The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-02-24
Majority Report OH Louisiana Affairs

Majority Report Oh Louisiana Affairs
WAsHISGToN, February 23.-The un-
dersigned majority of the Committee on
the State Of the South respectfully report:
That they cannot agree to the report
made to Congress by Messrs. Hoar,
Wheeler and Frye. The laws inimical
to the colored people of Louisiana refer
red TO in this report, have been repealed
for years except during the schism Of
Governor Yarmouth in 1872. The Re-
publican party has long had control Of
the machinery of this State. The late
registration shows an excess of the colOred
over the white voters, giving ninety
thousand seven hundred and eighty col
ored to seventy-six thousand eight hun
dred and twcnty-three whites. In the
absence Of any direct evidence that the
late election was not free and fair, the
assumption OF the minority is that enough
cOlored voters must therefore have been
prevented from voting at the last election
BY the recollection of the COltax and Cou-
shatta killings, if the causes and Circum-
stances of which are disputed, and by
other riots which have occurred years
before. have changed the result of the
election throughout the State, Is an AS
sumption so violent, when it is recollect-
ed that both those parishes elected full
Kellogg ticket by increased Republican
maiorities, IT. not 10 be received If any
other cause for the vote of the State can
bc found. Such cases exist and are OBJ
vious, among them are
First-Thc registration was incorrect,
and exceeded the true colOrcd vote. The
registration was wholly i'll the hands Of
the Kellogg officials, with whom Re
publican committee, with the United
States Marshal Packard at their head,
co.opcratrd. In only three parishes
did the Republican supervisors OF regis
trution make any complaint OF unfair or
/ insufficient registration. On the other
! hand very great complaint was made by
| the Conservatives, who specified, with
proof, $500 cases of conceded false reg
iStration in New Orleans alone, and those
Conservatives who had been co-opera-
ting in joint party with the committee to
secure fair registration, gave up the
effort in despair. the census OF 1870, the
correctness OF which is not impeached,
showed S7,O7G whites, and S6,9l3 colored
males over twcnty-une years old. All
statistics and evidence before Us indicat-
ed no change in this proportion in favor
of the colorcd voters. Yet the registration
of colored voters exceeded by four thou
sand, the total number of Colored adult
males returned by the census, while the
REGISTRATION of white voters was ten
thousand less.
Second-The whole number registered
was l67, ,6O4, of these ,523 voted. This
is larger proportion of registered voters
than usually vote in any of the Northern
States. In an agricultural State
scarcely settled where long
/ JOURNEYS had often been made to reach
I the polls, it is unreasonable to suppose
/ that greater proportion of registered
! blacks would have voluntarily turned out
to sustain the government under which
the prosperity of the State, and their
! wages, and the value of their shares of the
production had steadily declined than
usually vote at elections north or south.
Third-lS74 was year of political
change. i'm which the vote throughout all
the States was seriously affected against
the Republican party, change resulting
largely from the financial distress of the
people. and which should there ore natur-
ally have been even greater in Louisiana
than elsewhere.
Fourth 1t becomes the interest of the
Conservatives at least at the last election
not to intimidatc hut TO acquire by every
fair means the colOrcd vote. Parties who
were alleged TO have threatened blacks
even with the refusal of employment
were subject to prompt arrest. 1t was
known that prcteXtS would be sought to
deprive the Conservatives of the result il
they prevailed in the..election, and it was
therefore TO their interest to avoid giving
any such preteXts; accordingly they
determined everywhere to cooperate
with and conciiatc the blacks they
voted down the propositions or sugges-
tons which were made III the early
part of the campaign for the refusal
to employ those Colored voters who would
not cooperate with them, and generally
sought by combining with the colored
voters to carry the election. Local COM
binations against the Kellogg candidates
were made in many parishes by men OF
all parties and colors. In several parishes
II Il Mon ticket of colorcd and ConSer-
vativcS, WAS voted for and elected. An
intelligent colorcd witness testified that
he desired better government and to
that ehd "was willing to swallow white
men If white men would swallow the
colOredn These causes and feelings
naturally united the Conservatives In
such localities, rs is indicated by the re-
turns.
Fifth-The entire want of any direct
evidence 10 show any general intlmida-
tion of colorcd voters. OF course III so
large State it would be impossible.
There should be no instance of refusal to
employ or intimidation as such occur IN
every State But the evidence certainly
Indicates general intimidation OF the
colorcd voters and that such intlmida-
ton a- did exist in the State, was rather
in the interest of the Republicans than
of the Conservatives. The |. =. Mar
shal>. whose chief was chairman
IF the Republican State Committee and
in some cases with blank warrants OF ar
rest and aided by the federal troops
made constant arrests before the election
but not afterwards. The oversight of the
election and the returns We're in the
hands of Governor Kelloggs officials.
Their account and returns did show -
majority Of members Of the Lower House
elected uv the Conservatives without any
protest whatever, eXceptin three parishes,
although it was their province and duty /
to protest in any case where violence and
intimidation or fraud existed. Indeed .
the direct evidence aS to the election OF
unjust. illegal and arbitrary action OF the /
Returning Board. To the resolution re- .
ported to the House from the Commit .
tee MS to the action of the Returning
Board, we are agreed. Wcundcrstandth the
Committee to be- unanimous in finding
the fact that the Returning Board has
defeated the will of the people as "N-
pressed pv them at the polls on the sd