Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-10-12
SPEECH OF SENATOR MORTON IN
INDIANAPOLIS.
Concluded from first page. }


reported Just the rcverse-that nobody was elect.
ed; that the election was saturated with fraud
through and through in every parish and nearly
every precinct l dissented, and took the ground
that somebody was elected. l thought the evil
dence showed that, Notwithstanding all the fraud
Kellogg had majority of 5000 TO 1900 of all the
votes put in the box, and if the election had been
conducted fairly his majority would have been not
less than sixteen thousand. To show what the re-
port of the majority committee was, shall ask
some friend who has good voice to read an ey-
tract from the report of the committee. This re.
port of the committee was made by Senator Car
penter who introduced bill to set aside the State
Government and call new election in Louisiana
bill predcated on the idea that nobody was
elected and that the election was null Mr. Blair
read as follows:
"a careful consideration of the testimony con.
vinces that had the election of November last
been fairly conducted and returned Kellogg and
his associates, and a Legislature composed of the
same political party, would have been elected.
The colored population of that State outnumbers
the whites and in - last election the colored vo-
tiers were almost unanimous in their support ofthe
Republican ticket. Gov. Wamoth, who was
elected by the Republicans Of the State in 1865,
had passed into opposition, and held in his hands
the entire machinery of the election. He appoint
ed the Supervisors of Registration, and they ap-
pointed the Commissioners Of Election. The tes-
tmony shows u systematic purpose on the part of
those conducting the election to throw every pos
sbe difficulty in the way of colored voters in the
matter Of registration. The polling places are not
fixed by law, and at the last election they were
purposely established by those conducting the
election at places not easy of access in those par
ishes which were known to be largely Republican;
that IN some instances voters had to travel over
twenty miles to reach the polls. The election was
generally conducted in quiet and was perhaps un-
usually free from disturbance or riot. Gov War
moth, who was the master spirit in the whole pro-
ceeding, seems to have relied upon craft rather
than violence to carry the State for McEnery. In
the canvass of votes which determined the Mem
cry Government to be elected the votes of several
of the Republican parishes were rejected The
testimony shows that leading and sagacous poll
ticians Of the State, who were acting with War
moth, entertained the opinion before the election
that Warmoth's control of the election machinery
was equivalent to 20 600 votes; and we are salts
fed by the testimony that the opinion was well
founded. We believe that had registration been
accessible to all, and polling places been properly
established, the result Of the election would have
been entirely different And although we cannot
approve of such canvass that made by the
Ly nch board, who seemed to have acted upon the
principle of fighting the devil by fire, and cir
cumventing fraud by fraud, and cannot say that
Kcllogg's Government was elected, nevertheless
we believe that kelloggs Government was defeat
ed and the popular voice reversed by the fraudu-
lent manipulation. If the Senate should be in
cined not to 90 behind the Official returns of the
election, then the McEnery Government and Leg
islature must be recognized as the lawful Govern
ment of the State, and McNIillen, if regularly
elected by that Legislature, should be seated in
the Senate in place of Kellogg But your COM
mittee believes that this would be recognizing
Government based upon fraud, in defiance of the
wishes and intentions Of the voters of that State.
Senator Morton-I beg leave to say tonight
here to all who insist tire election of McEnery,
that in doing they insist upon the triumph OF
the greatest fraud that ever practised in this
country at any election. 1t was most monstrous
| it was wonderful in its details and its execution
as shown by the evidence. That was what drove
the committee to the extraordinary conclusion that
nobody was elected, and that the election was
void. looked at the evidence differently and
thought that after all Kellogg had majority OF
the votes cast, and that he certainly was cheated
out Of twelve OF fifteen thousand votes. Under
the laws Of Louisiana that Returning Board counts
| the votes to determine who are elected Governor
and Lieutenant Governor, members of the Legis.