New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-11-03
THE LOUISIANA CONTEST.
INTERVIEW WITH TIELDHAND PoLlrt
CLANS


ux THE eoUfff-rGN0RXNf on
,-,,v 90, nm voyrH, THE DAY, OR THEIR OWN
- 80 xvrrH ONE or fHKrR IEADERe-rHH
80 ~roprrs WITH WHICH cARPET-sAGGERs
vn,aurxs THE BIAcKs-No FEARS OF iNriMipA-
rror AMONG THEM-rHEIR LACK VI HAA~>~
axNcx AS COMPARED WITH CITY NEGROES
,.,ox rHx SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT or IHs 1xrsSTSJ
V.po1EoyvuIx. ASSUMPTION PARISH La. oct
ac-Tois uuiet village of about two dozen houses
the narish seat of Assumption. The moss e1ci1ns
event In its past history was the exeeuton oA NV
Negroes on the same gallows and ct the same time
90, the brutal murder of an old misery wh'se man
r. I,ved an n fatboat trading on the Bayou La
sorrsbe This execution took place last Summer
md the caIlows was allowed to stand unni lew
savs ago 10 order that it might strike terror ene
hearts of any evil-doers who may have remained -
the parish Lest any one should jump 70 'ne con-
,lnsien that the hanging of these negroes was an
ontraee. will add that they were given fam tral
hefore a ;ury composed Of representatives OF both
,aces and both political parties, were con-
x;eted On the confession of one Of their NUMBER,
and the aeath-warrant was signed by Gov. Kellogg
The callows timber having been sold VIII be USED
IN bulding a bridge. should like to see the negro
Hold enough to cross that bridge at night. iady'
whose hospitality have been enjoying suggests
tbat the wood might have been used to greater au
vantage if cut into strips as small as mans httie
finger and divided among the planters; the @t'er
might have made ehicken-steahng an obsolete
CRIME in Assumption by simply lacking strip
over every henhouse and poutry-yard In the PARISH
MANUFACTURING CITIZENS AND VOTERS
On nv arrival in Napoleonville found the regis
tration of voters going and as 1t was the last dy
of the period allotted by law for that purpose tne
town. such as it 49, was somewhat excited. The reg
al in m of the Court
house by q eolored Supervisor, with one white ana
sne colored clerk The Supervisor seemed to be
man of intel genee and disposed 10 act fairly; most
of the work, however, fell TO the lot OF
the white clerk who was c)ear-headed and o
ready writer. The colored clerk found writing
laborious task; I doubt whether he could get
through with more than a sheet day, except under
extraordinary pressure. In the adjoining room the
parish Judge was holding court. The only business
before him was the naturalization OF citizens pre-
paratory to registration, and this was done with
neatness and dispatch. The Conservatives had
been searching the back country with lighted
candle and were successful IN finding good
MANY ereoles who had not become citizens
although some of them had been living IN
Louisiana for 40 years These foreign
born gentlemen accommodated with
free ride to the parish seat, and having established
their claim to naturalization, were duly provided
with the necessary legal papers, and IN eonsdera-
lion thereof renounced their allegiance to foreign
kings princes, and potentates, and became citizens
of the United States They were then ushered into
the presence of the Supervisor of Registration, who
having soemnly examined the certificate of the
court attesting their citizenship and INTERCEPTED
them according to law. enrolled their names on
the list of qualified voters of the Parish
of Assumption. Meantime the negroes
were not inactive patches of two three eleventh
hour recruits from distant plantations occasionally
arriving but most Of the eOlOred voters had regis
tered long before. The Conservatives were good
deal exercised because young white men who would
reach majority between the last day~o regis
tratien and the day Of election were not allowed to
register on making affidavit to that effect. 1t seems
that the Advisory Board had recommended that
such applicants should be registered, but the State
Registrar had instructed the Supervisors to the con-
trary. Here young eolored men found no difficulty
in getting registered, because not one in a hundred
knew his own age, and where there was
a challenge they generally found fathers and
mothers with no idea of the lapse of years, to
that their son was over q. Some of the planters
insured me that boys of 16 and II had thus been
registered and that the number Of votes thereby
gained to the Republicans throughout the State is
not less than two OF three thousand. l saw negro
boys who did not appear to be over II who said they
were voters and had been for two or three years.
But 1 do not see how the Supervisor can be blamed
for his action this matter of Minors in the
of the whites whom he would not register affda-
Wits he was simply carrying out the instructions of
the State Registrar, and In the case of the negro
boys he was bound TO accept the statement of
parents unless duly and specifically impeaehed. The
registration closed with majority of about 1876 III
favor Of the negroes, but the whites hoped to re-
duee this majority by striking off the names of per-
Sons convicted of felony, few minors whose minor
itv cOulda be proved, and a small number of labor
ers who were registered in New-Orleans and had
come to the country to work 10 the cane harvest.
Many of the negroes who had registered viii not
vote while the whites will poll their full strength,
90 that the Conservatives will probably carry the
parish by small majority.
TALKS WITH THE oOLoRED PEOPLE.
One object of nv excursion into the country was
to have a talk with The negroes, and 20 Judge for
myself as 10 the qualifications of the average plan
fation negro for the right Of suffrage. With this
view determined 30 aoeost wbomsoever mIght
meet and record what they had 10 say. The first
conversation was with young fellow. apparently
about 10 years of age, who came into Nr. Bells
store near Napoleon. to buy "a piece of meat"
when a negro says meat" he always means the
meat Of the bogl l asked his age, and he replied,
~Twenty-three.D
-" In what year were you born 7"
Dunno. sab; daddy knows"
(" Do you know what year thi ls ~
I" sab ~
What year Is this 7"
"IdunDO sab, what year it IS"
What is the month "
month"; Scratching bis head
"Yes; is it September OF October or November p
dunno sab %