The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-01-19
THE SIR COMMITTEES REPORT.

(SignedD p II. SHERIDAN,
Lieutenant General.
THE SUR COMMITTEES REPORT.
sEIEY FIND THAT TEE ACTION oF THE BOARD
WAS ILLEaAL AND UNJUsT-THBRE WAS NO
INTIMIDATION EXCEPT ON THE OTHER
SIDE.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. l5--The sub
committee appointed to visit New Orleans
for tie purpose OF investigation, has reported
to the general committee. After giving
fun account of the returning board, the CON-
nittee report that they are constrained TO
say that the action of the board Ia the re-
ice ion OF the returns ia tha parish of
Rgpides, and in giving the seats for that
psrish to the republican candidates was arbl-
trarY, unfair and without warrant ef law.
II the committee were 60 so behind the
-Elpers before the hoard and con-
slider the alleged charge of Intimidation
upon the proofs before the COMMITTEES their
finding would necessarily be the same.
Rapides parish was taken as sample par
ish of intImidStiOn. Many witnesses OF both
parties show beyond question that there
was q free, full, fair and pe2ceable election
and registration There was no evidence of
any intimidation OF voters Practiced on the
dav OF election, although IL vas asserted
that intimidation OF colored men before the
election had been effected by threats
OF REFUSAL 10 employ ttlbiu VI
to discharge them if tney voted the
republican tieket. No evidence either of
discharge or of refusal to employ was pro-
duced. Certain witnesses themselves, every
, one OfficeboldeTs, testified generally to such
action, but hsrdly anyone was able to specify
a single instance in which he heard any en-
ployer 50 threaten or discharge any voter,
or knew OF any employee being so threat
1 ened or discharged. Not one single coloreG
man thro9ghout the entire parish was pro-
duced TO testify either TO such threat or
! the execution OF such purpose whether
beforeor after the election. The committee al
lude co numerous Illegal acts of the returning
board, and say again: eve are constrained
I 10 declare that the action OF the returning
/ board, on the whole, was arbitrary, unjust,
I and in our opicion illegal, snd that this ar
/ !Itrary, unjust and illegal action alone pre-
vented the return by the board OF
/ majority of conservative mem-
4 bers to the lower House. The
committee confined their investigation
TO two parishes and fiud that no general in
timidation of republican votes was estab-
isished. No eoiored man was produced who
/ had been threatened or assaulted by any
conservative, because OF political opinion
| or discharged from employUent or re-
/ fused employment. OF all those who
| testified TO intimidation there was
] hardly any one who, OF his own
/ knowledge could specify reliable instance
OF such acts, and of the white men who were
produced 10 testify generally on such sub
| iects very nearly ali, if not every single one,
l was holder of Office. No witnesses, we be-
| lieve, succeeded in naming in any prrish
| FIVE republicans vino supported
THE KELLOGG GOVERNMENT
who were not themselves Office
holders or related to ofIice.holcers,
or those having Official employment.
Or the other hand, applications to the
United States commissioners in various
| parishes, not only for alleged crimes, but
! because of alleged threats of discharge and
J non-employment or other interference with
political preference, were frequent. Upon
| these applications warrants were atterw2rd
issued, aud white citizens arrested and
| bound over for trial. In many localities
| federal troops were detained Orssrvice under
marshals and deputy marshsls, and not only
| made many arrests Immediately before the
election, but reports that tney were coming
to particular neighborhOods about the time
of the election for the purpose of making
| such arrests served, as the conservatives
claimed 20 intmi0ate, and some times even
! to produce q stampede among the white
| voters. How differently the two parties look
upon the same TACT VIII appear from the
testimony of Mr.. Riddle. He was
as commissioner in the parish OF
| Iberia. Shortly before the election,
upon the application OF eolored persons, he
| issued a large number OF warrants. He con-
| sidered it his duty. upon tie arrest of the
persons charged, to require bail from sureties
| who possessed landed estates within the
parish, certified by the assessor OF the parish
| to be of sufficient value, and of which the
! title was approved By the register of deeds.
This rule necessarily produced delay in
procuring bail for the persons accepted, and
| he was waited on IN the case by procession of
citizens who offered him bond signed by
every man in the procession. This he re-
/ garCied as 10 derision of his proceedings
| and he refused to receive the bond. He was
called as witness to prove that intimida-
ton existed in that parish. He had him.
| self no knowledge OF any act of the kind
except this procession which be thought
was calculated 20 intimidate the colored
| voters. He q. had no idea that the
arrests made upon his warrants and
the proceedings under them had any
| effect in interfering with the conservative
voters. On the other hand the conservatives
in that parish thought about this just the re-
verse. Indeed the reports of the military
officers in command of the forces of the
| United States in the country, though gem
orally indicating condition of quiet and
order, take sometimes an entirely different
| view of the situation. On the other hand it
| was in evidence that blacks who sought TO
| 2c5 with the conservatives were on their
| partsometmess exposed TO enmity and abuse.
| In tbs interior one colored man was shot for
| making conservative speech, and In New
Orleans, 1t appeared from the testimony,
that the colored men vino sought TO CO.
operate with the conservatives were subject
to as much
| ABUsE FROM THE POLICE
and Otherwise that an association of lawyers
volunteered to protect them, but with little
effect. The committee give an account OF
the genetal condition of affairs in, the
state. The conviction among the
ernment was an usnrnat7on the
| general want of confidence in the state
and local officials, the heavy decline in ate
securities and the exOrbitant taxation, the
reduction of wages, the non fulfliment OF
personal or political pledges, malfelsance OF
home and local officials, the disputes among
the leading colored persons, the loss or
| embezzlenaent in some cases of the school
4 funds, and the failure of the