The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1870-05-28
with any zeal.
MIR. KERR. Nr .MorAx did noA

!
deny that the election in that par.
ish was q fair, legal and orderly
election. Neither did Mr. Kennedy,
Neither does the testimony show in
any part orparagraph of it that the
election in this parish was not
orderly. Yet both parties pro-
duced witness before the commit
tee, and if any other condition of
things had existed in that parish,
why was it that it was not brought
to the knowledge Of the commit
tee in some way7
!believe, Mr.. Speaker, that in ono
particular am at fault. I Ibelicvo
MIR. Kennedy does change, in ref
erence to this parish, that Mr..
Morey, who now claims a seat
here, did get up some sort of in
timidation and violence in order
to control the suffrages of colored
men as against both Mr.. Kenedy
and Mr.. McCranie. but the evil
dence does not sustain his charge.
Mr.STEVENSON. That is what
I say. Mr.. Kennedy abandoned
his case. and it was not in tho
interest of the other parties to pur.
sue that branch of the testimony.
Mr.. KERR. hope the House
also will remember that in this
case the Governor,,acting upon the
returns made to him, certifies that
Mr.. McCranie. who now claims
the seat, and in whose favor re-
port, was legally elected to rep
resent the fifth congressional dis
trict of Louisiana in this House.
Mr.. McCranie bears that legal GER
tiflcate to-day. He bears the. le-
gal evidence of title to q seat in
this House. And if it had been
in the power or authority of Gov
ernor W-armoth or of the board Of
state convassers upon tho returns
which were made to them to have
brought about different result,
it is entirely justifiable on my
part to assume, and to ask this
House to assume, that Governor
Warmoth would have done so, and
would have denied this certificate
to Mr.. McCranie. 1t is also true
that before this certificate was is-
sued by the Governor, Mr.. Morey,
who now claims the seat, was al
lowed to be heard by the Cover
nor, and to enter his protest
against its being issued, and to
make such case as he could in
order to prevent the Governor
from acting as he did.
There is some objection made
to the returns from two Of the
parishes-I moan the parishes of
Jackson and franklin. Now I
want, Mr.. Speaker, to say gener-
ally in reference to the returns.
not alone from these parishes, but
from all parts of the State, that
as the parties to these
contests in this and in the other
districts have in almost all cases
tailed to charge fraud or irregu-
arity in tho making up of the re-
turns, or dishonesty or corruption
Is to any of the poll-lists, we have
not felt called upon with any care
or strictness to look into or exam
ne all those returns in detail, be-
cause the parties themselves have
that they were gener-
lily regular and truthful; that
hey we're fair and honest, that
hey do in fact show tho precise
esult which was attained by
hat election as regards the
of votes that were cast
In all these parishes it is sought
O set aside the returns, for the
general reason of intimidation.
'iolence. outrage, murder, and
vague charges of that kind. So
t is in reference to these two par
shes of Jackson and Franklin.
There were some little irregu-
ari'ies in making the returns
rom those parishes which. .Sunder
III the rules that have been es-
ablished by this House and by
he highest judicial tribunals Of
he country, were merely neglects
trictly to observe requirements
# the local statutes, which are
'nly directory in their character
md have never been held to in
'alidate Or annul Or justify the
election of any returns that are
o made. Ehe failure of the off,
ar who had IN ,Oalo tho ,,xr,,,r,,.