Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1875-02-24


both these parishes elected Il full kellogg"
ticket by increased republican majortics,
as not te he received if any other cause
fer the vote of Stale can lie found. Sucl
causes exist and Obvious among them are:
First. the registration WIS incorrect, and
exceeded the true colored vote The REQ
istration was wholly in the hands Of kel
LOGO officials. with whom the republican
committee, with U. S Marshal P;,r karL AT
their head, co-"perated. In only three
parishes did the republican Supervisor, o.
r. ristraton make any complaint of I'M
fair OF insufficient registration.
On the other hand very great complaint
was made by the Conservatives, VIII,
specitied with proof ,J2oO cases of concedc.
and those Conservatives who have been
cooperating in joint party committee to
secure Il fair registration gave up the eff
fort in despair. The ccnsus of 1870, the
correctness of which is not impeachrd.
showed s7.016 whites and S6,9l3 colorcd
males over u years Of age. All the sta
ti>tics and evidence before us indicated no
change in this proportion in favor of col
ored voters; vet the registration of cOlnred
voters exceeded by 1000 the total numbcl
of colorcd adult males returned hy the
census, while the registration Of white
votes WAS 10000 less.
Second, the whole number of votes reg
istcrcd was lG1,GOi. OF these, 1902,
voted. This is Il largcr proportion of reg
istercd voters than usually vote in any
Northern States. In IN agricultural State
sparscly settled, where long journeys ha't
often to be made to reach the polls, it l.
] 60 h..f n .lt
portion of the registered blacks woulu
have voluntarily turned out to sustain 4
government under which the prosperity OF
their shares of production had steadily de
clined, than usually vote 1T elections
North or South.
| Third. 1874 was u year Of political
change, in which the vote throughout all
The States were seriously affected against
the republican party, a change rcsultln.
! largely from the financial distress of the
people, which should therefore naturally
have been even greater in Louisiana than
elsewhere.
FOURTH 1t became the interest of the
/ Conservatives ut least at the last election,
not to ntimidatc, but to acquire, by every
fair means, the colorei vote. Parties who
were allryc; to have threatened the blacks,
even with refusal of employment, Were
subject to prompt arrest 1t WAS known
that prc.cNts would be sought do deprive
the Conservatives of the result if they pre-
vailed in the election. 1t was therefor.
their interest to avoid giving any sucli
prctcNt>: accordingly they determining"
everywhere to cooperate with and concili-
ate the blacks. They voted down the
proposition. or suggestions which Were
made in the early part of the campaign
for refusal to employ those colurrd voters
who would not cooperate with them; ana
generally sought, 10y combining with the
colortd voters. to carry the election. 10
cal combinations az ,n>t the Kellogg can
Iidat-> were made III many parishes 10y
men of Ill parties and co!urs- In several
ptri,hr> 4 union ticket OF c"lOrcd and con
sentative votes WAS voted for and elected
An intelligent colorel witness testified that
- bettrr government WAS needed. and t.
lhat end was willing to swallow the whit
man ii the white man would swallow the
cuIorc,l." These CAUSES and feelings nat
uallv united to swell the Conservative
vote in such localities, rs seen by the re
turns.
EIlth-Thc entire want of any direct
q :
of he colortu voters. Of course. i'll -
large Il state it would be impossible that
,b,r,. .h,f,]d he II, instance of intimi,I:,
lion. - such occurs in every SAFE. Eu
,>iI nee in.ti,:,trl no General intim;u
zion OF culurrd voters. and that such in
limitation Il, did rNI~j in the STATE W.
rather in the intcrc-, Of the Republicans
than the Conservatives. Inc Unit-,
I haas -hn-,4 rl.iaf " rlliIt,l1 ~
of tlIr Republican Committee. armed il
some c.t>,S with blank warrants OF arrest
ana aided ~ Tie Federal troops, nair al
rests ID fore the election bat not after
/ h ovcr>l -ht Of the cl' elton. and the re-
,uln~ were IN the hands OF troV. kcllo94
officials. lhcir account and le,uin.
did show twenty nile majority Of th'
members otthr lower House elected b.
ihr Conservatives. Without any pro;e-,
Whatever, except III three plri>hc>. al
tDo"gh il Na- ,hrir province and dui.
To- lrutcc; III any CAS- where Nlolcnc.
and Intimidation OF fraud existed. Indeed
the direct evidence - 10 thu e!rcti II ot
1874, ~ we'll - thr cIrcHIn~ stances. c!rarly
SHOW a fair election. In fact, after the Nl>
1t ut he fist committee. AMI the rc-vl>A
o: Il So, cial COMMITTEES. the kellogg party
drncc Was unable To procure more than
hat a dozen people To testify t. anything
opposed 10 the freedom and fairness of til,
Iatr election who were Not office holders
or connected with office holders. AgAin>l
such iac;> it seems 10 Us die 10 say thai
the disturbances - wildly pictured by the
minority could have kept up Throughout,
the State such a feeling of intimidation IL
would Justify the assumption that hu; iol
that feeling tie state would have gOn,
Republican. All experience shows that
the result Of the election of 1874 in LoI-
i~iana. As returned To the returning board
was natural. and to be only accounted tol
10y the reasons We lave given. We hold
therefore. that in November, 1874. til,
people of the State of Louisiana did fairly
have Il free and full rcyi ration and eec
lirn, in which clear Conservative major
ity WAS elected by the lower House o
which majority the Conservatives "cr,
deprived by the I'm asst. illegal, and III hi
tr.lrV ION of the rptlUn inu lo1rl