The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1908-01-18
opuosttfon to Fair Elections.

Louisiana. In the attempted execu-
ton OF his declared purpose to pre-
vent SO far as possible the perpetra-
ton OF frauds and unfsirness at the
approaching primary election, GOV.
Blanchard has felt called upon to re-
move from Office Casimir Dauenhauer,
! assessor and tx, officio registrar OF
voters for Jefferson parish, and
Jere M. Gleason, supervisor of regis
tration for the parish OF Orleans,
basipg this action upon specific
charges of misconduct in connection
| with the registration OF voters, sup
ported by the sworn statements OF
reputable citizens in position to have
knowledge Of the facts to which they
testified.
Among the charges filed against the
Jefferson assessor were allegations
that he failed and refused to purge the
registration lists of the names Of dead,
disqualified and non resident persons,
and had placed upon his books the
names Of others who had not applied
for registration and whose signatures
were forged.
The Orleans supervisor was not &C
cused of anything 30 grave as forgery,
but ii was charged that gross parti-
sanship, discrimination and unfair
ness have been manifested in the con-
duct OF his Office, resulting in the pad
ding of the rolls with large number
of fictitious and fraudulent names
which there seemed to be little. dispo-
sition 10 expunge.
After making q personal investiga-
ton of the two cases, Gov. Blanchard
became convinced that the accusations
we're well-founded, and there will be a
general belief in the correctness of his
conclusion among people cognizant OF
the unsavory reputation Jefferson par
ish has maintained for years as hot
| bed of lawlessness and election frauds,
| and who recall the deliberate attempt
| of the Orleans supervisor to prevent
the qualification of Republican candi-
dates in that parish eight years ago
/ and the persistent alleg atoms follow
ing nearly every election in New Orle-
ans to the effect that there has been
fraud and chicanery practiced in the
interest OF the ward bosses and their
satellites.
Beauregard Miller has been sp-
| pointed by the governor as assessor
and registrar for Jefferson parish,
and Mortimer n. Wisdom as received
the governors commission ss super
visor OF registration for the parish of
Orleans, but o determined fight is
being made by the incumbents of those
Offices TO ''hold onto their jobs" and
prevent the new sppointees from tax
ing possession Of the registration
books OF the two parishes. In Jeffer-
son the president of the police jury,
after refusing to approve the bond
offered by MIR. Miller, seems TO have
gone into hiding TO escape service of
judicial process directing him 30
perform his official duty in the prem
Uses. Ia the New Orleans case an
order Of Injunction was granted by
Judge ST. Paul after nightfall OF the
| day on which MIR. Wisdom was
appointed, restraining the latter from
| interfering with MIR. Gleason in his
possession OF the registration Office
and records. Next morning, after
| considering the merits of the contro-
| versy, Judge ST. Paul dissolved his
| own orGer OF Injunction and the civil
| district judges. sitting en- bane,
recognized She commission OF Mr..
| Wisdom, who took the oath of Office
anl filed his bond. Mr.. Gleason
| applied to the court of appeals for a
mand anus to compel Judge ST. Paul
TO grant an appeal from his decision
dissolving the Injunction, and MIR.
Wisdom 10 turn applied to the su-
preme court for q writ prohibiting
the court OF appeals from Issuing
mand anus. Meanwhile the court of
appeals declined to take cognizance
of the matter and asked the supreme
court to do 80 because two OF the
judges of the court Of appeals are
more or less interested in the contro-
versy, one being related by mar
riage to Mr.. Wisdom and the
other being q candidate for mem
Der OF the Democratic state committee;
and it may be stated that the third
judge IL q son of the manager of the
Sanders campaign committee.
Yesterday the supreme court further
complicated the legal tangle by deny
ing the application for a writ of
prohibition on the ground that the
court OF appeals Is vested with au-
thority to determine, in the first in
stance, whether 1t is within it's iuris-
dic:ion to issue a N andamus In aid of
its appellate jurisdiction, and that
the supreme court will not anticipate
the Judgment OF an inferior court upon
question which the latter is author
lied to decide. Thus the case reverts
to the court of appeals, where several
days must probably elapse before a
decision can be reached.
Meanwhile the ring registrars of
Jefferson and Orleans remain in pos
session of the Offices from which the