Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-01-16
LOUISIANA AFFAIRS.
ReDort of the Subcommittee OF the
House Of Representatives..

Report of the subcommittee Of the
House Of Representatives.
The report Of M-ssrs. Foster, Pne.p: aud
Potter the su;-c5u mIttce Of the speclai c3m
m;,tee appointed by the House Of L II Sen1a-
tives 10 proceed to NV O:l9ars aud iIv=s,l-
gate the coodtiVn Of fin il l. gui-iaaa and
the South, yesterday, made their report to
the House. The ex,reme l2ns.h Of the Gocu.
meut precu ic. III publication 10 u,.. tut We
give synopsis Of the m3,: iypo!!2gt state.
m=ois:
DuroE TIE eiCh: days the coIpui:.cc re.
ualuri ID NV y !ean$ they S,r- atie-cei
throughout their .cssl .n-. which w-rc pu,.!c.
by tie COUNSEL ot tie R-puiicaD aud LOLsvr-
va.i7e State cor u!ttee>. la tina; sc:l,i they
eganioed over uiuoty.ire witnesses, besides
taking large amount .! i, cuucu aly cyiI"acr,
.luouu,os 10 all il i e>tlmated, 10 u0r: THAI
fifteen hundred prated pages.
Inc commjtte- undertook 10 investigation! Il
the election Of l>72. They fist proceed i -
40 examination Of the returning board II the
State 10 respect Of The late election. anl t:cL u
al rIuuiry 10 re:erarce T. The Elite League.
The law proyGes t;at The Board shall coz
s>t u t;r peTsyiIs. Representing al! parties.
|, consisted at tie opeuGg i TIER last >:>>inE
Of FIVE Republicans. upVu tie Resignation ot
one .. wtoA (t1en. L2HI>.r-etj VI. Arroyo, Z
CUusrrval,.e. vas taxed - m the vacancy
Alter protesting agalus, 'h3 acton Vi the pyI:d
ia secret SrS.lOLS lIr rc>tsL-d pr:1ra the c9ucu-
sion Of their atc7s, and hi> place vas no. t!td
50 that. a your cvnmlt:ee Thick the la7T a. -
the constitution oi The board Vas Got complied
with.
The election laws Of louisiana provide t2r
supervisor Of reg i,tratlou, Th0 api)!nj> his
OWL dvIuries for each ward in New Orleans,
aud for one supervisor of regis:ratlou tog ea-h
parish 10 the State These oticers were ali
appointed by Gov Kellogg. II addition -
these supervisors the police jurors t,hc loca!
authorities OF the parl=ltesj appointed three
commissioners OF election lor each poi: ~ The
parish, and there were also t"o uuied States
Supervisors appointed by the district judge OF
the United States for each pei.
The law further provided that 10 case Of
such yiolsuce or n;imi ia;ioD or corruption at
or uear either poll, either during registration
or election preventing lair, Tree, pcac-abie,
and full vote, the commissioners ol election, II
the occurrence was on election day, the super
visor of registration, If gu the day OF regl>tra-
ton, should make full, yerlh-d statement Of
the occurrence, forward the same With apd az
ueyed TO the returns: auu further PROVIDED
that when the Returul0g Beard IL caovaSsIus
the returns, should couse 10 any POL, where the
returns were accompanied py such protest,
they should not canvass, count, or coWpiie tae
statement of voters from such poll uhtil the
statement from all other polls had teeu Gao
vassed aud ccmped
Tue chict struggle was ever the election OF
!, e IL N,,I ..u Sat ii itr n
officers: and in these elections .ocai aud person
al considerations as well AS naluna! or Safe
politics entered. The returns hy The cuutli>-
sioners of election. compiled and forwarded uy
the supervisors Ut registration, gave the Con
servatlyeS mslorty oi - members our OF Il
total of II members In only three Instances
were there any protests accompanying The re
turuS.
The Returning Board was 10 session for
many weeks. As tuay announced, IHtlr hnd-
lLgs gave, as Gov. heiiogg rcckonrd It. %
~ mbers tG the Republicans; % membcrS to
the Democrats. oil whom, however, one may
ue regarded as 10. SIayog Democrat Inc
board made no decision as u the reuialoiug
i've seats.
Thn public sittiugs Of tie R.:urnng Board
were Attended by the COUNSEL # h R"pur!ieaL
aud Conservative State committees. ODjec-
tons were received from The counsel OF the re,
spectirc parties to thr returuS from d.iterent
pohs The otjectiog party vas generally az
loved to produce ath iayts 70 support The 90.
=c.lou and the other party 10 reply % athda-
Wits \ dag was fixed whea tnes- proofs We're
to be closed. After these pubic sessions The
board wtDt Into private, OF, az they were cal.
ed executive sessions, where the proof and
matters IN dis, Ute were discussed, aud de-
cision argiv, 4 at Tie minutes II the board
are very mcagcr.
The parish oil Rapids chose tire III Db@rs
TO the l., gi>l4ture. The returns elected al
three Conservatives. When the po.Is Closed
the oniy paper flied with the Returrlug Board
was the affidavit Of The CuIted States surervl-
sor that the election was ln all respects lu!..
fair, aud Tree. | VS. not kuoW0 IL the parish
that any contest existed against these three
meu berS. They lett their bones aEd pr CT u
cd 10 NV Oreaus, 10 be piescn; al the opaL-
ing OF the Legislature, no lniluatlob OF con
testing their seats or OF ctiou TO their election
having been gwen by their opponents. At oue
of their last sessions the heturnIrs Beard d.
clared all the R.pub.jcaa n.cubcrs c.c;ai
from that parish. When the papers Of the
Returning Board were produced before your
committee there was tou4d amoDg ;Letu au
affidavit BY Mr.. Wells, the prcsd, ut OF the
board, declaring that iatimi4!atlon had existed
at certain pcs 10 t! at parish. and tnat The re-
turns from those polls snou.d therefore De re-
iccted. The coua>c for the Democratic com
mittee testified that they had 20 upper uu,y
to contradict the Statements OF This paper: that
they had oever >ecu Or kucwu OF 1t before, and
that upon an exam!na:lo Of the papers before
the Board when the proofs closed, II was Dot
among them The couLsel for the L publican
committee reserved the right to make expana
ton upoo this point, but offered u0re. The