Louisiana Affairs

The following are the conchmiona arrived at i by the majority of tlio Louiriiaua Iiivestigatiug ' Committee, aeembraoed iu their report to the i House of Representativos at Washington : The and rsigïied, mftjorH# of t-,o Oomntiifcee on i the State of the South, pespectfuliy report that thcy t-amiot igree to the report made to tho comiuittee by Messrs. Hoar, Wheeler and Frye. The lawn inimical to the oolored people of Louieuuia, reforrod to in thoir report, have been repoalcd for yeara. Exoept durlng the Bcbism of Goy. Wnrmoth, in 1873, tho llepublicun party has long had control of the machín cry of the I State. The late registration whows au ei-eesa of the ■ colored over tho white voters, giving ÍK), 781 oolored t to 7G,823 white. In the absenoe of auy dsrect evidenec that the lato election was not f roe and fair, tiit' ;ssmi)püon of tho miuority, that enough colorea voters must Unr-fure have been preventod from voting at the late oleetion by tüe reoollection oí the Colfax and Coushatta kiüings (the causes and circianstancea of which uro dlspufced), and by other acte which ocourred yeara bef ore, to have chan--d the result of the elechon tliroughout the Otate, is an assumption so violent, whon it íb recollected that those pariehoB olected the full Kellogg ticket by increased Repnblican majoritfes, as not to be reoelved, ü mi y ntlu-r cause lor tli o vote of tho State canjttt found. Sueh causen exist and are obvious. Among them are : First- The reglatration was inenrrect, and excecdi 1 the true colored vote. The rogintratiou was wholly in tho hands of the Kellogg officials, with whom a RepubHcan committee, with United Btatcs iI;u-hhai l'ackard attheirhead, co-operated. In only three parihes did the Kepublican Supervisóte of BegiStratlon malte any complaint of unfair or inBuffiqtent reglstoaMcn. On tho other hand, try great complaint was made by the Conservataves, who specified. with proof, 1,200 cases of conceded fftlae registrat&on in New Orleans alone, and thoee ConLvea fl ho had been co-operating in tho joint party committee to sociire fair registration gaVe up the effort in denpair. Tho census of 1870, the correctnesB of which is not impeached, showod 87,076 whites 89,913 colored malee over 21 yeara öf age. All the stütiBtirs and evidenee, bofore ns liraicatéd no chango in this proportiou in favor of the colored voters. Yet the registration of colored voters excecded by 4,000 the total number of ad tilt malee returned by the census, while the registration oi white votes was 10,000 Irss. Second - The whole nuniber of votes rogisterod was 167,607. Of these 146,523 votcd. This ia a larger proportion of regiatered voters than umiully vote in any of the Northern States. In un agrieultural State, scanüly settlod, whore long jotïrneya had often to be mude to reacli the polls, it is nnreasooable to suppose that a, geator proportion of the registi'tvd blácks would have turued out to hubtain the gcitermnent ander wliich the prosperity of the State and thoir wages and value of their stares of production had Bteadüy declined, than usuully vote at elections Ñortb or South. 7Vïï'rrfThe yoar 187-1 wa one of poütical change, in which the vote throughoiifc all the Htate was seriOUftly affected against tho Ropublii;an party- a change ros uiting largely from financia! diütress of the peoplo, and which nhould thcrefore naturally have been even greatf r in Louisiana than elsewhen-, Fiuirth-lt becium: the interest of the Conservativos, at leaet at the last elcction, not ia intimidatie, lïiit to acquire by every fair meana the oolored voto. Partios who were alleged to havo threatened the -ven with refttsal oí' einployii.uMit wero subject to prompt arrest. It was kuown that pretexta would be sougkt to deprivc the Oonservativea of the resuít, if they prevailed in tho cleoticoi. It was thcrefore their interest to avoid giving auy BUch pretests. Abaos Uü;ly. tiiey d9teníied cvei-j-wherr to co-operüte With and conciliato the blacke. T'icy voted do'A-n the propositions or suggestinns which were made in the eurly pafit of the campaign for a refusal to employ theme colored votera who would Qot co-öperato with thém, and generally sought by eombining with colored voters to carry tin: eíeé+ion-. Local coiiibinattoijs agaáost the KcLlojj cuihíí(:;.uh were made iu many parches by men of all partios and colors. In Bever.il