New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-15
MIR. vOOrhfes, Reiofnder.

Mr.. Voorhies has addressed the followin G
letter to Governor Kellogg, in reply to the
letter Of the Governor published yesterday
morning:
HEADauARrERs DENocaATIC STATE CENTRAL
Committee New Orleans, August IA, 1874
Governor W. P. Kellogg, New Orleans:
S1R-Your favor OF tae thirteenth instant
is an elaborate refusal of simple request,
submitted to you by the conference COM
mittees of the Democratic State and Parish
Central Commi. .tees, and Of the Committee
of Seventy.
We had purposely avoided in our COM
munication the mention of anything tending
in the least to excite any unpleasant or
acrimonious feeling, and you might have
granted or refused the request for equal
without ungraciously bringing forth
charges against the Democracy of in
timidation Of the nations wards at
the polls, or of attempting to render
it responsible for alleged frauds of your
Republican predecessor. AS you now oc-
cupv the executive chair through the action
of a returning board that had no returns
whatever to canvass, but which was boil
stored up by midnight interlocutOry de.
crees and federal bayonets, we respectfully
suggest the issue of fraud should have
cur communication For your ediication,
however, we refer you to the exhaustive
report of your political friends in the Judi
ciary Committee of the United States Sen
ate, and to the mastery inactivity OF an
overwhelmingly Republican Congress while
investigating the Louisiana elections
The question of official patronage, to
which you attach SO much import ance,
sinks into insigni6cance IN view OF the
h. oil $npa
campaign.
You concede US. however, a mere clerk of
registration: bat with the significant pro-
visO that. if you are not satisfied with the
names we would recomDeIt, then you
will appoint competent outsider of your
own selection. In other words you promise
an appointment with the express reserva-
Iton that you are at liberty at any time to
break that promise.
{ The reason why, in Our opinion, there
should be an equal representation Of parties
in the registration boards springs from the
obnoxious character \of the registration act
lately promulgated. Yor say that it is
better, in some respects, than the previous
statutes, which have been devised by your
party to oppress the people Of Louisiana;
but we fail TO see the difference. The new
law is calculated to give to Republicans,
through partisan officers of registration,
the utmost facilities of registration;
and when they are unwilling to 60
ard register, then the officers, under sec
ton eleven, "are hereby authorized and re-
quired to 60 from place to place, besides
keeping the necessary offices, and to render
every facility to the qualified electors, and
TO take care that all who are qualified to
vote shall be registered" On the other
hand, the act purposely throws obstacles
IN the registration OF the white people,
more especially of the numerous class OF
naturalized citizens who are subjected to
harassing expensive, and, in numerous
cases, insurmountable requirements.
This most obnoxious act, if tempered by
the mutual cooperation of both parties,
acting on common footing, might be
made comparatively acceptable TO the
whole people OF Louisiana, but not other
wise.
You commit grave error when you as
cribe to what you are pleased to call the
turbulence of our people the passage Of the
nefarious statutes by which, during the
past five years of Republican misrule in
Louisiana, the election results, instead of
being an indication of the popular will,
were the mere caprice of corrupt returning
officers. You simply confound the effect
with the cause! 1t is the intolerable mis-
rule which has produced the widespread
and too well founded discomfort. The
formation of the White Leagues is the
counterpart to Black Leagues and exclu-
sively black militlas. They sprung from a
keen sense of self lf-preservation.
We are a law-abiding people. We respect
the rights Of all citizens, including those
whom you call ''the defenseless voters of
the Republican party" but, as sure as we
respect the rights of others, we mean to
enforce the respect of our own rights.
II remain, respectfully, your obedient
servant,
ALBERT VOORHEES,.
Chairman Conference Commlgtee