The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1872-1881, 1875-03-05
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port.
The undersigned, the majority II the COMMITTEES
they can no, agree 20 the rctpr, male 70 tho com.
mlttec by Mcs-rs itoar, Wheeler, and Frye
The lsw. inlmcsl 70 the colorcd people Of icui.l.
iur years. Escert during The rhism u uo,rrnut
Yarmouth, IN Is72, tho Republican party hiss long
hsd control u the machinery o. the slate The late
voisrs giving % fs culurr 10 rs sa whites IN The
absence q and direct evidence that the late eviction
rs not irce and fair the assumrtion q The mlnc-
~ that enough coorc'l yo,ers must thereiorc have
been prevented from voting NJ the late election by
the recollection Of the ColisS and Coushatta kfilng
CASES aud circumstance Of Witch are disputed and
ny other riots witch occurrcl years before 10 have
changed the result " the election throughout the
state T. an assumption - violent when u u recol
e,,ed INA, both iho~c PARISHES elected full kel-
lqe ticket ny increased Republican maioritics,
- not 10 10 received " any other cau4e
for the vote ~ the state can he found. such
cau-. e,i., and erc obvious. Among them
arci rlrsl-Thc registration ~. lncorrr,t, and ex.
cotVlcd the true cpldrci vote. The registration va.
wholly In the hand. u the kellogg Officials, With
whom Republican committee With tnitcd states
Marshal Packard at lhcr head, co-cpcrs,ed In onl,
thrca parishes did Republican suprr,i~pr- of regis
traiion make any ccmplaint Of Unfair insufficient
registration. On the other hand, very great cum-
plaint was made by the Conservative. whs specified
With proof 500 eases " conceded false registration
~ New Orleans alone, and tho~c Conservative. Who
fair registration gave Up The cHort In despair
The census u 1870, the cfrcciuess Il witch l. MT
tmpcachcd, showed sO7G whites snd ~ gi3 enlorri
aud evidence before Us indicated 30 change IN III.
proportion In favor II the colorcd votcrs yet the
registration Of colOr@l voters exceesci by $3.50 the
total number u colore adult males returned hy the
census, while the registration u white votes was
io.o less.
~ccond- The whole number Of votes registered We
is7,dot ~ the~e il1 voted THIS :. larger pro-
Iofton Of registered voter. than usually vote in any
" the Northern states. In an agricultural state
srar.cly settled, ~hcre long Journeys had sen been
made 10 reach the polls, II !. unreasonable To- sup
pose that greater pruputtion of registered blacks
would have voluntarily turned out 10 sustain the
Government under which the prosperity II the state
aud their wages and vslue Of their shares Of produe
the elections North &C south.
Third--ls7i was the year 81 political change In
which the vote throughout the States seriously
atected against the Republican party, n change
sutag largely frum financial distress II the people,
aud which should, therefore, naturally have bs,n
even greater in Louisiana than elsew here.
fourth--1t hccame the interest II the Conser,a-
tives, at least at the last election, not 10 intmdate
but 10 scluire, by every fair means colorcd votes
Parties " no were alleged 10 have threatened the
blacks even With refusal Of employment, were sub
jccted 10 prompt arrest. II was known that pre-
teNts would he ~nught 10 deprive CONSERVATIVES
81 the result u they prevailed in the election
such PretexL Accordingly they determined every
where TO cooperate with and conciate the blacks
They voted down the propositions or suggestions
Which were made IN The early part Of the oamlaign
not cooperate with them, and generally sougsL by
cuhining with colorcd voters TO carry the e~ctlon
Local c:mhinstions against the kellogg candidate.
were made in every parish by oi ali parties snd
color. In several parishes union ticket II colorcd
aud Conservative voters voted ior and cleciesl
One intelligent colors'l witness testified that he
dcsrSt better government, and % that end will
ing " To swallow the white man II white men would
swallow the color.d." These causes aud Feelings
naturally united IN swell the Conservative vote 10
such localities a. indicated by the returns
finh-Ihe entire want Of any direct evidence IN
show any general intimidation II colorei voters nj
cour>c In large a state II would he Impossible
there should he no instance. II refusal employ OF
Of intimidation; such occur In every state But the
evidence certainly Indicates general Intimidation
ol coiorcd voters, and that such intimidation did
exist IN the state wa. rather in the interest Il the
Republicans than II the Conservatives Units,l
states Msshals, whose chief was Chairman Of the
Republican State Committee, armed In -pne raSes
with blank warrants Of arrest, and aided by Feirra
trps made constant arrests before the election but
not aiterward. The overnight of the cIection and
returns In the hands 81 Goveruor kellaSg's Of
ncials Their account anil return did show twenty
nine majority Of membcr- Of tho Lower IIou-e
elected by the Conservatives, without any protest
whatever except In three parishes although il was
their province and duty TO protest in any ca. where
violence and intimidation fraud existed. Ind,Sd
the direct evidence 10 the election Of is7i as we'll
as the circumstances, clearly Indicate Icable aud
In fact, after the visit u the first committee, and
the revisit Of the special cummittcc, the Kelloyg
party with all their machinery for collecting cNi-
more than half dozen pers ms to testify 10 Anv-
ming imlsaching the freedom and fairness Il the
late elections who were not ofhce-holders OF con-
nected with otise-hollcrs
Against such fact. It seems 10 us Iil. IN assum.
