The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1908-10-03
WlckLlFFE WINS OUT.
Carries Ascension by Majority of Seventy
six Over Fayrot-Taylor Trnunces
Cade-F Fraud Alleged in Re-
turns from Fourth Ward.


Cade- Fraud Alleged in Re-
turns from Fourth Ward.
The primary election held in Ascen-
sion parish last Tuesday for the nom
nation of Democratic candidates for
congress from the sixth congressional al
district and railroad commissioner
from the second railroad commission
district resulted in Robert c. Wickliffe
OF West Feliciana and Shelby Taylor
of Acadia carrying the parish over
their respective opponents, George K.
Favrot of East Baton Rouge and
OVerton Cade of Terrebonne. Complete
returns from the fifteen voting pre-
cincts give Wickliffe GLIB and Favrot
537, majority of rs for MIR. Wickliffe.
For railroad commissioner Taylor has
644 and Cade 479, Mr.. Tay lor's ma
jority being 165.
Wickiiffe carried nine precincts and
F'avrot six, while in the commissioner
ship contest Taylor polled pluralities
in every precinct save the first of the
| fifth ward and the first and second of
| the seventh ward.
In the third ward, Donaldsonville) J,
| Mr.. Wfeklitfe carried the first pre-
cinct by a majority of &c and the
second precinct by majority of 40,
while the New River wards, which the
Favrot leaders had expected to carry
by heavy majorities for their candi-
date, gave Wickltffe majority Of 5
votes.
A total of 1850 votes was polled, as
tcompared to 1864 in the primary of
Sept. 1. The parish has an aggregate
voting strength of approximately 1900.
The election passed off peacefully
and quietly, and no disturbances of
any kind were reported from the va
rious precincts. The result was a
great surprise to the Favrot sup
porters in this parish, who made a
strenuous fight against Mr.. Wickliffe
ID the interval between the first and
second primaries, and who had openly
claimed the parish for their candidate
by majority of anything between 10
and 100 votes,
A majority Of the parochial officials,
including Sheriff Z. C. Hanson, Chief
Deputy George Richard, Clerk OF
! Court J. s. Barman, Parish Treasurer
A. \. King, Assessor L. A. Landry,
Jr., State Central Committeeman G. G.
Weber, and practically all of the dep
uty sheriffs in the various wards,
supported Mr.. Favrot, while among
the Wickliffe adherents were Hon. r.
N. Sims, Attorney B. ]. Vega, Ger.
main Narg assans, DR.. E. K. Sims,'
Hon. Fl. G. Braud, L. W. Armitage,
Hon. Jos. Gonzales, and other repre-
sentative aud Influential citizens.
An investigation Of the vote cast in
the fourth ward has been instituted.
Ln the primary of Sept. l, So votes
were poTled 10 this ward, Wiekiiffe
receiving q, F4vrot IS and Lefehvre
Is. In Tuesday IS election 50 ballots
were cast, and according to tie official
returns Wicklife poIled 10 of this
number and Favrot 43. The Wickliffe
adherents cannot understand how their
candidate polied q votes in the first
primary and only 10 in the second,
and have raised cry of fraud,
Twenty voters who cast their ballots
for Wickliffe have already signed
afidaqits 10 this effect, taking the oath
before Notary Public B. ]. Vega, and
it is said that at least eight more OF
these documents can be obtained. The
affidavits were fled Thursday 9th
District Attorney G. A. Gondran,
who promptly notified Judge Leche OF
the charges. Judge Leche has sum-
moned the grand jury to meet in
| special session at Donaldsonville next
| Saturday for the purpose of investi-
gazing the matter, and it is announced
that the scandal will be probed to the
bottom ard punishment administered
to the guilty party or parties.
/ Despite the fact that Ascension was
carried for, Wicklife in the face of
tremendous odds, which would tend to
make the victorious leaders a bit
lanient towards their late opponents,
there is a disposition on the part 81
Mr.. Wickliffe's friends in the parish
and the public generally to expose
the alleged fourth ward Justification
and ascertain exactly who is response.
| bic for the irregulartty in the returns,
| If such irregalarity exists.
AS twenty voters have voluntarily
| signed afidagits that they cast their
ballots for WickliTe, whereas the re
turns submitted by the election off
cfais 10 the fourth ward show tia
only ten Wicklife voters were counted
it is evident that there is something
wrong somewhere, and a full and i'm
partial Investigation of the matter j,
necessary in order to fix the blam,
!, where it belongs.
The officials in charge of the fourtl
ward box at Tuesdays primary we're
A eide Leroy, Philip Hebert and Gus
tave Gre, commissioners; Andr
} " agueapack and Alexis Poirrier
clerks; Camille Poir.ier, deputy sheriff