The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-01-21
The Louisiana Trouble.

The Louisiana Trouble.
Report Of the Sub Committee.
GettiHg ut the truth at Last.
A Fair Election and u Conservative Victory
Set Aside by n villaious Returning Board
and Grants Bayonets
WOSHINGTON. Jan. 15.-The sub
committee appointed 10 visit New Or
leans for the purpose Of Investigation
has reported to the General COMMITTEES.
After giving Il full account OF the ac-
tion of the Returning Board, the Com
mittee report that they are constrain-
ed to say the action OF the Board in the
rejection of the returns in the parish
of Rapides, and giving the seats for
that parish to the Republican candi-
dates, was arbitrary, unfair and with
out warrant of law. If the Committee
were to go behind the papers before
the Board and consider alleged charg-
es of intimidation upon proofs before
the Committee, their finding would
necessarily be the same. Rapides Par
ish was taken as q sample of intimida-
ton. Many witnesses, of both parties,
show beyond question that there was
free, full, fair and peaceable election
and registration. There was no evil
dence of any intimidation of voters
practiced on the day of election, al
though it was asserted that intimida-
ton of colored men before the election
had been effected by threats of refusal
to employ them, or to discharge them
if they voted the Republican ticket.
No evidence, either of discharge or re-
fusal to employ, was produced. Certain
witnesses themselves, every one office
holders, testified generally to such ac-
ton, but hardly any one was able to
specify single instance in which he
heard any employer so threaten, or
discharge any voter, or knew of any
employe being so threatened-or dis
charged. Not one single colored man
was produced to testify either to such
threat or the execution of such pur-
pose, whether before or after the cleo
ton,
The Committee allude to numerous
illegal acts of the Returning Board,
and say: "Again, we are constrained
to declare that the action of the Re
turning Board, on the whole, was ar
bitrary, unjust, and, in our opinion,
illegal; and that this arbitrary, unjust
and illegal action alone prevented y
return by the Board of majority of
Conservative members to the lower
House. The Committee confined their
investigation to two parishes, and find
that no general intimidation of Repub-
lican voters was established. No col
Ored man was produced who had been
threatened or assaulted by any Couser-
vative because of political opinion, or
discharged from employment, or re-
fused employment. Of all those who
testified to intimidation, there was
hardly any one who, of his own knowl-
edge. could specify a reliable instance
of such acts; aud of the white men
who were produced to testify generally
on such subjects, very nearly all, if
not every single one, was II holder of
office. No witnesses, we believe, sue
ceeded in naming in any parish five
Republicans who supported the Kel-
logg Government, WI no were not them
selves of1ice-holders, or related TO Of
lce-holders, or those having official
employment. On the other hand ap-
plications to the United States Com
misSioners in the various parishes, not
only for alleged crimes, but because of
alleged threats of discharge or non
employment,or or other in Interference with
political preference, were frequent.
Upon these applications warrants We're
often issued, and white citizens arrest
ed and bound over for trial. In many
localities Federal troops were detained
fer service under the Marshals and
Deputy Marshals, and not only made
many arrests Immediately before the
election, but reports that they We're
coming to particular neighborhoods
about the time of the election for the
purpose of making such arrests served,
as the Conservatives claimed, to in
timidate, and sometimes even to pro-
duce a stampede among white voters.
I" How differently the two parties
look upon the same fact will appear
from the testimony of Mr.. Reddle. He
the parish of Iberia. Shortly before
the election, upon applications OF col
ored persons. he issued q large number
of warrants. He considered it his du-
ty upon the arrest OF the persons charg-
ed, to require bail from sureties who
possessed landed estates within the
parish, ceetified to by the Assessor of
the parish to be of sufficient value, of
which the title was approved by the
Register of Deeds. This rule necessa-
ruy produced delay in procuring bail
for persons arrested, and he was wait
ed on in one case by procession of
ClCiZSuS WllO OllSTCu IltIll u OOI1u
by every man in the procession. This
he regarded as in derision of his pro-
ceedings, and refused to receive the
bond. He was called as witness to
prove the intimidation that existed in
that parish. lie had himself no knowl-
edge of any act of the kind except this
procession, which he thought was cal
culated to intimidate the colored vot-
ers. He had no idea that arrests made
upon his warrants and proceedings un-
der them had any effect in interfering
with the Conservative voters. On the
other hand, the Conservatives in that
neighborhood thought about that mat
ter just the reverse. Indeed, the re-
mand of the forces of the United States
in the country, though generally indi-
eating condition of quiet and order,
take sometimes an entirely different
view of the situation. On the other
hand, it was in evidence that blacks
who sought to act within the Consarv.
ative party Were on their part some
times exposed to cruelty and abuse.
In the interior one colored man
was shot for making a Conservative
speech and in New Orleans it appear
ed from the testimony, that colored
men who sought to co operate with the
were subject to such
abuse from the police and otherwise
that the Association of Lawyers vol
unteered to protect them, but with lit
tie effect"
The Committee give an account of
the general condition of atti;rs in the
State. The conviction among the
whites that the Kellogg Government
was an usurpaaion; the general want
of confidence in State aud local offic-
ials; the heavy decline in State secu-
rites, and the eXorbitant taxation
the reduction fwages the non-fulfil- |
ment af personal or political pledges
of home and local Off cIals; |
disputes among leading colored per-
SONS; loss or emDeZZlement in some |
cases OF the School Funds, and the fail |