The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-02-10
around to get the signatures of mer-

chants and others, but was soon at
terward destroyed and nothing NOR
said on the subject. Negroes can al
ways get employment, and; there is
demand for labor. Some of them OWL
land and work hands of their Owl
color.
| There has never been secret or
ganization among the whites in Ra
pides-no White League; none in tn,
Red River Valley; the relations be
tween the races are peaceful and hav'
always been so.
In 1878, while the District Cour
was in session at Colfax, Capt. Ware
with his band of armed negroes, tool
from the Court House some men wht
were under trial and brought then
to New Orleans. Witness also de
tailed several outrages committed by
the negroes in the country; the muir
der of Yong, and the horrible outrage
of Miss Lacour.
Before the Colfax fight, threat!
were made by the blacks that they in
tended TO kill all the men and reserve
all the women. Witness presented F.;
list compiled from the official secords
Of all the homicides committed il
Rapides from January LIST, 1868, W
to the present time. The summar,
is 81. Total whites II, blacks 40
whites killed by blacks, 8; blacks
killed by whites, 10; whites killed by
whites, 8: blacks killed by black, %;
whites killed by unknown persons, 3:
blacks killed by unknown persons, 2:
suicides, 2; executed none.
Three out of this list were convict.
ed; one escaped from Jail, and anoth-
er was sentenced to the Penitentiary
for twenty years, and has been lately
pardoned by Kellogg There are 500
or more cases for petty ofenses
which have never been tried,
None of the homicides on the list
were political broils.
The juries are black and the offices
are held by colored men, and the
white people are in no wise response
BILE for the crimes.
Both whites and blacks are willing
enough to convict criminals, but the
inefficiency of the criminal law, more
than anything else, influenced the col
ored people to vote for white people.
There are very few white Republi-
cans in Rapides, Gov. Wells is the
most prominent one, and his family
is not in the least ostracized. His
sons and daughters mix with the
best society, and are always well re-
ceived.
Many Republicans have been asso-
ciated with schemes of fraud and
plumber, and they are avoided in the
same manner as a thief or burglar
would be.
The witness read a statement, un-
der the signature of the Parish Treas
urer, of the indebtcnness of the Par
ish, which amounts to $34,594.
The Police Jury have managed the
finances as we'll as they could be man
aged, and have been engaged in no
schemes of plumber.
Thirty-four hundred voters were
registered at the election.
The rate of State tax before the war
was l.6 of one per cent. on valuation
of over three millions; in 1873 it was
20 mills, and in 1874 ii mills. The
State tax proper, is 4 mills; the bal
ance is tax for paying the intcres on
bonds, the levee tax, and the school
tax.
The causes which urged many ne
groes to vote the Conservative ticket
at the election we're, that they were
dissatisfied with the Freedman's bank,
the non-execution of the criminal law,
the assurances Of protection from the
whites, and the chief cause was the
collection of the poll tax in 1874 which
had been neglected previously.
After the result of the election was
known, the colored people had a large
ueeIlhg, ana passed resolutions to
the following effect: That they de-
nounced the action Of the Returning
Board in falsifying the returns; that
the only intimidation practiced was
that against the white people by the
troops. At another Conservative
meeting at least two hundred colored
men attended, some of whom made
speeches, and declared that the cleo
ton had been perfectly free and fair.
The hopelessness, the want of conf
dence, and the universal distrust and
depression, are due to the interfer-
anna IF tho F,doro1 roro,,,o,4 Ill