The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1897-05-29


ers or challengers to any irregula-
rity, to the legal rights of any one
to vote or any unfairness in the
conduct of the election.
'Respondents further aver: That
Notwithstanding all precautions
taken by the officers of the law
as above stated, they have been in
formed and verify believe. and
therefore charge, that one or more
of the leading spirits in the manage
ment of the campaign for. or some
supporter of, the Peoples Ticket,
voted, or caused the voting, of an
illegal ticket without the detection
for the purpose of keeping the Of
respondents unknown, and then re-
missioners still retaining in his pos
session the official ballot provided
by said commissioner; all this con-
cocted for the purpose of Destroy
ing the secrecy of the ballot and to
exercise undue Influence, intimi-
dation etc., contrary to the intent
and spirit of the law, by preparing
said ticket so obtained and
causing another voter, to cast it
and return the official ballot OBJ
tanned by the latter from said COM
missioners, to be again used for the
same purpose; all in fraud of law
and to the great injury of your res
pondents; that thirtyfive such
votes were cast against your res
pondents and in favor of plaintiffs.
ssRespondents further answering
aver: That they specially deny that
the commissioners of election pro-
ceeded to count the ballots in the
absence of the watchers who had
been selected by the plaintiffs to
inspect the count of the vote; but
on the contrary, allege that said
counting of the votes was pro-
ceeded with only after said
watchers had been selected, and
in the presence and under the ms
pection of every ballot by the
watchers present.
"Respondents further answering
aver: That the provisions of act
1877 of 1896 above referred to, con-
corning the manner of marking the
tickets or ballots and declaring the
ballots otherwise marked as illegal,
are mandatory; that the rejection
Of such illegal ballots is made the
mandatory duty of the commits
sioners under the various provisions
of said act, and said commissioners
had no discretion in that regard;
that the ballots SO rejected were re-
jected by the commissioners of
election in the presence and with
the approval of the watchers Sc
lected to inspect the count of the
votes by plaintiffs, save in few in
stances when the objections were
frivolous; that they have been in
formed and charge that those cast
for plaintiffs, if any, and rejected
were either marked, dsfaced or torn
for identification, and as such il
legal, or improperly marked SO that
the intention of the voter could not
be ascertained; but that many, if
not ma orlty, of the ballots re-
jected were cast for your respond
ents or some of them, many of
which rejected for the latter reason
should be counted, many of which
were rejected by the commissioners
by error.
ttFurther answering they aver:
nished two official stamps, one for
ballot; that one of said stamps was
accidentally or intentionally broken
by some voter to your respondents
unknown; that said commissioners
being provided with those two
stamps, and desiring to allow one
voter at time within each booth,
that the right of suffrage of all the
citizens could be exercised without
nnne~cessorv r,hsfacleS 0r 6e1av
procured as soon as possible pen
Gil with a rubber at one end, the
rubber end to be used to mark the
ballot, and placed same in one of
the booths with instruction to the
voter how to use it; that without
this, only one voter could have en-
tered within the barriers at time,
necessitating unavoidable delay,
consuming double the time and
probably cause some voters to
forepO their Drivileoe or loose their