The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-01-26
returns elected all thres conservatives.
Il l,a s..

1t was not known in the parish that any con-
test existed against those members. They
left their homes and proceeded to New
Orleans to be present at the opening of the
, legislature, no intimation of consisting their
seats or objection to their election having
been given by their opponents. At one OF
their last sessions the returning board de-
! clared all the republican members elected
from that parish When the papers of the
returning board were produced before your
: committee there were found among them an
: affidavit by Mr.. Wells, the president of the
J board declsfing that intimidation had ex-
, listed at certain polls in that parish, and
that the returns from those polls should
Therefore be rejected. The counsel for the
I deupocrBtic committee testified that
they had no opportunity to contradict the
statements of this paper; that they had
never seen or known OF il before, aud that
upon an examination of the papers before
the board when the proofs closed, it was not
among them. The counsel for the republi-
can committee reserved the right to make
ex PLANTATION upon this point. but offered
none. The affidavit was dated - day of
December, 1871; it appeared that Gov.
Wells was not in tho parish on the day OF
the election, and though at the opening OF
their first session your committee declared
their intention to examine into the election
of the returning board, Gov. Wells never
came forward as q witness. AZ the close or
orr proceedings leave was asked that his
! deposition might be given in. This we de-
clined, and Mr.. Wells was invited t.
appear before the committee, but
taking his TESTIMONY by commissioner If
he declined to appear, but this was not
awaited Of Your committee ara therefore
constrained to declare that the action of the
| returning board in the rejection OF these
turns in the parish os Rapides, and giving
the seats TOR that parish to the republican
candidates was arbitrary, unfair, and with
out warrant of law. If the committee were
to go behind the papers before the board,
aud consider the alleged charge of intimida-
/ ton upon the proofs before the committee,
| their finding would necessarily be the same.
1t was asserted in Gov. Wells affidavit that
the McEnery officials had usurped the offices
| of the parish, and thereby intimidated vo-
ters. Immediately after the 14th of Sep
TENDER, when the Kellogg authorities in
New Orleans were put out By the Penn au-
thorities
CERTAIS CHANGES TOOK PLACE
in some of the parishes. When the news
from New Orleans reached these parishes
the McEnery officers demanded their places
of the Kellogg officials. They were at once
given up. When the federal government
interviewed and unseated the McEnery
authorities. the Kellogg officials demanded
and received back their places; but some
time seems to have elapsed before the Kel-
logg officials took their places back-indeed,
| the McEnery register of deeds was still act
| ing as such when your committee was in
New Orleans, the Kellogg register never
having to come to reclaim the place. which
was said to be worth nothing now. In
Rapides parish the Kellogg clerk was Mr..
Wells son, who, having yielded his place to
| the McEnery competitor in September, does
not appear to have reclaimed it, and he was
accordingly sent for after the election to
come from his residence, some miles distant,
TO sign the returns of the cleo
tons, which he did. Your committee are
at a loss to see in their action any intimi-
| ton of Mr.. Wells, still less OK the electors
Of the parish. 1t so happens that this
parish was taken as a sample parish of in
timidation, many witnesses from which of
Both parties were examined with reference
| to it. They show beyond question that
there was free, full, fair and peaceable
election and registration there. There was
no evidence of any intimidation of voters
practiced on the day of election, although
it was asserted that intimidation of eolored
men before the election had been effected
10y threats OF refusal to employ them, or to
discharge them if they voted the republican
ticket. No evidence either of discharge or
of refusal to employ was produced. Certain
witnesses, themselves every one Office
holders, testified generally to such action,
but hardly any one was able to specify a
single instance in which he heard any en-
ployers so threaten to discharge any voter,
or knew of any employe being so threat
ened or discharged.
NOT ONE SINGLE COLoRED MAN
| throughout the entire parish was produced
to testify to such threat or to the execution
of such purpose, whether before or alter
the election. The action of the returning
board in the parish of Rapides alone changed
the political complexion of the lower house.
and their action in the other parishes was
equally Objectionable; sor instance, in Iberia
parish it was claimed before your committee
that the vote of poll No. in that parish had
been rejected on account ofintimidation, but
the papers produced by the clerk Of the board
showed no such proof whatever. One of
| the counsel, Mr.. Ray, produced some
affidavits, which he declared had been
submitted to the board by another of the
counsel, Gen. Campbell. The conservative
counsel insisted that these papers had never
been before the board; when opportunity
was given the republican counsel to show
that the paper had been submitted; but the
testimony offered for the purpose by them,
so far, however, from establishing that fact,
established the reverse. IL was then
serted that the returns were rejected because
| the accounts of the election were not deliv-
| cred to the supervisor of registration within
"a hours after the close of the election, which
was o'clock on the third day of November;
| whereas it appeared that both in the morn
| ing aud afternoon of the Sd of November
search was made for this supervisor of regis
tration for that parish, in order to deliver to
| him these returns, and he was not to be
| found until o'clock; but that as
soon as he could be found on the evening of
that day they were offered to him and again
when he reappeared the next morning, but
were refused to be received. Yet this same
supervisor of registration received other
| republican returns after he had refused to
| receive these conservative ones on the
ground that they were too late, and the re-
turning board, although it had held, as to
| other polls in the state, that the returns
were not to be rejected merely because they
were sent too late, rejected the returns from
this poll, thereby changing the representa-
| ton of the parish from conservative to re-
1 nr1h Go int ho riuho - n ca I.