Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-03-04
The Louisiana Reports.
WASHINGTON, Feb. %,

i WASHINGTON, Feb. "a,
! In the House this morning the major
ity report of the Louisiana Investigating
Committee, signed by Messrs Foster,
Phelps, Potter and Marshall, was pre-
sented. The following conclusions have
been arrived at:
The undersigned, majority of the Committee
on the State of the South respectfully report that
they cannot agree to the report made to the com
mittee by Messrs. Wheeler and Frye. The laws
inimical to the colored people OF Louisiana, re-
ferred to In their report, have been repealed for
years. Except during the schism Of Gov. War
moth, In 1872, the Republican party has long
had control Of the machinery OF the
State. The late registration shows an ex-
cess Of the colored the white voters,
giving 90,7e1 colored to 76,e23 white. In
tine 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 prevented from voting at the
late election by the recollection of the Colfax and
Coushatta killings (the causes and circumstances
! OF which are dsputedj, and by other acts which
occurred years before, to have changed the result
| Of the election throughout the State, is an as
| sumption 30 violent. when it is recollected that
both those parishes elected the full Kellogg
ticket by increased Republican majorities, az not
TO be received If any other cause for the vote OF
| the State can be found. Such causes exist and
are obvious. Among them are:
Frst-The registration was incorrect, and ex-
| ceeded the true colored vote. The registration
with whom a Republican committee, with United
States Marshal Packard at their head. coop
| Grated. In only three parishes did the Republic
| can Supervisors OF Registration make any COM
| plant Of unfair or insufficient registration. On
| The other hand, very great complaint was made by
| the Conservatives, who specified. with proof, 100
leans alone and those Conservatives WHO had
been co-operatingin the Joint Party Committee
to secure fair registration gave up the effort IN
| despair. The census Of 1870 the correct
ness of which is not impeached, showed
S7,OS6 whites and S6,913 colored males over
twenty years of age. All the statistics and
proportion in favor Of the colored voters. Yet
| The registration Of colored voters exceeded by
1900 the total number OF adult males returned by
the census, while the registration Of white votes
was 10000 less.
Second-The whole number Of voters registered
| was l67, 60. OF these 1858 voted. This Is a
" Vote in any Of the Northern States. In an ag-
ricultura State scantily settled, where long jour
neys had often to be made to reach the polls II ID
unreasonable to suppose that a greater proportion
| of the registered blacks would have turned out 10
sustain the Government under which the prosper
ity Of the State and their wages and the value OIL
their shares of production had steadily declined
than usually vote at elections North or South,
| Third-1874 was a year of political change, In
| which the vote throughout all the States was Sc
| riously affected against the Republican party a
change resulting largely from financial distress OF
the people, and which should therefore naturally
have been even greater In Louisiana than else
! where.
| F0urth--It became the interest of the Conserv-
atives, at least at the last election, not to ntimi
date but to acquire by. every fair means the col
hored vote. Parties who were alleged to have
| threatened the blacks even with refusal Of en-
ployment subject to prompt arrest. 1t was
known that pretexts would be sought to deprive
In the election. 1t was therefore their in
terest to avoid giving any such pre-
texts. Accordingly, they determined every
! where to cooperate with and conciiate the
blacks. They voted down the propositions oI
suggestions which were made in the early part OF
the campaign for refusal TO employ those col
and generally sought by combining with coored
| voters to carry the election. Local combinations
against the Kellogg candidates were made IN
| many parishes by men of all parties and colors
In several parishes union ticket of colored and
Conservative voters was voted for and elected
An intelligent colored witness testified that he
! " desired better government and to that end
4 was willing to swallow the white man If the
4 white men would swallow the colored." These
lcauses and feelings naturally united to swell the
Conservative vote In such Localities, as indicated
/ by the returns.
! Fiflh--Thc entire want of any direct evidence
| TO show any general intimidation of coored
voters. OF course, in so large State 1t would be
impossible there should be no instance Of refusal
4 to employ, or Of intimidation. Such occur in
every State; but the evidence certainly indicated
/ no general intimidation OF colored voters, and
that such intimidation did exist In the State
rather in the interest of the Republicans than
| of the Conservatives. United States Marshals,
State Committee, armed, IN some cases, with
| blank warrants of arrest and aided by Federal
troops, made constant arrests before the cleo
ton, but not afterward The oversight of the
1 election and returns was In the hands OF
Gov Kelogg's officials. Their account and
| return did show twenty-nine majority oil
| servatives without any protest whatever, except
In three parishes although IL was their province
and duty TO protest In any case where violence
/ and intimidation or fraud existed Indeed, the
direct evidence to the election of 1874, as well
as the circumstances, clearly indicate a peaceabe
and fair election. In fact, after the visit OF the
4 first committee and revisit OF the special com
mittee the Kellogg party, with all their machin-
/ cry for collecting evidence, were unable to pro-
duce in the entire State more than half dozen
persons to testify to anything impeaching the
| freedom and fairness of the late elections who
4 were not officeholders connected with
| ofiicehoders. Against such facts 1t seems to us
! idle to assume that the disturbances 80 wildly
| pictured by the majority could have kept up
throughout their State such feeling of intimi-
dalton as would Justify the assumption that but
for that feeling the State would have gone Re-
| publican. All experience shows that the result
of the election OF 1874 In Louisiana returned to
the Returning Board was natural and to be easily
accounted for by the reasons we have given. We
| hold therefore, that in November, 1874, the peo-
pie of the State of Louisiana did fairly have a
free peaceable and full registration and election,
in which a clear Conservative majority was elect
ed To the lower house of the Legislature of which
majority the Conservatives were deprived by the
unjust Illegal and arbitrary action of the Return
! TO the resolution reported to the House from
4 the committee as 10 the action OF the Returning
i Board we are all agreed. We understand the
/ committee to be unanimous In finding the fact
that the action of the Returning Board has de.
ieated the will of the people as expressed by
them at the polls In November, 1874. The peo-
pie then elected to the lower house of their Leg.
islature majority OF Conservative members. A
portion of the Conservative members thus elected
were refused their certificates. This is an act OF
great injustice to individuals, of the greatest
danger to the State and free government, and
ought to be Immediately corrected by any power
competent to correct IL.
The resolution commencing the recognition oi
Gov. Kellogg IL based upon the general impress.
sion, not upon evidence On this point no testi-
mony was taken either by the committee or any
part of IL. Kellogg may may not have been
elected In 1872, but there IL no evidence to show
the fact ii there be 1t has been neither sought
Messrs. Foster and Phelps think that
the popular belief, taking both Conserva.
tive and Radical circles, inclines on the
whole to justify Kellogg's claims, and
that, as Kellogg is and has been acting
Governor of Louisiana for the past two
years, to deny his right and install an
other in his place after this lapse of time
might involve incalculable mischief to
the legal and political interests of the
State.