The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-01-22

Below is brief synopsis of the report
of the subcommittee on Louisiana at
fairs, sent to New Orleans to investigate
the November election and the doings of
the White League. The other Republican
members Of the committee, who remained
in Washington, were not satisfied with
the report, because it damaged the Radi-
cal party, and have gone to New Orleans
themselves. They are intensely bitter
Radicals and will no doubt cook up a
report in opposition to the truthful one Of
the sub committee, The Geographic sy-
nopsis of the report is as follows:
"THE report Of the Louisiana Investa-
eating Committee of Congress is made
public this morning. The character OF
this document has been foreshadowcd by
the special dispatches of this paper.
The iniqujties Of the Returning Board are
fairly stated, showing that the DemOcra-
cy were clearly entitIe to the majority of
the Legislature, and counted out by a
process that was nquestiOnably fraudu-
lent. 1t is pity that the Democracy did
not allow the case to go before the coun-
try unincumbered by their strategy on
the 18th instant, which placed them legal
ly in the wrong.
One of the first and most important
points Of the report will be, that the com
mittee were unable to find any evidence
that the Republican colored voters were
ntimdated during the last campaigns III
Louisiana, Or that their civil or political
rights were in any interfered with and
that, so far as the committee could learn
from the evidence that was submitted to
them, the election was an exceptionally
fair and honest one. This conclusion is
the one concurred in by all the members
of the committee.
Had Messrs. Phelps and Potter been
alone on the committee, they would have
reported that, instead of the Republicans
being intimidatcd by the Democrats, the
reverse was the fact; that white COnserva-
tive voters were frightened away from the
polls by the appearance of United States
Marshals, accompanied by Federal caval-
ry-mcn, a few days before the election, or
on the day of the election, who caused
great alarm among the ignorant people in
the country parishes, and prevented
scores of them from voting.
The committee report also that the
Conservatives undoubtedly carried the
State by a considerable majority, and
that they elected majority OF the Legis-
lature. Indivual members of the COM
mittee say that of this there can be no
question.
The failure the Freedmen Bank and
the collection of poll-taX from the ne
groes, which had never been done before
since the war, caused thousands of the
colored Republicans to stay away from
the polls. Besides this, the planters, for
the first time, tried the effect of perSua-
sion on the negroes employed. They did
not threaten to dischareg their hands, but
argued with them and demonstrated to
them that the interest of the two races
were common, and that, therefore, they
slould support the same men and meas
ures The result of this policy was that
many of the colored people were induced
to vote the White League ticket, as it was
called, and many Of them testified before
the committee.
The committee condemn, in the strong
est language, the action Of the Returning
Board, as being Illegal and indefensible
The Returning Board had no able defend
ers before the committee. The chair
man of it, Ex-Governor Wells, did not
appear, and his attendance could not be
secured. The remaining members were
ignorant, and their defense
of the action Of the Board very weak.
The committee will report that the |
character Of the White League has been |
very much misunderstood throughout the |
North. 1t is not a secret 0rganizatian, |
among its members scores and |
hundreds of the very best men in the |
city Of New Orleans, the men who are |
The most prominent in business, and who |
would not countenance lawlessness of
any kind. 4 majority of the full com
nittee will sign the subcommittee re-
port They will be Messrs. Foster,
Phelps, Potter and Robinson. Wheeler
5 inclined to be neutral, and G. f. Hoar
md Fry will not approve Of it.