A Gloomy Outlook

New Havkn, Not. 21, 1870. Deak Bis : Severa] gentlemen who hate ben nucli imprcGHed, bh I have been, by Jour felalon of what yon saw and heard during your recent Tieit Lto New Orleans reepecting the oUtical ana social condition of Louiaiana. lave deaired me to addreas you, with the request that you wil] give to tlie public, in such way &é may be moet agiceablo to you, your views of tho present unhappy politlCalsitnation n that State. 1 accordingly do bo with reat pleaaure aud in the hope that you will be able :o accede to the requet, I btg to remain, very trulv, youra, Ciiari.es R. Ingersoli Prof. W. O. Sumner. Now Haven. piioF. sümneb's heply. New Haven, Nov. 21. Deah Sla : In response to your request, I will Btate as britfly and clearly as possible the imprese.ions I received during my visit to New Orleanc. The gentlemen who wero requested by the National Democratie Ccmmlttee to go to Louiaiana expressed at onco to one auotlier the determination to certify to the Northern people the truth with regard to the vote of Louisiaua without party bias. Several of them espressly declared that thoy had not oome to ííew Orleans to get the State voto for Mr. Tilden, and all acquiesced The lirst effort was, therefore, to aecertain tho fact. Judging from the usage of Northern States this would not bo difflcult. On addrodsing the State Committee for information, it was at once found that that body had been obliged to contend with unheard-of difficaltica in their efforts to obtain returns. These diñiculties were partly physioal, due to tho lack of meana of communication with remoto pariahes, hut, for the most part, they were duo to artificial ana malicious obatruetions placed in their way. The election was held uuder a Oomplicatcd aud elabórate corps of officers, appointed by tho State GoYernment, and íree írom anyof thoss popular checks which we, in the North, regard as esscutial to all eelf-governn-ent. The efforts of the prees aud the party committees to obtaiu information were treated as impertinent. It was furthermore neceseary, inasmuch as tho ruling narty did not publish returns (except as bereaf tc-r Btatod), and did not therefore either deuy or accede to the Democratie reporta, to fortify these latter by certifícate in a manner totally unknown in the North. The Democratie committee, warned by the experienee of 1872 and 1874, took, as it appears, energetio measures to secure trustworthy returns, duplícate of the return bent to the Beturning Board. The suspicion of the latter body implied in this courso of action ie abundantly justified by its history. I have before mo a detailed atatement by parishea of the returns which were recoiyod as a result of the efforts of the Democratie committoe, with memoranda of the authority on which each pariuh return is based. Allowing for possible errora of detail, this statement establiahes a moral certainty that Gov. Tilden carried the State by 7,000 majority, according to the returns. I met no person in Louiaiana, and I mixed as frooly aa poseible with persons of all classes aud botïi partios, who denied or donbted that this was the true result of the election. I was told that the Republican newspapors had published returns froin thirty or forty parisbe?, coinciding with those in the Democratie statement, but had tbc-n deaiated, declaring that the roturas were incorrect and unBatiafsotoiy. No counter claim is made in regard to the returns. The only auswer made is that thore have been outrages aud intimidation in five or six paiiahea, aud that the Iletunüug Board will have to oorrect tlie returns by throwing out the votes of thoae parishes. Tho liepublican newepaper of tho 14th inst. went further, and declared that it would be necessary to inBert the votes which would have been cast for the Republioan ticket if the intimidation had not taken place. I met no person whatever who admitted any other hypothesis than that the Returning Board would bring out a Republican majority. It was not diacussed ; ita was aasumtd, as of oourse. The propoíal, then, is tbat the Returning Board ahall destroy the votes of a arge number of persons who really voted, and supply the votes of a large uumber of others who did not vote, becauso they tbink tliat ome persons voted under coerción and othtrs refrained uuder intimidation. Could anything more arbitrarily destroy the whole theory of popular electoral government ? For obvioua reaaons I could not enter into tho quootion of fact as to outrages, etc , agaiuat negroes who voted the Democratie ticket, and I talked with a number of persons who had auch complainta to make. I also reaolutely pursuod all possible inquiriea within my reach to try aud find out the truth. Ia a converaation which a number of us held with Governor Kellogg, he was asked for facts under thia head. He citsd the case of Gaid only. Gaid was killed by lynching, under circumstances of revolting injustice, in September, 1875. Politicé bad nothing to do with it, much less this electiou. It is fair to aay our interview was cut short, and Mr. Kellogg got no further with liis recital. Otlier charges of eutrage which I heard or &aw were intangible and uacertain. I could not bring any of them to distiuct ahape. All of them were denied, and especially the broad and general descriptions of aystema of intituidatiou were energetically denied by men of unquestionable characterand integrity. 