patisüea a Union ticket of colore 1 and Conservativo votes Vvas voted for and elected. An intolligout colorod witnef tuetiüed that he " desire'd better goveniment," and to that end ' was willing toswaliow the v-'hito man if tho white uien would swallow tao colored." Those causes and feelings naturally unitod to hwoII the Conservative vote in such localities as indieated by the returns . l'ifth-Thu entire vrantof any direct evideuce to show ;iny general intiiuidatíon of colored voters. Of , in so largo a State it would hé impossiblc Ètorad be no metaace oí r iu?ai to empioy, or oí' intimidation. Sucli occur in every Btate ; but the evidence certamlv iadicatus no general iutimidi:ti,m of oolored voters, and that such intimidation as dld exist in the otate was rather iathe iuterest of theltens tb.au of the CotuaervMttvea, United Btoftn M ars&als, whose chief wan tho Chairinan of the Itepublican State Coinmittee, aruied, in sonic caney, with blank warrants of arrest, and íiided by Federal troops, inado constant arresta befóte the election, but not af terward. Tho overaight of tho election and returns were in the hands of Gov. Kellogg'n oniciale. Their account and return did show twenty-nine major: ty of members of the lower house, elocted by Uie r o;-" ra(ivca, without any protest whatever, except iu three parishes, alüiough it was their province and duty to protest in any case wherc violcnco and intimidation, or fraud exiBted. Indeod, the direct evidence as to the olection of 1874, as well as tho circumstonces, elearly indícate a peacoable and fair election. In tact. after the visit of the ürst committoe and revisit of the special coinmittee, the Kellogg party, with all their niachinery for collocting evidencc, were unable to produce in tho entire State more than half a dozen persone to testify to anytbing iiupeaching the freedom and fairneas of the late elections wlio were not officeholdera or conuected with ofiiceholders. Against suoh facts it eeeins to ub idlo to assume that the disturban oes so vividly pictured by the minority could have kept Up throughout the State such a feeliug of intimidation as would jtustify the assumption thut but for that feeliug tho State would have gone Re publican. All expt nence dhoKvB that result oí th ■ eloetkra of 1874, in Lonisiana, as returned to the lleturning Board, was natural and to be easily aceounted for by the reanonw we have giran, We hold, thereforo, that in Novembteï, 1874, the peoplo of the State of Louisiana did fairly havo a free, poaceable, and full regietration and election, in which a citar Conservativo majority was elected to the lower house of the JLegifclature, of whïch niujnvity the Conservativos were depri vod by the unjust, iUegal, and arbitra ry action of the Keturninff Board . To the resolution reported to the House from the oommittee as to tüo action of the Keturning Board, we aro all afreed. We understand the committee to be unanimouH in fmding the fact that the action of the Returuing Board has defeated tho will of the pcople as expresse-d by them at the polls in November, 1874. The people then elected to the lowerluwse of their Logiflaturo a majority of Conni-rvative nienibers. A portion of the Conacrvative mt;mbew thus elected were refused their certificates. This is an act of great injustiee to lniUviduals, of estdanger to the Btaéè and f ree governmeut, and ought to be numediately correctedby any power competent to correct it. The resolution commending the recognition of Gov. Kellogg is based upon tilo general impreseion, not upon ovideucu. On this point no te.stiniony was taken either by the committoe or any part of it. Kellogg may or may not have boen elocted in 187'2, but ; no evidencc to show the fact, or it' there be it has been neiüior ought nor found by thia committee. Messrs. Fosterand Phelps, tl)ink thattlio popular belief, taking both Counervative and Radioul circlee, iucliney on the wbole to justify Kellogg'e claims, and tliat, as Kellogg ia and bad been acting Governor of Louieiana for the pawt two yeait, to deny hin rigbt and üintall anotlier in his place, after this lapso of time, might iiivolve ijicalciilablo mischief to tho legal and politicul interefits of the State, The committee conclude as folio ws : To avoid the mischief and confusión of a change, the majority of the citizens of Louiaiana serm willing to accept, as a