The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-05-10
The Truth about the Report of
the Senate Committee ON
Louisiana Affairs
From the Louisiana InteIligencer.l

From the Louisiana I~ntelligencer.l
The assertion has been made, and is
constantly repeated by those who mis-
lead the people who trust them, that
the majority of the Senate Committee
last winter reported in favor of the Nc
Emery party and acknowledged the,
election of the ticket by the people.
This is not true. The committee was
composed of sever members and four
separate reports were made. The ma
,iOrity report was signed by four of the
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Carpenter Of Wis
c~Onsin, Logan of Illinois, Alcorn of
Mississippi, and Anthony of Rhode
Island. This report did not recognize
either of the State governments, but
recommended a new election The con-
clusiOn to which these four members-a
majority OF the cOmmittee-came is thus
expressed on page a of the pamphlet
published by order of the Senate:
"A careful consideration of the testimony
convinces lis that, had the election of Novem-
Der last been fairly conducted and returned,
Kellogg and his associates, and a Legislature
composed Of the same political party, would
have been elected. Gov. WarmOth, who was
elected by the Republicans of the State in 1868,
had passed into opposition and held in his hands
the entire machinery of the election. He ap-
pointed the supervisors OF registration, and
tueS appointed Iut commissioners OF election,
The testimony shows a systematic purpose on
the part of those conducting the election to
throw every possible difficulty in the way of
the cOlOred voters III the matter OF registration.
The polling places are not fixed by law, and at
the last election they were purpOsely establish
ed by those conducting the election at places
inconyen1ent of access, i'll those parishes which
were known to be largely Republican SO that,
III some instances, voters had to travel over
twenty miles tOreach the polls"
"1n the canvass OF votes which determined
fhn Tn - - u
| votes of several Republican parishes were re-
jected. The testimony shows that leading and
sagaCl0us politicians of the State, who were
acting with WaImOth, entertained the OpiniOn
before the election that WarmOth's control of
the election machinery was equivalent to O,OOO
votes; and we are satisfied by the testimony,
that this opinion was wellfOunded. We believe
that had registration been accessible to all, and
polling places properly established, the result
OF the election would have been entirely differ
emit"
This does not recognize the McEnery
government as elected by the people ;
but this report recommended a new
election because Of the irregular pro
ceedlngs OF the courts and the returning
boards.
Senator Morton, of Indiana, made a
separate report. He agreed with the
majority in most points, especially as to
the election frauds, but could not aC-
knowledge that Congress had power to
order a new election.
Senator Hill, of Georgia, also added 4
report separately. He says:
"Assenting as l do, in the main, to the cor
r%ectnesS of the statement of facts touching the
recent election in the State of Louisiana, and
the history of the legal proceedings connected
herewith, as set forth in the report of the com
mlttee, < | am still of the opinion that the
remedy. TOT existing evils proposed by the COM
mlttee is of questionable expediency."
His nI9n WOO for (N07I 0ro1- 10 oo. -.
act requiring all the members of the
Legislature, whose election was admit
ted by both parties, tOmeet, and thus form
anew Legislature, which should then de-
eide all contested cases, count the votes
for State officers and settle affairs gen
orally.
Senator Trumbull alone actually re-
ported in favor of the McEnery govern
ment.
One member of the V who COM
posed the committee sustained the Flu
sion party! Six members agreed in de-
cIarlng the pretended election of the
Fusion ticket a mOnstrOus fraud, and
said this was proved by the evidence.
Now, a any man of common sense
suppose that Congress will ever author
Ize the employment of force to estab-
lish in power those whom six-sevenths
OF the committee pronounced against SC
decidedly? No man who has read the
report believes Congress will do this
and for this very reason the Democratic
papers and leaders do not let the people
know what the committee did report
No one of them has ever published the
truth-they keep up the hopes of theil
followers by suppressing the facts. L
every man in the State could know the
truth all agitation would end at once
and those who for their selfish purposes
have deceived the people, would sinl
into obscurity Ogain.