On the same day another large body of persons published in the same
place a paper in which they used the following language:
We, the undersigned, merchants of the city of Shreveport, alive to the
great importance of securing good and honest government to the State,
do agree and pledge ourselves not to advance any supplies or money to
any planter the coming year who will give employment or rent lands to
laborers who vote the Radical ticket in the coming election.
I have no information of the proceedings of the returning board for said
election which may not be found in its report, which has been published;
but it is a matter of public information that a great part of the time
taken to canvass the votes was consumed by the arguments of lawyers,
several of whom represented each party before the board. I have no
evidence that the proceedings of this board were not in accordance with
the law under which they acted. Whether in excluding from their count
certain returns they were right or wrong is a question that depends upon
the evidence they had before them; but it is very clear that the law
gives them the power, if they choose to exercise it, of deciding that
way, and, _prima facie_, the persons whom they return as elected are
entitled to the offices for which they were candidates.
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