Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-03-04
Reports of the Louisiana Investigating
Committee.
WASHINGTON. Feb. SO.

Committee, signed by Messrs. Foster,
Phelps, Potter and Marshall, was pre-
sented. The following conclusions have
been arrived at:
The undersigned majority of the Committee on
the State of the South respectfully report that
they cannot agree to the report made to the COM
mittee by Messrs Wheeler and Frye. The laws
inimical to the coored people of Louisiana, re-
ferred TO in their report, have been repealed tor
years. Except during the schism of Gov. War
moth, in 1872. the Republican party has long had
control of the machinery of the State. The late
registration shows an excess OF the colored over
the white voters, giving 9O,7S1 cOlored to
1898 white. In the absence of any
direct evidence that the late election was
not free and fair, the assumption of the minority
that enough cOIGreG voters must therefore have
been prevented from voting at the late election
by the recollection of the ColtaX and COushatta
killings (the causes and circumstances Of which
are dlsputed), and by other acts which occurred
years before to have changed the result of the
election throughout the State, is an assumption
so violent, when it is recolected that both those
parishes elected the full kellogg ticket by in
creased Republican majoritles, as not to be re-
Ceived if any other for the vote of the State
can be found. Such causes exist and are obvious
Among them are:
Fi1St-The registration was incorrect, and ex-
ceeded the true colOred vote. The registration
was wholly in the hands of the Kellogg officials,
with whom Republican committee, with United
States Marshal Packard at their head, cooper
ated. In only three parishes did the Republican
Supervisors of Registration make any complaint
Of unfair or insufficient registration. On the
other hand, very great complaint was made by
the Conservatives, who specified, with proof,
1900 cases of conceded false registration in New
Orleans alone, and those Conservatives who had
been cooperating in the Joint Party Committee
TO secure fair registration gave up the effort in
despair. The census of 1870, the correctness of
which is not impeached, showed S70S6
whites and S6,913 colored males over twenty
one years of age. All the statistics and
evidence before us indicated no change in this
proportion in favor of the colored voters. Yet
the registration of colored voters exceeded by
1000 the total number of adult males returned by
the census, while the registration OF white votes
was 10000 less.
SecOnd-The whole number of voters registered
was 167,607. OF these 1868 voted. This is
larger proportion Of registered voters than usual
ly vote in any of the Northern States In an
agricultural State, scantily settled, where long
Journeys had often to be made to reach the polls,
it is unreasonable to suppose that greater pro-
portion of the registered blacks would have turned
out to sustain the Government under which the
prosperity of the State and their wages and the
value of their shares of production had steadily
declined than usually vote at elections North or
South.
Third-1S74 was year of political change, in
which the vote throughout all the States
seriously affected against the Republican party
change resulting largely from financial distress
Of the people, and which should therefore natu-
rally have been even greater in Louisiana than
elsewhere.
Fourth 1t became The interest of the Conserv-
atyes, at least at the last election, not intim
date, but to acquire by every fair means the col
ored vote. Parties who were alleged to have
threatened the blacks even with refusal of en-
ployment were subject to prompt arrest 1t
known that pretexts would be sought to de-
prive the Conservatives of the result if they
prevailed in the election. 1t was there
fore their interest to avoid giving any
such preteXts. Accordingly, they determined
everywhere to cooperate with and conciate the
blacks. They voted down the propositions or
suggestions which were made in the early part of
the campaign for a refusal to employ those col
Ored voters who would not cooperate with them,
and generally sought by combining with COlOred
voters to carry the election. Local combinations
against the Kellogg candidates were made in
many parishes by men of all parties and colOrs.
In several parishes union ticket of COored and
Conservative voters was voted for and elected.
An intelligent colored witness testified that he
desired better government" and to that end
was willing to swallow the white man if the
white men would swallow the COlOred' Tn csc
causes and feelings naturally united to swell the
Conservative vote IN such localities as indicated
by the -eturns.
EsfttfS&1he entire want of any direct evidence
to show any general intimidation of colored
voters. OF course, in so large State it would be
impossible there should be no instance of refusal
to employ, of intimidation. Such occur in
every State but tn evidence certainly indicates
no general intimT ion Of CoOred voters. and
that such intimi ton as did exist in the State
rather in the crest of the Republicans than
of the Conservati United States Marshals
whose chief was the Chairman of the Republican
State Committee, armed, in some cases, with
blank warrants of arrest, and aided by Federal
troops, made constant arrests before the election,
but not afterWard. The oversight of the
election and returns was in the hands of Gov
Kellogg's officials. Their account am return lid
show Twenty-Five majority of members of the
lower house elected by the Conservatives without
any protest whatever, except in three parishes,
although it was their province and duty to protest
in any where violence and intimidation, or
fraud, existed. Indeed the direct evidence as to
the election of 1874, as we'll as the circumstances
clearly indicate peaCeable and fair election. In
fact after the visit of the first committee and
visit of the special committee, the Kellogg
party, with all their machinery for collecting
evidence, unable to produce in the entire
State more than haIf-a dozen persons to
testify to anything impeaching the freedom
and fairness of the late election who
were not offCehOlders or connected with office
holders. Against such facts it seems to us idle
to assume that the disturbances so wildly pict
ured by the minority could have kept up
throughout their State such feeling of intimida
ton as would justify the assumption that but for
that feeling the State would have gone Republi
can. All experience shows that the result of the
election of 1874 in Louisiana, returned to the
Returning Board, was natural and to be easily
accounted for by the reasons we have given. We
hold therefore, that in November 1874, the peo-
pie of the State of Louisiana did fairly have
free peaceable and full registration and election,
in which clear Conservative majOrity was elect
ed to the lower house of the Legislatures of
which majority the Conservatives were deprived
by the unjust illegal and arbitrary action of the
Returning Board.
To the resolution reported to the House from
the committe as to the action of the Returning
Board we all agreed. We understand the com
mittee to be unanimous IN finding the fact that
thelactOn of the Returning Board has defeated
the will of the people as expressed by them at the
polls in November, 1874. The people then elected
to the lower house of their Legislature major
ity OF Conservative members. A portion of the
Conservative members thus elected were refused
their certificates. This is act of great injus-
tice to individuals, Of the gravest danger to the
State and free government, and ought to be i'm
mediately corrected by any power competent to
correct it.
The resolution commencing the recognition of
Gov. Kellogg is based upon the general impress
sion, not upon evidence. On this point testi-
mony taken either by the committee or any
part of it. kellogg may or may not have been
elected in 1872, but there is no evidence to show
the fact. or if there be it has been neither sought
nor found by this committee.
Messrs. Foster and Phelps think that
the popular belief, taking both COnserva-
tive and Radical circles, inclines on the
whole to justify Kellogg's claims, and
that, as Kellogg is and has been acting
Governor of Louisiana for the past two
years, to deny his right and install an
other in his place after this lapse of time
might involve incalculable mischief 10
the legal and political interests of the
State
The committee conclude as follows:
wis nd of