The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1875-01-16
THE SUBCOMMITTEE.

OF the LOUISIANA COnSTessIOudl III
vestigating Committee left New Or
leans during the early part of last
week, after very brief and iDcom-
plete investigation of the existing
state of affairs here, and returned to
Washington, where they have pre-
pared and presented to the full COM
mittee report of their labors and
the deductions they make from the
testimony taken. As a natural con-
sequence of the narrow scope of their
inquiry, and, we are bound to say,
the unhappy selection of witnesses
generally made by Republican COUP
sci, coupled with the shrewd selec-
tions of their opponents, this report
is any thing but satisfactory to the
friends Of political liberty and Repub-
lican government in Louisiana. Re
fusing to 60 back Of the recent cleo
ton to ascertain the causes which
produced intimidation Of Republican
voters. and enormously assuming
that because there was no actual
violence upon the day Of election
that all men we're allowed to vote as
their ipclinations directed, the sub
committee announces the belief that
the Democrats are entitled to victo-
ry at the polls and that the action of
the Returning Board was fraudulent
and illegal. The White League is
criticised and condemned by the re-
port, as is also the attempt of the
Democratic minority to control the
organization Of the House of Repre-
seutatives by chicauery and force !;
which is nothing more than was to
be reasonably expected, for the re-
evolutionary spirit of The League and.
the outrageousness of the legislative
coup detat are too apparent and fla
grant to be ignored.
1t is not for US to question the mo-
tives or judgment Of the honorable
gentlemen of the subcommittee, but
we do most emphatical)y insist that
the method aud scope of taeir ioves,
tigation was faulty and contracted 10
the extreme. They may have honest
~ expressed, in their report, the i'm
pressions made upon their minds by
the testimony which was offered them,
but they have certainly erred as
greatly in defining the actual coudi-
ton Of our State as if they had never
examined a witness or read a news.
paper. A small measure Of the blame
for this .faur pas must, in our estima-
ton, rest upon the gentleman dele
gated to represent the Republican
party before the committee during its
sessions in New Orleans. It seemed
to US that there was lack Of energy
and good managem ent in this all-im-
portant task, contrasting greatly with
the vigorous persistency and untiring
watchfulness for every loop-hole
through which to fire a shot, evinced
by the Democratic attorneys. We
make due allowance for the short
space of time allotted for the inves-
legation, the impossibility of procur-
ing the presence of many witnesses
whose testimony would have proven
invaluable, and the unreasonable IL
nits to which the committee confined
heir examination, but despite these
we can not evade the be-
ief that the cause of our party could
nave been much better upheld and !
than it was-that too much !
'eliance was placed in the fact that |
t was righteous cause and hence,
n the eternal fitness of things, bound |
o prevail. a
1t will be the judgment of the great
mass of enlightened and unbiased
'eople of this country-and certainly |
# the Republican party-that the
ub committee has signally failed to
accomplish the true object Of it's ap-
'oin tment and ascertain the real sit
|atioD of affairs in unhappy Louisi-
ma. In the light Of recent events
he Grant parish massacre, the Cou-
hatta butchery, the DeClouet rebel
ion in St. Martin parish, the revolu-
ion Of September 18th in New Or
cans, the sanguinary policy avowed
y the White League press and ap-
arently sustained by the Democratic
rfr nt0 Tn thu ri 11n |