatner's majority over Benoi
was not only conclusive, but over
whelming. Even after throwing
out all of the parishes in which
frauds were charged, Boatner hac
still a majority of about four hund
red. Nevertheless a partisan com
mittee unseated him, and the Fifth
| District will not be represented il
the House adopts the committees
report, which they are very likely
to do. The Times-Democrat has
this to say:
/ The action Of the elections com
tmittee of the House IN declaring the
last election in the Fifth Congress
sional District of Louisiana null and
avoid, thus unseating the sitting
member, Hon. Chas. ]. Boatner,
without seating his Populist contest
ant, Alex Benoit, will be received
with regret and Indignation. The
committee divided on strict party
lines, the Republican members de-
clarlng for the unseating of Mr..
Boatner, the Democrats for retain
ing him. AS the Republicans are in
an overwhelming majority IN the
House, it can be considered as set
tied beyond all question that they
will approve the finding of the COM
miltee, thus creating a vacancy
from Louisiana, which will have to
be filled; and as they are rushing
matters, it is to be expected that the
decision will be reached within a
very short time.
The vote received by Mr.. Boatner
in Novemb Der, 1894, was Is, $50, by
Benoit 1904, Boatner's majority be-
ing $3.50, or nearly twice Benefits
total vote. and the largest received
by any Congressman from Louis
lana.
While 1T was known that the
Republican majority in Congress Is
very partisan, and that it is particu-
larly DESTROYS of so passing on con-
tests In election cases in the South as
to stir up political strife here and en-
courage the opposition to the Demo
crazy, Mr.. Boatner's majority was
so large that it was not thought that
any attempt would be made to unseat
him. The action of the elections
committee on the contest from the
second district of Louisiana encour-
aged this hope, for Mr.. Bucks ma
joiity was much smaller than Mr..
Boatner's. 1t is true that the COM
mittee in its report In the Coleman
Buck case charged that frauds had
been committed, particularly in JEFF.
ferson, but it very properly con-
cluded that frauds at some polls
could not invalidate Mr.. Bucks
election unless Mr.. Coleman could
show that. he had been elected IN
those parishes and polls where the
result was unchallenged.
In the fifth district the committee
declares that the election Is so COM
plicated that it is impossible to
determine who was properly elected,
and, it therefore relegates it to the
people.
We may expect similar action
from partisan Republican Congress
SO long as the suffrage in Louisiana
and the election laws remain I'M
changed. Our election law is bad,
as The Times Democrat has more
than once declared, and permits
fraud. In several of the parishes at
the congressional elections of Novem-
Der, 1894, there were undoubtedly
irregularities, if not fraud. We can
imagine nothing more absurd, how
ever, than the action Of the Republi-
cans in upsettlng the election of a
Democratic Congressman elected,
because, here and there, fraudulent
poll is found. II was the duty of
the committee to investigate the
returns, and, throwing out those
polls where there was doubt or sus-
picion, determine who was. really
but the Republican parti. |
sans would not neglect the opportu.
nifty offered them of denouncing the |
South and Southern election methods, |
and they have unseated Mr.. Boatner
in order to make political capital by |
it.
Those who believed that they |
were helping Mr.. Boatner by an I'M |
necessarily large majority, and those
who insisted upon the continuance
of the present election law, thinking
it gave the party in power greater
strength, have done the Congress-
man from the fifth district an ire
parable injury. His election by an
overwhelming majority was beyond
all question, but some of his pre-
tended friends have given the Re-
publicans an excuse for a report
against HIM and against Louisiana
,laat,a,, ,,,othDJ,