1 see no guarantee againist frauda exoept in tho vi ilauceand interti.t of the opposiug parties. Such guarautees txistin L'juisiana, with the vast propondoranco of tho chances in favor of the party m powtr, which appoints all the ofíicers of election, has the Federal ofíicers on its side, and oontrols the Federal troopw, Every effort made by tho Democrats to prevent frauds is tortured into a proof of intentton to commit frand, and runs throug'a the North in the present temper of the people, finding ready credence. I do uot wonder that the people of Ixraiaiana despair of justice and fair treatment from ua when I aoe the readineea with which honorable men accept a miaconstruction of all their efforts and the tenacity with which the aamemencling to party prejudices. It is a shame to human nature, and a flagrant violation of all the aBaumptions of freo government, It ouly proves with renewed forco how wrong it ia for ub to be goveruing a State 1,600 miles away. If tho vote of the State is not to be coimtcil aa cast it is plain that the investigation ougbt to be full, open, impartial and complate ; but I cannot see how any anch investigation ia possible in the nature of things if the tribunal were abovo suspiciou. Tlie theory that anch an investigation is poaaible leads to ono result, as yet distant, but sure- Congrees will be the Returuing Board of the nation and ueurp the election of President. Tho only couclnsions I could reach in regard to the general matter in dispute were as follows : Society in Louisiana is almopt entirely disorganized. It ia claimed. and sjrong facts aro alleged in proof, tuat this is dxio to the maladmiuiatration of the civil omcerB. from the highest to the loweat, with very few exceptiona. The law is made an eugine of abuse at every tnrn. Oñiocrs of every grado ueglect or viólate duty for favor or reward. Tho most eacred institutions of civil society are pervertod to produce wrong and abuse. The election law is intricate, and,while apparently adapiedto provide for all contiugenciea, really createa a hundred technicahtica and maohinery which renders poiular electioua impodsible. The play of ita various parta allowa ecope for f raiul, cliicanery and abuae. It deponds upon the actiou of an army of officials, many of whom are far away from any control aud free from all responaibility, while thoy are able to defeat the whole purpose of the election by a corrupt or malic:ous assertion. The ingenuity wich which devices aro planned and practiced for producing fraudulent rcsults is aimply diabolical. The party in jx)wer, having control of thia machinery, can make any oleotion a mockery, and tho community finds itaolf lcoked in a network of crafty arrangements, from which eacapo seems impossible. Now. againet this prodigious tvranuy the poople of Louisiana have mado oue moreunited and determined effoi t. They know no other way togotridof it viiihout violence tban the method which republican institutious auppliea. tíaid ono of them to mo : "We havo tned every meana we could conceivo of iiu-ido of law and houer to carry thia ólection." Thby propared fDr every device they knew of. They arrayod committeea, couriern, agente, to prevent frauds, to dufeat corrupt purposes, to detoct repeaterd, to colloet returns. Tüey held meetings, organized cluba, had torcblight preoessions, gave out badges and employed plcadi.:o- md argument witU the ncgroes. I see that Mr. iièdilBld, in a letter to the Cincinnati Commercial of jaat Sunday morning, quotea the United Stdtesarmy oflicerstationed in Weet Feliciana that this ia no, and it ia wbat waa claimcid by poraons whom I aaw. I saw alao negro Presidente of Democratie clubs. When asked why they had forracd or jniucd these clubs, they rophed that thty were tiick of the confusión and miaerv of the country. They Ihought the promiaea made to tbem bad not been kept. They complained especially that they had no fohoole, and that the eohool funda were embozzled. Tboy aaid that the Demoorata made fair promiaea, and they were dispoaed to try tbom. Colored men made Bpeechea to this effect through tho diapnted parwhen. The Demócrata made the most of thiB diseatiafaction, and norted themaelves to win tlie election juat na both partiea did at tho North. On the otbcr hand all meana aeom to have been naed to clefont thm. I aavp and road au original specimen of 8 circular isnicd by the lïc}Hiblio.iii comiüitteo to the State Bnperviaors of lilcction, in whicii the peraon addreaacd ia ordered to bring up tbo Bepublican vote of hia parieh to a o( i lain figuro, and is told that hi rccognition by the future State adminiatration will depeni on the ti.lelity and ruccca with -n-hioh he does this. Tne document was eent by a party commit tee to a Htate oflichr, who Rot bis pay from the pariah in which he served. It ia in pafe hands and can be produced. It Ís claimed that polla were establinlicd at the last moment, or in out of-theway placee, and were not oponed for the full lime, or were opened beforo the hour appointed. In New Orleans a eewing-machino circular waa sent tbroflgh the Postoffice to Totora who had regiBterod. ïhf