President. whatever seeming informalities may attach to the manner in which the will of the people was ascertained. that Mr. Pinchbaeck is the representative of a majority of the legal voters of Louisiana. and entitled to a seat in the Senate. In the election of 1872. the white population of the State exceeded. bythe census of 1872. the colored population by about two thousand. including in the white estimate 63.000 foreigners. only half of whom were naturalized. This estimate. at the same ratio in each race. would give a large majority of colored voters. The census and registration up to 1872 substantially agree. and both sustain this conclusion. The census of 1875. taken in pursuance of an article of the State constitution. gives. after including the foreign population (naturalized and unnaturalized) in the white aggregate. a majority of 45.695 colored population. This view of the question is submitted. not as determining the contest. but as an offset to the allegation that Mr. Pinchback does not fairly represent the popular will of the State. and as a presumption in favor of the legal title of the assembly that elected him.
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naturalized