The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-05-19
The Congressional Committee.

/ nv uppOlulCo ny
House of Representatives at the las
session to take testimony in the Lou
isiana contested election cases has com
menced its session at the Office of tn
| q. S. Marshal in New Orleans. 1t ha
been given out that all the cases will
be taken up in New Orleans, and tina
the contestants from the other district
must have their witnesses in that city
The object of meeting in New Orl
cans, and its effect, are too plain to b.
misunderstood. The Radical member
who constitute the majority OF tina
committee are aware that the expense
and Inconvenience attending a visit tc
the city on tue part of witnesses from
the remote parishes at this season Of
the year, are so great as to deter them
from undertaking the task. The Demo
Gratis are too busy attending to their dali
ly vocations to be drawn off hundreds OF
miles, for perhaps weeks at time, to
give their testimony in case, however
much they may be interested in it.
On the other hand cloud of willing
witnesses can be obtained from any
part of the State, at any time, to give
their testimony in support of the
claims OF the Radical candidates. The
worthless carpet-baggers and scala
wags, who float about through the
State, with no other object than to feed
upon the industry of others, will be
glad enough to embrace this opportu-
nifty to pcUure themselves for the mile
age and per diem allowed the witnesses
i'll these cases. In fact, as the commit
tee well know, enough Radical witness
es can be found in the city of New Or
leans alone to swear in all the Radical
candidates in the State.
We have had specimen of these
Congressional Committees in New Or
leans before. The doings of the Shell
labarger committee are fresh in the
memory of all. The peuuries COM
mitted before that committee, for the
purpose of outraging the people of
Louisiana, and affording pretext for
degrading the people of the whole
South, were so glaring as even to cause
prominent Radicals to hesitate in car
lying ont their nefanous purposes. -
Men, greedy for Office, and boiling over
with vindictiveness, did not scruple to
swear to statements which they knew
could be proved false by q thousand
witnesses. Some of these men were
'x-Confederate traitors, others import
ID Yankees, others still, more worth
ess natives, of all colors, classes and
conditions. These peruries were SOL
'mnly put forth as incontestable truths
md the reconstruction measures were
he result of them.
So will it be with this new commit
ee. The perjuries in preparation will
re ON a par with those committed be-
ore the Shellabarger committee. In
act the committee, like the former one,
doubtless left Washington with the
round-work of their testimony already
aid out, and with settled determine
ION that the testimony should estab-
sh the claims of the Radical members
their seats. So far as they are con-
erned the question has already been
ecided and the taking of testimony
ill be nothing more nor less than q
rec.
If the committee had intended to act +
Iirly sittings would have been held in !.
the districts, at places accessible to +
illnesses from every locality. In this \
ay, and only thus, could anything v
re fair investigation of the claims :
all the candidates be had. i