that the disturbances wildly pictured by the mi
nprity could have kept up throughout their state
snch ieeiing Of intimidation as would Justify the
assumption that but for that feeling the state would
have gone Republican. All experience shows that
the report Of the election Of ls7l In Iouisiana n.
returned TO the Returning Boanl was natural, and
fssl liz fla H..
given.
We hold, therefore, that in November, 1874. the
p-"ple oi the state OF Louisiana did fairly have a
Tree lraceahle aud full registration and election ia
which clear Conservative majority was elected 10
the lower House IT the legislature 81 which major
ny the Conservatives were deprived by UNJUST lille
gal and arbitrary action Of the Returning Hoarl
10 The resolution rep"rtel TO the lIouse frnn the
co'nmitteeas tn the action Of the Returning Bard
We have all agreel. We understand the committee
io !" unanimous IN the finding that the action Of the
Returning Board has defeated the will Of the Inple
as expressed 10y them st the polls ON the 81 II No
,ember, lsi The people then elected TO the Lower
House OF their Legislatures majority Of Conservative
members. A portion Of the Conservative Inemlers |
thus elected were refused their certificates This /,
~ act OF great injustice 70 ndivduslsof the gra,esi
danger TO the state and FREE government. aud ought
ocorrcct IT,
The resolution recommending the rrc,.ru,tL,n of |
iOvernor Kellogg is based upon general impression
not upon evidence On this point testimony was |
laken, either by the committee or any part Of il |
kellogg may or may not have bees elected in Is72 .
but II has been neither sought found by the COM
nittre.
Messrs. Foster aud Phelps think that ,opular l.-
YET; taking hath Radical and Conservative circles
nclines, on the whole, to Justify kelosg and pcnn's
'laims, and that, kellogg is aud has been acting
: hO,ernor Of Louisiana, Tor the past two years 10
ieny his right and install another In his place after
his lapse of tms, might involve incaiculable mis-
mel TO the legal aud political inter, SIS IT the
state. ~
To avoid mischief and confusion Of change, the
h'ymly OF the ls"ple Of Louisiana seem nj lling 10
ccelf ~ a compromise kelldgg's recognition aud
~toration To the Conservatives Of the control Of the
over house. for the>e reasons, Me-srs. F,~ier and
,hells do not wish To "pp,Se the Recommendation
hat the administration Of Governor kellgg he rec
gniked Neither in view OF the fact that they know
othng Of the merits II the ease Judged by COM
Irging u. Iney only wish 10 record their agree
neni with those Of their associates who believe that
uch compr"nilse might, by making termination 81
Uncertainty In Louisiana, ls on the whnle less in
eople.
But to any resolution recognizing Kellogg, Me--r.
"tter and Marshall are utterly opposed. They find
othing To Justify the belief that Kellogg was elected
hat he seized the Government BY the aid of F,-le-
q TROOPS, through void and fraudulent order
inch prevented the counting and return II the
1les, should he a standing presumption against him
hen the people, outraged by the abuses Of his gov
rnlnent, bad successfully pTaine the office he had
suflTi, he vas again fessated by the Federal power.
through the furms oi Law by which he had en-
Tenehod himself he once more sought 10 nullfy the
h9oe 81 the people at the late election aud 10 that
nj called in the Federal troops Ia break up the
,erting Of the legislature. For congress Ia reo,g-
re isurnation ~ gross ~ oppressive. is that they
llnk 70 establish a precedent, by which under pre-
KITS that can readily he found, any state Govern
tent may he Oysrthrown, tho win Of the I+otle
uihhe-i fraud and violence made perma nent and
publican forms perverted 10 destroy liberty.
In their judgment all that T. needed in Louisiana
To- withdraw the Federal tT0pIs and leave the
.olde 81 that state To govern themselves.
tuAs FOSTER,
WILLIAM WALTER PHFIPs ,
tf-ARKsOs \. Pom w. ,
SAMUEL = MARsIIALL.
toMmiffee-- Minority Re-
DOrf. ,