The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-12-29

q
party in this state, and withdraw from
the active support of that party.
The means taken by this White League
organization 70 accomplish .he above pur-
poses are shown to have been by threats
that If the colored voters did not vote the
democratic ticket they should be expelled
from the plantations on which they were
farming, be deprived of their crops, be ex-
cluded from renting lands hereafter or of
being employed, and by depTiving them OF
rations or credit 20 obtain them. Lead
ing colored men Were Threatened with
death if they persisted in organizing the re-
publican party, and white republicans were
threatened with personal violence and pro-
scTiption in business and society of them
selves and families. and with hanging il they
persisted in organizing the party with a.
view to the late elections Organizing in
armed bands in many parishes of
the state, they carried these threats
of personal violence, into effect
by killing some republicans, whipping
and ill-treating others, compelling parish
officers holding Office under the present
state government to abdicate their offices.
This was particularly the case in all the
Red River parishes, most of the Teehe
parishes and i'm the parishes between the
| Red and Ouachila rivers. All the above
acts reported by this White League organ
ization to carry out its purpose were clear
violations of both the state and United
States laws, and would subject the perpe-
traitors of those acts to Imprisonment In the
penitentisry, odious as they are to the sense
of the people. These
ACTS OF INTIMIDATION
which prevented fair, free and peaceable
election In the parishes of st. Mary and
Grant were so general and overwhelming
that the board felt compelled to throw out
every box in these parishes, and in many
other parishes where there was satisfactory
proof that intimidation had been used at
the designated polls, so as TO prevent fair
and peaceable election. At such polls they
were excluded from compilation, as the law
requires, when the friends of political
| party. such as the White League organi-
zetion Is, shall clearly and gener-
ally violate the laws of the country to
conduct the election in their interest. 1t
! is but Just and proper that they are shown
to have brought such acts to bear on an
election, that they should not be permitted
to profit by it, and such is the intention OF
the law. The board, however, in this case,
did not exclude any poll from compilation,
except on satisfactory proof that such
a violation had been perp6trated, and that IT
had had the effect of intimidating suffi-
cient number of voters to change the result
of the election. AS all these acts TO produce
intimidation had been perpetrated in favor
of the democratic party and against the re-
publican party, the polls excluded from COM
pilation generally gave majorit1es In favor OF
the democratic party, and their exclusion
from COMPILATION reduced the vote Of that
party and in some instances had the effect
OF returning representatives and other Of
fcers of the republican party different from
the returns made by the supervisors. This
is the natural result of an illegal attempt to
accomplish an object, and is no fault OF the
board. The counsel of the democratic party
protested against the counting of
, certain polls in the parishes of
Natchitoch and Bassier, on the grounds
that United States troops were at the polls
on the day of the election aud that they were
ordered actually to visit the polls on the
day of the election in order to assist
the United States marshal to arrest
persons charged with violations OF the
United States law, and that great number
of the democrats did not attend the polls
and vote, for fear of on arrest by
THE UNITED STATES TROOPS.
Even if such facts had been fully proved, as
alleged, we do not sec that there was any yio-
lation of the law in the United States
troop's doing so. Certainly person charged
with crime against the United States law
can not say that he is intimidated by the
tact that United States marshal was trying
to arrest him. 1t is his own fault if he is
guilty, and he can not urge'his crime as q
protection. Persons not conscious OF their
4 guilt would not flee from the presence
OF a United States marshal and his posse
of United States soldiers. This is pre-
| posterous. and we did not consider this a
good ground of intimidation. There were
i no returns of election from the parish OF De
Soto by the superintendent OF registration,
as the law required. Persons interested
produced the clerk OF the court with such
papers as we're by law intrusted with him,
and offered them as the returns from that
parish. The board decided that 1t could
not receive, canvass and compile
30 int
ested applied to the proper court
for mandamus to compel the board to re-
| ceive the canvass and compile those returns,
but upon trial the court sustained the ruling
of the board. The same principle was acted
on in the Terre Bonne case. There was no SUI
pervisor in the parish of Whine, the Que sp-
pointed for the parish having been expelled
from the parish and an unauthorized person
assumed to act. The board could not recog-
nize such lawlessness. The board submits
to the legislature and people of this state
the result OF their investigation with con
sciousness that they have properly. dis
charged their trust. (Signed,)
j. MADISON WELLs, President.
NEW ORLEANS, Dec "a, 1874.
KELLOGG ON THE SITUATION.
Gov. Kellogg states that the returns show
three republican and three democratic mem
bers of congress. The House is nearly, il
not quite, tie, as ex-Gov. Hahn and other
conservative republicans will probably re-
main neutral. The constitutional amend
ment is declared carried by about 10000
majority. Bienviile parish, which gave
Grant and Kellogg 600 votes in 1872, and
Dubuclet no vote this year, Is not counted,
and Grant parish, the scene of the Colfax
massacre, is also thrown out, though 1t gave
small republican majority.
! One of the Ohio state senators, Burton. of
Hamilton, has just received land warrant
for section and Sl,OOOin Texas bonds,
recognition of the service he rendered to
that state before it was part of the union.
He was an adjutant-general on Hamilton's
staff during the presidency OF Sam Houston,