New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-02-18

Ine uea0 bodies upon the street were VIZ
lated by shot, kick and stab; the face {
man ':just breathing his last" was gashe
by knife or a razor in the hands of WI
man; IAN old gray haired man. peaceabl
walking the street at a distance from tn
institute, was shot through the head
negroes were taken out of their houses an
shot; policeman riding in buggy delibel
ately fired bis revolver from the carriag
into crowd of cOlored men; cOlored ma
two miles away from the convention hal
was taken from his shop by the police, a
about four o'clock on the afternoon of tn
riot, and shot and wounded in side, hip ant
back; one man was wounded by fourteen
blows, shots and stabs; the body of anothe
received seven pistol balls. After tn,
slaughter had measurably ceased carts
wagons and drays, driven through tn
streets, gathered the dead, the dying an,
the wounded in promiscnous loads, a police
man in some cases riding in the Wagon
seated upon the living linen beneath him.
reports of Committees House of Repre-
sentatives, second session, Thrt tn ninti
Congress, page 10y.
Mr. Morton-Mr. Presid emit, the election
held in Louisiana under the reconstruction
law in May, 1868, was protected by the
military authority of the United States; il
was fair election; and the Republicans
carried the State by about $4,000 majority
| IohC SlAty udyb Uut pTcsIutuIld
election that occurred in November follow
ing the Ku-Klux were organized, developed
tht mselves, and commenced operations all
over the State. What they accomplished
will be shown by ref renee to the report of
the Committee on Southern Outrages, ap-
pointed by this body, and l will ask the
Secretary to read the passage l have
marked, commencing on page 81.
| The Chief Clerk read as follows:
| Tho foe hn hot
sons were killed, wounded, and otherwise
injured in that State within few weeks
prior to the presidential election; that half
the State was overrun by violence; midnight
raids, secret murders, and open riot kept
| the people IN constant terror until the Re-
| publicans surrendered all claims, and then
| the election was carried by the Democracy.
The parish of Orleans contained 29.9lO
voters, 1920 blacks. In the spring of 1868
that parish gave 1898 Republicans votes.
In the fall of 1868 it gave Grant ll7S,
falling OFT of 1875 votes. Riots prevailed
for weeks, sweeping the city of New Or
leans. and filling it with scenes of blood,
and ku-klux notices were shattered through
the city warning the cOlored men not to
vote. In CaddO there were 1887 Repub-
licans. In the spring Of 1868 they carried
the parish In the fall they gave Grant one
vote. Here, also, there were bloody riots.
But the most remarkable case is that of
st. Landry, planting parish on the river
Teche. Here the Republicans had a regis
tered majority of 1911 votes In the spring
of 1868 they carried the parish by six hun
dred and seventy-eight. In the fall they
gave Grant no vote, not one; while the
Democrats cast 47S7, the full vote of the
parish, for Seymour and Blair.
Here occurred one of the blOodiest riots
on record in which the Ku Klux killed and
wounded over two hundred Republicans,
hunting and chasing them for two days and
nights through fields and swamps. Thir-
teen captives were taken from the Jail and
shot. A pile of twenty-five dead bodies
was found half buried in the woods
Having conquered the Republicans, killed
and driven off the white leaders, the Ku-
Klux captured the masses, marked them
with badges Of red flannel, enrolled them in
clubs, led them to the polls, made them
vote the Democratic ticket, and then gave
them certificates of the fact.
Mr.. MOrton-As an evidence of what was
accomplished by this murder and terror in
the November election held in 1868, call
the attention of the Senate TO some of the
returns. At the spring election the Repub-
licans pOlled 62S votes in the parish of
Bienviie; in the fall election but one vote
In the parish of Bossier they polled TT
votes in the spring; in November one vote.
In the parish of Caddo they pOlled l242
votes in the spring; in November one vote
In Claiborne parish they polled 7I9 votes
in the spring; in November two votes. In
De Soto parish they pOlled 6i9 votes in the
spring. in November none. In jackson they
polled 400 votes in the spring; ia November
none. In Lafayette they polled 743 votes
in the spring; in November none. In More.
house they polled 547 votes in the spring;
in November one. In Sabine they polled
1876 votes in the spring: in November two.
In st. Bernard they poIled SPA votes in the
spring; in November one. In St. Landry
they polled 25l4 votes in the spring; in No
vember none. In st. Martin they polled
1857 votes in the spring; in November
twenty five. In Union they polled 2S7 votes
in the spring; in November one. In Yer.
million they polled 1873 votes in the spring;
in November none. In Washington they
polled AS votes in the spring. and in No.
vember none.
MIR. President. the men who did tina.
deviish and bloody work are now clamor-
ing for new election. They want fair
election.
After 1868 the murder business still went
on. They did not shoot the negroes in droves
and in the lonely fields; and the reign OF |
terror still continued, until the colored |
people came to look upon these men as
their mortal enemies. and the idea of these |
men coming into power filled them with q |
that can only be compared |
to that produced by the ravages Of the |
yellow fever at Memphis or at Shreveport. |
Governor Warmotb was elected by the Re- |
publcans as Governor in lS6S-a man of |
ability and personal magnetism. The Dem
Dcrats charged him with being the evil !
genius of Louisiana. They called him the |
of politics. They charged |
him with the financial ruin of Louisiana. |
They said he had procured the passage |
Of bad laws; that be procured bonds |
to be issued, and that he had used those |
bonds or scattered them abroad without |
These were their charges. Governor War |
moth lost all caste and standing in the Re- |
publican party; and it became evident to |
him in 1871 that the party would slough him |
of, would no longer carry him. He left the |
party with his personal adherents and went |
10 the Democratic party in 1872. They |
formed q coalition with him; and it is in |
evidence in that volume, and 80 stated by |
the Senator from Wisconsin himself, that |
ton of the trade. that by means Of the ma
,hinery Of the electiOn being in his hands |
be could carry to them 90, 900 votes; that he |
could commit frauds equal to 90, 900 votes; |
and they took him for that purpose. That |
was the consideration; and on the other |
hand it was said-I know not how true that |
shat he was to be elected to the Senate. |
But be that as it may. one thing is certain,
The Republican party went into that contest |
n 1872 knowing that they were |
to be cheated and swindled and out |
aged upon every hand; and we have
he testimony of the Senator from |
Wisconsin that it was done, for he
himself states that the evidence in that |
volume shows that the manipulations of |
Governor Warmoth were equal to 10000
7Otes, and that but for that fraud Kellogg
md his ticket and the Republican party |
would have carried the State by from 10, 600
o IS. 900 votes. There WIS fraud on the Re- |
publican side. But fraud begets fraud; per-