compromise, Kellogg's recognition and the reetoration to tht; Conacrvativea of the control of the lower house. For these rcasons, Mcsi-th. Poster and Phelps do not wiph Ui oppo.se the reo0ru!n)u that the administration of the Üovt rnor, f. be recognlzed. Neither, in view "f the fact t!i;it thej know nothing Of ttti mérité as judged ■ nee, do they wih to be underetood aa urging it. 1 tey only wiah to accord their ment with those of tbeir aasooiates who belifw Hi'i'ii ji ccnfercnce might, by mailing a t rminatioD to tho uncertainty in Louisiaua, be, on the wholè, lesa intolerable than the present Bituation of thut il; ■ plQj 'llt to any resolution facognizing ■ . Potter and Marshal] are uttcrly They flnd nothing to justify tho belief that Kollogg was elected ; that he Beized thé governim nt by the aid of the Federal troops, througli a void and fraudulent ordcr.TYhich prèvextted the countiDg andreturniuji ot the votes, should be a Btanaing pre Buniption against him. When the p gple, ou&aged by the abiiHüK of hiu government, had BuccessfuQy office which he had uaurped, he waa 1 by the Federal power Quough forma of law by viiu-li ho hnd Jntrenchod himeeit. iïe ■■■i ta DTillify the choice of th.' , late elfction, aad to that end called Lutfae ffe ieral troops to oreas up the meeting of the Legtelature, Fór Congresa to recognize a usurpation o gror"P, ho oppressive, is, thoy think, to catabüsh a leni by which, under pretexte that can readilybe found, ary State governtaenf may be óverthrown, i!i. will óf Qie p"eople nulUfiéd and fraud and otencc made permanent, nnd repnbiican forniK purvcrt.'d to destroy ltbejty. In their .judgmeiit all tlifit iw needed in Ijonisiana in fco witÖdraw the B'oderaltroopf, and leave the peopi'; of that State to govern themai I Charle Fosteb, W i ;,;,i na V.'ai.TKII PHELPB, : LfiKSt 'N N. I'OTTER, Kami-ki. S. Marshall. THE MINOKITV EEPOBT. G. F. Hoai', Chainnan of Uie committee, made tl) o minority report, of which the follow, ing ia the Et ie eigned by Heesn ; [oar, Frye an3 wl eeler: U - That there exüta in A'hite Men'g party a pur)X)st to taliti poBSLBsion, by force or fraud, of bato govenunent, without regard to tho qUeeüon whö may bare tminerical tnajority at any fair election. ïid - That, in the exocution of this parpóse, they wiU not hesitata to aae any inHtruuicnt-alities wliii-ii tbey think designed to aoccsupUah theftr end, whether the sszne be mnrder, fraud, civil war, or i oí laborera by their exnployern. Ti-ird - WhUe (hejro are niany white men of moderate meane who do not thoniselvee use or approve of these uulawful meaau, siioli iqí-u desire tho ao compHshnient of the same end, and are powerlees under Uio leadership of their more influential asHooiaieB. Foitrth - Three causen have made it easy for the winti1 men to so uaito: Tlie f act that the i Iration party iu Louisiana is made up Shnóst j gether of negro votes, wilh a fo.z white Vofci, 1 ly from oQjor Staten ; the f act ihat tln ro báf míladininiatrutiou by llepublican officials; thB belief by a largo numbér of tho wiute p -dple that they 1 ■ii forioe defraudad of thü rrnults of tte . CtríM'lll Olrff M1J1. ! I lfth - Shilc thene things are dcpforáble, the oöttrfle "f Üv white thmMclvffl lian tfctfdftd t- bring tbeni atout. Tho Himple and peactí'ul ■ dice of obedience to law and docent treaünent of i ■ opponntH would, if thoy had purpued ttiem. '■ proven eüectivo loug ago. Sixth - While wo believe Gov. Kellotrg rnccivrd a , niajority of voten in 1872, and whil'i wo BfelieVe ' was vioïence aud fraud in many of the paritílitH in , 1S74, the iliegal order of Judge Durell, aud the illegal ! conduct of the Eeturning lïoard iu atU-iupting lo cure om; wrong by another, havo f urnÍEhed subotantial banis f or oompliünt. Sevpnth - Theru has been niueh diKhonesty and corruption in Louituana. For thesy thb RepubJican ofllciíil iindcr Warmoth'a rule aic larK'.'ly i blo, althoLh many of their opponents have beun eqnally guilty. KUjhth - The effect of all thifl haf beon to put an ond to tlie r.uthority of law throii(;hout a large portion of IíOuípiana, to deprivñ the negro of freedom and pufïrag .-, and to deBtroytheeafeguardn pr.vidcd 1 y l:iw to secrre fairness iu oK'ctions. This HÜite of thuigs overüliowa ropnblican govcrnmont Ín Louíbíana, and Berl mely íiit-nacoK the whole couDtiy. Mnth - A new cloction under national authority ia j deeired by neither sido. T'-nlh - 0Ong-ri hh should exnrcipe it constitutional powurs. 