The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1875-01-01
ADDRESS OF THE COMMITTEE OF
SEVENTY.
To The People OF the United State.

people of the United States to the addi
tional wrong and indignities unde
which the once free people of Louisian,
are now suffering.
For two years we have been in val,
appealing to the President and to tn,
Congress for relief from the injustice
the expressions and the robbery of ,
usurping State government, placed owe,
us by the private order Of a drunke1
United States Judge, written in hi.
chamber, and sustained by the United
States army, brought here beforehand
for the purpose.
This Governor, ineligible under oul
constitution, and defeated at the polls
by $500 majority, and by such means
installed and maintained in power, had
been unable, after nearly two years of
mlsrule, to gain the slightest foOtholCl
in the econfidenceo on respect of the people.
and as soon as the Federal army was
withdrawn, within one hour his show
! of authority and force melted into thin
air before the calm determination of nm
outraged people, and he sought refuge
in the sanctuary of the United States
Custom-Ho Immediately upon
the command of the President, all the
fruits of the brilliant victory achieved
by our citizens, with the State House,
public buildings and archives, were sur
rendered to an officer Of the United
States army, who skewered kellogg to
his gubernatorial seat.
For several weeks before the election
on End of November, 1874, the whole
State, and especially the Democratic
parishes, were hnrried by tho United
States army, and our best and leading
citizens arrested on trumped-u charges,
made by irresponsible tools Of the Rad
ical party for the purpose of intimida-
ting the white people and carrying the
election against the will of the majority.
Notwithstanding this, our people
knowing that their continued existence
in this State depended upon their driv-
ing the government of the plunderers
from power; knowing that by misgov-
eminent and exorbitant taxation i'm
posed by Ignorant and corrupt legisla-
tors, who had no intesest in the State,
the value OF property had been destroy
ed, and instead of being blessing it
had become II burden; knowing that
the fountains of law and Justice had
been corrupted, and the Government,
whose end should he protection, had
been converted into an engine of oppres-
sion and extortion, only limited by its
Knowing these facts they put forth
their utmost efforts, and with all the
Of iniquitiOus election laws,
devised to perpetuate Radical rule in
the hands of the usurpation, and with
the United States army ut the command
of the Chairman of the Republican
State Central Committee, and used as
an clectioneering engine against them,
the Conservatives succeeded in carry
ing the State by at least $500 majority,
with Il majority of twenty-eight in the
House of representatives and majority
on joint ballot in both houses. The
city Of New Orleans was carried by the
Conservatives by over ~, 900 majority.
The fact OF the Conservatives having
carried the election has been well
known ever since the 5th November,
because the ballots were counted at the
polls Immediately and the returns made
out in duplicate.
Vet even now, seven weeks after the
election, we are eimminently threatened
with being defrauded of our victory and
of our franchise. The election returns
are submitted to a Board of Returning
Officers, consisting of five members,
four of whom are identified with and
TO the usurping Govesn-
ment.
These men, aside from their PARTISAN
ship, have not sustained such charac-
ter before the community as to inspire
us with confidence in their integrity or
impartiality, or to give any hope that
they will fairly and honesty compile
and promulgate the returns. They
have already evinced determination
to defraud the people and defeat their
will as expressed at the ballot-boX. In
the case of the parish of DeSoto, Con-
servative by over one thousand major
ity, the Radical election officer stole
the returns, placed them in the hands
of a woman of the town, who offered to
give them up for $1,000, and he LETT the
State. The returning officers refused
to take any steps to orecover these papers.
The attorneys representing the Conser-
vativeS sent toDeSoto and brought down
and presented the duplicate original cleo
ton returns, of equal value, which had
been filed with the clerk of the District
Court for the parish, in pursuance OF
law, and these they refused to receive
and consider, although in Radical par
ishes they had acted on secondary
evidence.
This case is but one of many such.
Application was made by a candidate
for q n3p6arnuS fp ron, nel fhnrr, Tn