e oitculara were of ten miedirected in aome way or olher, oo that they wcrereturned "not found." Each one had a rosistration uumbor on it, and the person who held that nnmber was strack from the list and a warraut for hiB arrest issued, but not aervod. Th casos wero recordad in a book, but the evidecce circular was attacbcd to the warraut. A volanteer committoe indexed the book and published the ñamóte and, after long exertion, aucoeeded in getting back the worranta and circulare, ao ai to briag about a trial and exculpation. Tliero were aeveral thousandu of these eraaurea. Thoae who did not flnd out that their naoies had been eraned had to Bpend aeveral hoürs on oieetión day to recover registration. Those who wou ld nöt take tbis trouble were intimidated from voting. New Oi'luau ia to-day the most mournf n city I ever aaw. Tlie city itaelf ia squalid and wretched in appearanco, and the people are diapirited. - I saw no probability at all that there could be any use for troopa. The gravo importanco of the oiectión aeemed to me to lie in ita natiokal aapects. The Foderal power lias twice intervened in New Orleans to suatain the Iieturning Board in setting aaide the will of the people aa expressed by an election, on tbs ground that tliey did not coincide with the will of the people as expreastd by the cenaua. Federal iiitftrveiitir.n m the key to the sitnation. Without it the Retnrning Boaid would have to exerciae Ita great and dangorous power under respousibility to public opinión at least. With that interference the Beturning Board ia an engine of tyranny which is the more frightful bacauee it acts under a groteaque traveaty of republican government. The people of the Nqrth havo too Ion i noglected the case of Louiaiana, aa Si it were far off and foreign. They have left LÖnisiana to become, inside of our own republic, an instance of as flagrant oppreasion and wrong aa any which, in hiatory or foreign lauds. has ever enliste il our pympathy. It hae, however, been like a cancar in our body politie, and, at thia moment, when it ia eating into a Fresidential electicn - the great nerve of our political system - when! too, the Federal adminiátration and the Federal arma are still etiforcing the wrong, we are told that the principios of "Stato lighta" and "local aelf-g&vernment " command us to let it alone. We are told at New Orinan that the liotuiuing Board must act under the law. Bo indeed, it must. for the forms of law are sacred ; but thero is an appeal which cannot lie in vain to the sober reaaon and honorable wil of the American people. The law which com maniïa obedience because it is the will of the governed is one thing. The law wbich the people who live nnder it never consented to and never made ia another thing ; and thoae who rely upon its sanction for arbitrary ant unjuat action bring law under the mot tlan gorous contempt. When the people of the country appreciate the fact that it ia their power which bas imposed upon Louisiana tLia monstrous tyrauny their power cannct longe be turned in tbat direction. It waa this opinión of the national importanco of the Louisiana election which' led me to accept the invitation of the committee. thougut that the interest at stake went far Ie yond any queation of person to ait in the Presidential cbair. I thought that it touohe the vitale of the republican system. . Every thing I saw in Louisiana strengthened thia opinión. I hoped that we might avert the danger. In that we did not aucceed, but w aucceeded at last after persistent exertion in aecuring for the Northern people a complete report of all which may be done. I carne home believing that our institutiona are about tobe put to a test compared with wbich the war was insignificant - one whioh will demand that we gather together all our manhood and patriotism, and all our traditiona of civil liber - ty and self-govermnent. Many learoed noticss have been written in criticism of the conflict between North and Boutb, showing that it is a conflict of aristocracy and democracy, of Puritan and Cavalier, and I knoiv not what. Whatever the cause which the present Government of Louiaiana represente, that cause is nnfortonate in its miasiouariea. By the facto of tl.o record, the Governmeut there existing is base, corrupt, and contrary to every sound principie. A year ago no one could be foundwho dared apologize for it. It is baser to-day than then, and Ido not see how any honest man can side with it, or believo that it can advance any good cause. I found no sentiment of disunion among the men I met. They only seemed to despair of being trusted by the North. I found no sentiment in favor of a " solid South," and no ainbitiona to be natisficd at Washington. The allabsorbing subject wae the redemption of Louiöiaua from misinle. I found no hoatility to negro suffrage. People did not aeem to careabont it, orif they dia, they approved of it. They thought that, ïf they could once get selfgovernment for the people of the State, they cüuld manage to live logether without trouble. I presume that there are many people worse than those I met. but I think thoae whom I saw would be aa influential aa any in a reconstructed Louiaiana. Yours, very reapectfully, W. G. Sumneb. To Hou. Charles B. Inoebsoll.