Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1845-06-11
From HE Niiioaii h,eligencer.
ION FRAIfnS N lnIjicI> AZ,

oidl Committee ol the liot,s., of R,rre,out,.
tive,, appointed, at the last session of the Ic
gl,atuyt oi the State OF Louisiana, to inouicc
!"i" the frauds pcrpct@t"d in thdt State at the
late Presidential election.
REPORT oCthc S,lcci Com,aiif.c of HE Io,iy,
% Representatives, on Election Frauds.
The Special Committee appointed by the
House To examine and enquire into the cleo
ton frauds pcrptiratel at the late Prcsidrn
rial election IN this State, respectfully submit
the following report:
The committee have given To the subject re.
tcrrcd To them the attention and consideration
which It's importance demands
They assembled on the 18th Januar,. in
conformity with the resolution of the House
ant, aft I being dJly organized, elected clerk
and proceeded forthwith To take the necessary
steps 10 procure t,.s testimony in relation to
| the matter Contitt"d To their charge. From tina,
time to the present they have baen actively
engaged In procuring the attendance of wit
neSNcs, taking their testimony, and having
that testimony printed.
| The committee regret 10 say that they have
not yet been able To extend their Investigation
! To any parishes except thosa of Plauuemines
AMI East Baton Rouge; and that as regards
! Plaqucmmcs many witnesses of the utmost
Importance have not been examined Some
! ot the witnesses have been summoned and
have neglected To appear; others have seCreted
themselves or kept out OF the reach of the OF
| iiccrs OF this House. Some have sent for eX-
| Cuse the plea ot sickness; som, are believed To
be on board the steamer Agnes; aud the resi-
| dcnCe oi few others could not b. asccrtaiucd
| Notwithstanding all this, the testimony
already received by the committee establishes
| beyond doubt that the election i'm Plaque
mines, for electors OF President OF the United
States III November last was conducted i'm n
lawlesS and irregular manner; that il was ac-
compancd with turbulence. disorder, threats,
and violence on the part of the public officers
and others withintcnt to intimdate and nllu-
cncc voters; and that il was fraught with lille.
gal votes, with fraud and corruption. aud with
a fatal disregard of the laws of the land mo-
rality, and OF religion.
The testimony is now submitted to the
House IN the printed journal of the committee
accompanying this report.
| The committee feel il due to themselves
and To the good people of the State of Louisi.
ANA, i'll submitting the testimony reported by
them to notice and comment somewhat more
III detail upon the extraordinary facts devcl-
opcd by that testimony.
The name of Judge Leonard having been bv
public rumor associated with the election in
Plaquemines, the committee, through their
chairman, invited Judge Leonard To attend
their sittings. He has availcd himself of the
opportunity thus afforded him has attended
nearly every sitting of tn. committee: has
with leave oi the committee, cross examined
the witnesses; and, at his request, has been al
lowed To have witnesses summoned and ex-
amincd i'll his behalf.
IL appears from the testimony of Mr. John
Claiborne and OF Mr.. John &. Larue that, on
Monday, the 18th November last, at meeting
of the Central State Committee of the Demo- !
Mr. al, lea,
Proposed that means should be offered to (
such Democratic voters of the parish of Orle- /,
ans, as had been excluded by any circum- !
stance or under any pretcxt from voting that
day, TO 60 to some other point within the
county oil Orleans, stating his entire belief that
they had right To do so under the Constitu-
ton of the State"
"Mr. John Slidell and other gentlemen adj
dressed the meeting, and the question was
discussed legally and morally; statements
were made that large numbers of Democrats
had been precluded under various pretexts
from the rights of voting Ii was finally a.
greed that an effort should be made to get
such persons as had been excluded from yot-
ing here together, and offer them conveyance
to Pointe-a-la- Hache, i'll the parish of Plaque
mines, and within the county of Orleans for
the purpose OF exercising the right of SUI
lraSe. (See printed Journal, pages q and 9.
Mr.. John Claiborne stated that he had as
certained that not more than 30 persons
went To Pointe ala Hlclic, of whom 80 there
voted.
Mr.. john G.. Laruc stated that he went in
the steamer Planter to Pointe-a- la Hacle from
New Orleans at the time and on the occasion
already alluded to; and that there were 100 or
100 persons on board about 20 or - of whom
were not entitled to vote. (Sce printed Jour
nal, page Ill
He continued
"When the boat landed, seeing on the bank
some wing gentlemen OF the city, he requested
the persons on board to walk in procession for
the purpose of keeping them separate from
the wings, for fear of any collision, as, the po-
lltlcal excitement being high, such thing
might be apprehendcd. After they had left
the boat, witness went on shore and saw the
inspectors of the elections; told them those
men had come there to vote; that about $50
oil them we've entitled TO vote i'm the CITY. but
had not voted, and asked their opinion of the
law, whether those men had right to vote in
the Parish of Plaquemincs, within the coun-
~ OF Orleans, expressing at the same time his
own views of their right; the inspectors of the
election conceded with him in opinion. and
he found IT unnecessary to 90 into the room
where the polls we've open" (See printed
journal, y. III
And he concluded his testimony by stating,
in reply to question BY one of the committee
about oae-thiTd OF the persons who went on
board the Planter lCere Americans, the rest
lpere naturalizCd citizens. (See printed Jour
nal, p. l2) Other witnesses swear that the
great body of them appeared TO be foreigners.
And NJ. John Sldcll, member of the late
Congress of the United States, aud Represen-
tativc elect of the lst Congressional district
OF Louisiana, to serve ia the next Congress of
the Union, addressed the following letter to
the presiding officers at tive poll at Pointe-a-
la-Ilache:
"MY DEAR SIR The steamboat Planter will
convey to Pginte-a-la-H acle a number of Ie-
galiy qualified voters of New Orleans. who
have been deprived of an opportunity of vot-
ing at New Orleans. am sure that. being
residents Of the county, their votes will de re-
ccivcd by you. The wing committee are col