The Ouachita telegraph., 1872-05-18
Senate Debate upon Louisiana Election
Bill, and Bill to Amend Enforcement Act.

Senate Debate upon Louisiana Election
| Bill, and Bill to Amend Enforcement Act.
! WAsIIINGToN, May 1O.-Mr. kellogg
called up the Louisiana election bill.
Mr.. Casserly denounced it as one
more step towards a general forcible
Congressional control of the State cleo
tions, but he forbore to discuss it at
length, knowing that its passage was
toreordained by the Senatorial caucus.
Mr.. Bayard questioned the constitu-
tional power of Congress to pass the
bill, and incidentally said that, having
examined the election laws of Louisi-
ana, he was satisfied that they were
framed for the purpose of facilitating
fraud.
Mr.Trumbull opposed the bill on the
same grounds. Mr.. Carpenter denied
that the bill had any other object than
to save the trouble and expense of two
elections. Mr.. Morton expressed the
same view, and, in reply to Mr.. Bay
ard, said that the election laws of Lou
isiana vested extraordinary powers in
the Governor of the State; and that rs
the present Governor had now aban
doned the Republican party and joined
its opponents, they were probably eN-
for their benefit.
Mr.. Bayard said he would object just
as strongly to giving such powers to a
political friend as to an opponent.
Mr.. Morton read extracts from the
report of the House Committee on the
Louisiana riots, to show the disturbed
condition of that State prior to the last
Presidential election, and argued that
this bill was necessary to guard against
similar outrages at the next election.
Mr.. Blair said that the report from
which Mr.. Morton read was a partisan
document, and he charged that a ma
jority of the kukluX committee, APP
pointed to investigate the condition of
the South last year, had Overruled all
attempts by the minority to investigate
the state of affairs in Louisiana, because
they were afraid to face the facts.
Messrs. Pratt and Scott denied this,
and said that the reason the majority
had refused to investigate Louisiana
was that they thought it their duty to
do first what the Committee was APP
pointed to do-inquire into the kul>lux
outrages, and not to do more.
After Il wandering political discus
sion, the bill was passed by thirty-three
yeas, to sixteen nays.
The Senate held a brief executive
session, after which the open session
was resumed, and the bill to amend
the enforcement act was taken up. The
act provides for the appointment of
supervisors of election ut the Congress
sional elections in each voting precinct,
and where a request for such appoint
ment is made by two citizens.
In the discussion that ensued, Mr..
Kellogg referred to the delegates who
attended the Convention at Cincinnati
from the Southern States, saying many
of them We're adventurous and bad
men, who had oppressed and plundered
the people of the States which, as self
constituted delegates, they professed to
represent.
Mr.. Casserly-"I wish the Senator to
state whether those who committed the
outrages he denounced did so after or
before they became liberalized? ?'
Mr.. Kellogg-"BefOre and after.'
Mr.. kellogg again intimatcd that
many of the delegates to Cincinnati
some of those from Louisiana, and
Florida and Texas
to state who the men were that assumed
to represent those States.
Mr.. Hill, of Georgia, said he would
like the Senator to tell, if he could, who
represented his State (Georgia) that
he was sure he did not know them.
Mr.. Hamilton, who attended the
Cincinnati Convention, said there We're
no carpet-baggers among those from
his State.
Mr.. Kellogg yielded for a motion to