The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-02-25

THE LOUISIANA REPORTS.

Louisiana affairs have presented two re-
ports-the majority report being signed by |
Charles Foster ard VIM. Walter Phelps, re-
publicans, and Messrs. Potter and Marshall |
democrats, and that of the minority by |
Messrs. Hoar, Wheeler and Frye. all republi |
cans. In some respects there is a substantial |
agreement in these reports, and in others |
there is wide difference of opinion. In |
estimating the degree of confidence to be
placed in these documents, it is to be no.
tced that the agreement is relative to the
particular matter referred to the committee
to investigate, and is founded upon sworn
testimony while It's disagreement is in re-
ference to matters outside of that sphere,
is not based upon testimony, and is merely
an expression of opinion founded upon
their individual prescriptions, aud of which
they had no better opportunity to Judge
than have the whole people of the country.
We may be permitted to remark that the
expression of these opinions come with
poor grace from the same men, who object
ed to the report of, and testimony taken
by, Messrs. Foster, Phelps and Potter, be-
cause they were sent to New Orleans, as
the minority said, merely as lockers on and
not to investigate or take testimony. For
the present, we will turn from these opin-
ions and examine the reports upon the sub
ject matter which was directly referred 10
them
The committee, it will be remembered,
was raised more directly to inquire relative
to the election of 1874, and the trouble an
icpated TO arise from the probable action
of the returning board fhe election was
held III November, and in the election. as
the committee say d" local and personal
considerations, as I'll as national and state
politics entered. The result, as returned
by the commissioners of elections, was the
election of majority of twenty-nne con-
servaives out of a total Of one hundred and
eleven members. The returning board,
however, certified to the election al fifty
three Kellogg men and tiity-two conserva-
tives, and made no decision as to five seats
10 which, az is conceded conservatives
were elected. The control of the legsla-
ture was thus wrested, or attempted TO be
wrested, from the conservatives, with the
design and intention of having it organized
in the interest OF Kellogg, as the majority
of the committee say, by "arbtrary, I'M
Just and illegal action" or, rs the minority
mildly put it, by a wrongful application
Of an erroneous rule of law" W e care not
what name they apply to it, although we
believe the language of the ma ority to be
proper characterization of the acts of
this returning board, so long as they are
unanimously of the opinion that the return
ing board illegally awarded seats in the
house Of representatives to persons who
were not elected, and illegally deprived
others of the seats to which they wee en-
titled. The suggested remedy. and the
only one proposed, is as impotent as the
wrong is positive. 1t is contained In these
words d" Resolred, That it is recommend
- ed to the house of representatives of
g Louisiana to take the necessary steps to
remedy the great injustice, and to place
" the persons rightfully entitled in their
g seats" An excellent recommendation
surely, perhaps all that the committee or
congress can do, but does anyone suppose
that the Hahn legislature will act thereon {?
The committee hardly believe it, the coun-
try will take no stock in such settlement,
if congress is to close their part of the
work by adopting this recommendation,
and then the whole matter RENTED to the
tender mercies of Hahn and company.
Notwithstanding this conclusion, the
minority report their opinion that this re-
suit of the election was due, in part, to in
tmidation of the colored vote, on account
of the Colfax and Conshatla murders, law
inimical to the colored voters and threats
of employers to discharge all colorcd per
sons voting the Kellogg ticket These
allegations, as the majority show, rest en-
tirely on assumption, and there is an entire
absence of any direct evidence showing any
general intimidation of colored voters. II
is probable that in louisiana, as in Other
states, there were exceptional cases of re-
fusal to employ and threats to discharge,
but 1t was, 10y no means, confined to the
conservatives, and they say that the evi-
dencc shows "that such intimidation as did
exist in the state was rather in the interests
ot the republicans than of conservatives,
and that the ''direct evidence as well as
circumstances, ''indcate fair and
peaceable election" In fact, they say
latter the visit OF the first committee anc
the revisit of the special committee the
Kellogg party, with all their machlner,
for collecting. evidence, were unable t.
produce in the entire state more than hal
dozen persons to testify to anything i'm
peaching the freedom and fairness of tn
late elections, who were not ofllce-holder
or connected with oilice-holders. Agans
such facts it seems to us idle to assum
that the disturbances so wildly picture
by the minority could have kept gu
throughout this state such feeling of il
timidatlon as would justify the assumptio
that but for that feeling the state woul
have gone republican. Further, it is
fact that the laws inimcal to colored vo
ers have been repealed for several year
and, moreover, the whole machinery
the election vas in the hands of the Ike
logg party, supplemented by federal supe
visors of elections.
Again the minority assume and arg
this intimidation, from the assumed ia
that the coored vote is largely in excess
the white vote and that, intimidation asid
1t would have been cast solid fI The IL
logg ticket. We need not refer to the We
established fact that many of the free
men did vote for the conservative tick
from personal reasons, aud others for p
liticul considerations lint LET no thn rothp