The Caucasian. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1874-1875, 1875-01-23
Tho Report Of the Congressional Com
mittee.

m1ttee.
Our latest papers bring MS Che
full text OF tho report of tho Sub
Committee sent to New Orleans to
rcport AZ to tho condition Of affairs
in Louisiana, which is too lengthy
for us to rcpublish in this issue.
We regret this, as tho report is a
mastery exposition Of the co"di-
ton Of affairs in our State, and a
complete vin&lication Of her white
citizens from the odious SANDERS
that have been heaped upon their
fair name without stint and with
unvarying malignity. 1t is crafty.
ing to know that amid tho prevail
Ing corruption which charactcrizes
those who iii the high places Of the
land, there ut least three men who
can judge fairly, and who dare to
decide honestly, even in the face of
tho immense pressure brought to
bear upon both their fairness and
honesty. The two following sen
fences will endcar the names OF
Messrs Charles Foster, William
Walter Phelps and Clarkson N.
Potter, to Lonisianians for many
long years to come:
i" without now referring to 9th
or instances, we arc constrained to
declare that the action Of the Return
ina Board on the rholc, acns aybitra-
~, anjMst, and IN our opinion illcgoI;
and that this arbitrary, mnj"st md
illegal action atone prevented the re-
turn By the Board cfa mGjority O
Conservatives to the Lo'ccr House."
!" And the result acas that IN No
rcmber 1874, the people cf the suite
Of Louisiana did tairly hare free,
1caceablh and full Registration, and
election in mlich clear Comscrra.
tire mVority scas c'ectcd tn the to'crr
house Of the Legislature, Of mhich
majority the Conservatives arcrc de-
priced by the unjust, H'cyal nnd ar
bitrary action Of the Returning
Board"
1t il known to our readers that
our parish figured rather exten-
sively before tho Committee and
that many of our citizens testified
before them. Our representative
on the Returning Board Mat Wells,
whose partisan course, to call his
action no hqrsher name, has load
cd him with infamy and covcrl his
name with heap Of shame and
dishonesty from which he can new
CT escape, meets with rough
handling from the Committee. We
must content ourselves with pub
fishing an extract from the Com
mitteo's report, giving in full what
they say Ofthc election in Rcpidcs."
"Thc Parish OF Rapides chose
three mcpbers to the Legislature.
The returns elected all three Con
scrvatlves. When the proofs clos
cd the only paper fled wi h the
Returning Board WIS tho affidavit
OF tho United States Supervisor,
that the election was in all respects
full, fair and free. 1t was not
known in the parish that any con
test existed agaist these members.
They left their homes and proceed
cd to New Orleans to he present at
the opening of the Legislature, no
intimidation Of contcsting their
seats or objec!ing to their election
having been given by their oppo-
Dents; at one of their last meetings
tho Returning Board declared all
the Republican members elected
from that parish. When the pa
pers of the Returning Board were
produced before your Committee
there was found among them an at
fidavit by Mr.. Wells, the President
OF the Board, declaring that lntimi.
dation had existed at certain polls
in that parish, aud that the returns
from these polls should therefore
be rejected. The counsel for the
Democratic committee testified that
they had no opportunity to contra
dict the statements of this paper
that they had never seen or known
Of it before, and that upon an ex-
animation of the papers before the
Board, when the proofs closed it