New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-10-06
g save Of absence having been granted Mr..

Mr.. Day. There seems to be an attempt to
prevent action on this election case. It is
UNFAIR 10 ais contestant. His contestant is
pooI man. FOR this reason move ID re-
- toqsluTs nl tue vote granting leave of absence
Mr.. Ray: 1t is only for the balance Of this
week that leave of absence is granted.
Mr.. Lewis: Yes, sir; bnt Understand the
commiLtee is ready to reportin this case.
Mr. Todd: 1 saw Or, Day this morning; he
appeared to be very feeble, and think the
senate should have the courtesy to grant
stances,
Mr. Lewis: Well, sir, he may be sick to-
gay, put II he is well tomorrow he should
CONE Forward to meet his case like man.
whole matter can be settled. Mr.. Day can
appear BY his counsel. Let the case be pro-
ceeaed WITH duIing his absence,
The President: Ihe leave expires Monday,
The report has not bee made. II made to-
morrow 1t would lay over until Saturday, so
that the leave only delays the matter one
day.
Mr. Lewis: Very well, sir; have no OBJ.
lection. ~
The report of the committee In the case Of
c. c. Antoine being under consideration,
Mr.. O'Hara: move the adoption of the
Mr.. Blackman: Mr.. President, had tue
moor yesterday when this report was under
consideration and was interrupted by the
special order Of the day. claim the floor
now. tt ~ =
The President The Chair can not sustain
that point unless you had claimed the
floor when the question came up again
Making the special order OF the day does
not give you the floor unless you had given
notice TO that effect. Mr.. 0'Hara has the
a ido
Mr.. 0'Hara: Mr.. President, as / believe
every Senator has studied the report and
we have had 1t before us for a week, and as
they all know how they will vote upon it,
and as think IL is useless to occupy the
time of the House in debating it, move the
previous question.
Mr.. Blackman: Before the question is put
| will simply state that hope the Senate
will vote down this discourteous sitting of
debate by means OF the previous question.
The vote being taken by yeas and nays,
the previous question was not ordered.
Mr.. Blackman: presume It would be im-
possible for me TO make any change in the
minds OF the Senators present, ana do not
propose to discuss the question whether
Mr.. Antoine is entitled TO his seat by the
evidence in the report of the committee,
nor the question whether the election
should be returned to the people, but would
ask Senators to examine closely the testi--
mony which has been presented by the COM
mittee on elections, and say whether there
is any such evidence as would convince the
mind of an intelligent citizen that this in.
vestigation has been pursued with fairness
aud Justice and impartiality on the part of
the committee.
1t is matter of regret on my part to ac-
cuse any committee or member ofthe Sen
ate of the State with injustice OF partially,
hut, it does seem to me that the evidence
| nD Ub 20
has been excluded time and again by that
committee as eg pGY-te now, sir, what is
the evidence presented in the report Of this
committee ON election returns The first
affidavit Is that of Robert Beard, on page
six. This affidavit was sworn to on the 22d
OF April, 1868. 1t is not the evidence of
witness summoned before this committee
by virtue OF the authority vested in them,
but it is simply the affidavit of party in
the parish of Caddo, before the Board of
Registration in that parish, and was sent as
an evidence of the fraud that was commit
ted. TO the Chief Board of Registration liz
the State. This same evidence was embodied
IN the report of the Board of Registration
By Mr.. Packard and the other gen tie men
constituting that board. 1t is SIMPLY
eI pdrte evidence, long before the seat
OF MIR. White was contested, long before the
Senate assembled. 1t was taken for the
purpose of enabling the Board of Registra-
ton of the parish Of Caddo to present
report to the Board of Registration of the
STATE, to show that there had been fraud.
1t was no evidence in this case whatever
1t was sworn to before C. W. Lowell, who
was chairman of the Board of Registration.
1t is not even the affidavit of the party
before duly authorized Justice of the
Peace or competent court. Then l ask il
such an affidavit can be taken as evidence
in this case.
The following is the sfidavit:
Arr u.
twenty-second day of April, A. d. 1868, per-
sonally appeared Robert Beard, who states
as follows: That on the seventeenth and
eighteenth days OF April, A. D. 1868, ! was
at Greenwood and at the polls in said Green
wood. When the box was opened. the
three first tickets that were put in were
Radical tickets. The men who voted them
lived in that ward and registered thtre. The
next three Radical tickets that were offered
one after the other the Commissioners asked
the voters where they registered, and the
voters said at Shreveport. The Commis-
The Commissioners did not examine their
papers and asked them no oLher
questions; did not ask them where
they then lived; don't know the
names. of these voters. A man standing
near the polls took those mems tickets and
tore them up. AT this, some thirty or forty
negroes got on their horses and lett for
shreveport After these colored men were
refused the right to vote, went up to the
polls and presented my registration certif-
cate and Democratic vote. No questions
were asked as to where l lived never
lived in the Greenwood, aud was registered
as living in Shreveport. No Radical tickets
were offered after those were torn up as
above stated. Nearly all the white men
were well armed with pistols. / did not
notice any black men armed ut all. l saw
great many colored men voting the Dem
ocratic ticket. ROBERT BEARD.
Subscribed and sworn to, the day and
year first above named, before me,
CHARLES W. LOWELL,
Chairman Board of Registrars.
Caddo parrish, Louisiana.
Then on page seven Is a report OF G. W.
Lowell. chairman of the board of repistra-
tion. How can that be converted into anv
testimony touching the Case of G. @. An
toine versus Reuben White II is simply
absurd to take such report TO the Secreta-
II OF Civil Affairs as evidence in this case.
" ould It be taken as evidence In any civil
lzed country? II is no evidence whatever.
~ stHipiy gives what Is believed 10 be facts
anc was made to enable the Secretary Of
civil Affairs to make his report
On page eleven We have the evidence of
Thomas Henderson, taken on the twentieth
Of April last, before the contestant ever
thought of contesting tile seat Of MI. White.
This is the affidavit s9
Personally appeared before me- this twen.l
tieth day Of April. 1865, Thomas Henderson, i
who says b e7gLlu1n It1 .sssi 4
That he is a resld dent and voter Of the
Fifth Ward, Caddo Parish. Louisiapa and
that went TO summer Grove for the pur-
pose of voting at that place, being designa-
r26 "a a f.tr g.. ~