The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1875-03-05
LOUISIANA AFFAIRS.
Reports OF the Investigating Committed
Submitted to Congress.
The Conclusions and Recommendation
OF the Minority and Majority of
the Committee.


Mr. G. F. Hoar, chairman of the specis,
| committee on Louisiana affairs has made !
report to the house of representative. ciosine
WITH the following pTeambles and resolutions
WHEREAS, Both branches of the Legislature
OF Louisiana have requested the select com,
mlttee OF the house to investigate the circun
stances attending the elections and returns
thereof in that state for the year 1874: and.
| WHEREAS, Said committee has unanimously
reported that the returning board of that state
! III caRvassing and compiling said returns and
the PRONUNCIATION Of the results wrongfulIy
| applied an erroneous rule OF law, bv reason
| whereof persons were awarded in the house OF
| representatives seats to which they were not
entitled, and persons entitled to seats were
deprived of them:
ReSOlUed, That it is recommended to the
house of representatives of Louisiana to axe
immediate steps to remedy such Injustice and
place the persons rightfully entitled in THEN
| seats.
ResolUed That VIM. P Kellogg be recog-
| nized as the governor Of the state of Louis
lana until the end Of the tenn of Office fixed
| by the constitution Of that state.
THE MAJORITY REPORT.
The undersigned, majority of the commit
tee on the state OF the south, respectfully re-
port that they cannot agree to the report made
| to the committee by Messrs. HOar, Wheeler
| and Frye. The laws inimicaI to the colored
people of Louisiana referred to in this report
! have been repealed for years, except during
| the schism Of Gov. Warmoth in 1872. The re-
| publican party has long had control of the
machinery of the state. The state registra-
ton shows an excess OF the colored over the
white voters, giving so, 7S1 colored to 76, 1913
whites. In the absence Of any direct evidence
that the late election was not free and fair
the assumption Of the minority that enough
cOlOred voters must, therefore, have been pre-
vented from voting at the late election by the
recollection Of the Colfax and Coushatta kill
ings. the causes and circumstances of which
are disputed, and by other riots which occur
rod Arg~ L., IL IL
Of the election throughout the state, is an as
sumption so violent, when it is TecOIlected
that both those parishes elected full Kellogg
ii ket by increased republican majorities as
not to be received. If any other cause for
the vote of the state can be found such
causes exist and are obvious; among these
are
/. The registration was incorrect and ex-
ceeded the true colored vote. The registra-
tiOn was wholly in the hands of the Kellogg
officials, with whom republican committee,
with United States Marshal Packard at their
head, co-operated. In only three parishes did
the republican supervisors of registration
make any CCmplaint of unfair or insufficient
registration. On the other hand, very great
complaint was made by the conservatives, who
specified with proof 5000 cases of cOncedei
false registration in New Orleans alone, and
those conservatives who had been cooper
ting in the joint party committee to secure q
fair registration gave mp in despair. The
census of 1870, the correctness Of which is not
SoiOred males over tWenty-One years OF age.
All the statistics and evidence before us indi-
Gated no change in this proportion in favor
the cOlOred voters vet the registration of col
ored voters exceeded by 4, 600 the total mum
Der Of cOlOred adult males returned by fhs
census. while the registration of white voters
W6s 10. 600 less.
2. The whole number of voters registered
was 167, 604; Of these I46, $50 voted. This is
q larger proportion Of registered voters then
usually vote IN any Of the northern states In
an agricultural state, spaUsely settled, where
long Journeys had often to be made to reach
the polls, it is unreasonable to suppose that a
greater proportion OF registered blacks would
have voluntarily 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.
3. 1874 was year of political change, in
which the vote throughout all states was seri-
ously affected against the republican party,
resulting largely from the financial distress
OF the people, and which should therefore |
naturally have been even greater in Louisiana |
than elsewhere
f. 1t became the interest of the conserva-
tives at the last election not to intimidate, but
to acquire by every fair means coOred votes. |
The parties who we're alleged to have threat |
ened the blacks with the refusal OF employ /
ment were subjected to prompt arrest. 1t |
was known that preteXts would be sought to |
deprive the conservatives of the result il they |
prevailed in the election. 1t was therefore |
their interest to avoid giving any such prete1t. |
Accordingly, they determined everywhere to |
co operate with aud reconcile the blacks. |
Thev voted down the propositions or sugges-
tions which were made in the early part of the |
campaign, for a refus ! to employ those col
Ored voters who would not cooperate with |
them, and generally sought by combining with /
the cOioTed voters, to carry the election. Lo- |
cal combinations against the Kellogg caRdi- |
dates were made IN many parishes by men Of |
all parties and color. In several parishes, |
tickets composed Of cOlored and conservative |
voters were voted for and elected. An intel |
hgent cOlored witness testified that he desired |
better government, and, to that end, Was will
ing to swallow the white man, If white men
would swallow the cOlored- These causes and
feelings naturally united to swell the consef-
vative vote in such localities, as indicated by
the returns.
5. The entire wait Of any direct evidence to
show any general intimidation Of c0lored
voters. Of course, in so large a state it would
be impossible that there should be no instances
OF refusal to employ or Of intimidation. Su; ;h
occur IN every state. But the evidence Ger
tainly indica- es no general intimidation Of col
ored voters, and tnEt such intimidation az did
exist IN the state, was rather in the interest
of the republicans than OF the conservatives.
Ine United Statss marshaE. whose chief was
the chairman of the republican state commit
tee. armed in some cases with blank warrants
or arrest, and aided By federal troops, made
constant arrests before the election, but not
afterwards The oversight Of the election and
returns WIS in the hands OF Gov. Kellogg's
officials. Their account and returns did show
tWeaty-nine majority Of members OF the lover
house elected by the conservatives without
snv pro est whatever, except in three parishes,
although it was their province and duty t.
protest in any case where violence and intimi-
dation or fraud existed. Indeed, the direct
evidence as to the election Of 1874, as well as
the circumstances, clearly Indicate Peaceabie
and fair election In fact. after the visit OF
the first committee, and revisit OF the special
committee. the Kellogg party with all their
machinery for collecting evidence, were unable
to produce in the entire state more than half
q dozen persons 20 testify to anything i'm
peaching the freedom and fairness Of the late
elections, who were not Office holders o. con-
nected With ofice-hOlders- Against such facts
l. seems to Us idle to assume that the disturb
ances so wildly pictured by the minority !
could have kept up throughout the state such
a feeling Of intimidation as would justify the
assumption, that but for hat feeling the state |
would have gone republican. All experience /
shows that the result OF the election OF 1874 IN
Louisiana IS returned TO the returning board, /
Was natural and to be only accounted Tor Y /
the reasons We have given.
We hold, therefore, that in November, 1874, !
the people Of the state Of Louisiana did fairly 4
have a free. peaceable and full registration /
and election, in which clear conservative |
majority was elected to the lower house OF the /
legislature, Of which majority the cOnserva-
tiYes were deprived by the unjust, illegal and /
arbitrary action Of the returning board.
To the resolutions reported 20 the hOuss /
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