'We think 'illiaui l'itt lívllogg wan tho choice of the majoriiv of the votci's iu 1872, and should bi? rpcognizcd. Kivi-fnth - These rtjmedica are but superficial. Efficiënt (Hliu-ational aid would have done much to prevent the cvil, and mfty iin iuu"Ji to effect the cure. The public seutinn-nt of tho rent of coïi?itry, without diwtiurtion of party, may do much to remove, as it haa alre-ady luifortunatply done much to aggravate, the evils of Louisiaua. Tbe poople Rhould be made to underptaud that the auUi;a t:. , loclged in the national government Lo presen ■ a. : republican form of govi-rnment and to protect thn j right of all eitizens will be kindly but farieeply and Bteadily exercieed, and that no party in tliiR I country will acE&i)t the alliance of men who are noel;in power by euch methodf) as we have boen comixlled to describe. ITnleBt this eau. be done, the overthrow of the free institutiona of tlie whple United j States will not long surive the deetruction of thoae in the South. ïhe following are the coucIuhíoub oí tbat pOrtion of tbe report wbich relates to j dation : We ennnot doubt that the effect of all thene things wtiR to prewní, a full, free, and fair election, and to intimídate? the colored voters and tlie white Kepublicans. The very formation of a white mau's party was a inenace of a terrible import to those who naomber Colfax and BouQiej. The preB was filled j with threats of violrnee. The agreement lo dischargo lül)orers, tlu; BuggfKtion that wild beaatl UK tamed by hunger, wa evidonce of the geDeral spirit. The overthi'ow of the State Government by th ■ White League on the 14th of September; the tuming ( out of large numbers of parlih oiiicialw iu tlicoounty by cojnpelling them tw flee t'or their livefl ; the fearful tkeséa of Cousbstta, th1 formatinn. :rraiag, and drilling of tho White League, the natural iucceBHora of tbe Kiüglita of the White Camellia; tho?e things in a cominuuity where there irt-no legal ! ishment for political murdi r must in the nature cï I thiiigH have filh-i witli terror a pcopl:1 timitl and I gentío like the colored popnlation of Louisitma, even ! il" we hi;d not taken abundant evidence nfi to special ; actn of violeucr aud crime, and their effect on particular neighborhoods. Tlie report is necompanifid by a reolution } reconimenclmg the recognition of Kellogg and the return of the five Conservativo members of the Legielature. AÍ1 the menabers of the committee report ' agaimst the action of the Botiiruing Board ; ; MeHbi's. Foeter, Plielpa, Potter and MarnliulI unito in tlie majority report that tUere waa uo general intimidation in tlie Siato. btít a fvee and fair election. wlJch reBulted in favor of tb o Coneervativee, wbo were deprived of the result by the wróngful aetion of the Betunun Board; Messrëi Hoar. Wnéeler and Frye unito in a ; minority report, and Foater assen tö with Hoor, Wlieeler and Frye to a compvomisc rccogni.in.i Kellogg as Governor, and giving tho majority in the House to the Conservativo delegatea. C()NHEIiVATIVES IXTMIVIEW THE PRIiRIUENT. Messrs. Zacharie. Burke, and Leonard. representing the Conservativo party . of Loiusiana, had an interview with the President the otber dav. Mr. Burke proposed to read bis j amendment to the Wheeler proposition, but the Prenidcnt informed hira that he coiild not be a party to any agreement, a bis duty was to execiite tlielaw, and not enter into any j tion or compromiHe, bnt he wonld be rejoiced if the opponing parties in Lomsiana could : cxme to some understandlng by wbicb the ; ent contentiona in the State could be eettled. i lie H]K)ke in tlie bigbeet terms of f tive Wlieeler in the character of acompromiser, and said some mistaken had been made, but if t bo had been Governor of IouiHiaua at the time I of the September troublen, he would baveturned the disturbers of the peace over to the courta iuatead of consulting with them. Tlie President informed the Louisiana committeo thathe would consult witU the other parties to the tefit in Louisiaua, and said no man .would joice more tlinu himself if an arrangement ! could be made by which conflicting views could be reconcileil, and tlie peace and proRperity of Louisiana secured. The committee then called on Mr; Wheeler, who promptly rejected the propoeed amendinent to the compromiee.