Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-03-05
The Louisiana Reports.
WASHINGTON, Feb. %


The Louisiana Reports.
WASHINGTON, Feb. %.
In the House, this morning, the major
ity report of the Louisiana Investigating
Committee, signed by Me ssrs. Foster,
Phelps, Potter and Nisslshall, 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ferred to in their report, have been repealed for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 excess Of the colored over
76,S23 white. 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 prevented from voting at the
late election by the recollection of the ColfaX
and Coushatta killings (the causes and circum-
stances of which are disputed), and by other acts
which occurred years before, to have changed the
result of the election throughout the State, is
assumption so violent, when 1t is recOllected
that both those parishes elected the full Kellogg
ticket 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 them are:
First-The registration was incorrect, and
exceeded the true colored vote. The registration
was wholly in the hands of the Kellogg officials
with whom Republican committee, with United
States Marshal Packard at their head, cooper
ated. In only three parishes did the Republican
Supervisors of Registration make any complaint
of unfair or insufficient registration. On the
other hand, very great complaint was made by
the Conservatives who specified, with proof,
1,200 cases of conceded false registration in New
Orleans alone, and those Conservatives who had
been cooperating in the Joint Party Committee
to secure fair registration gave gave up the effort in
of which is not impeached, showed o7,O86
whites and S6,913 colored males over twen-
ty-one years of age. All the statistics and
evidence before us indicated no change in this
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. 167, ,607. OF these 146,523 voted. This is a
larger proportion of registered voters than usual
ly vote in any of the Northern States In an
agricultural State, scantily settled, where long
journeys had often to be made to reach the polls,
it is unreasonable to suppose that greater pro,
portion of the registered blacks would have turned
ont 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,
Ihird-1sH was year of political change, in
which the vote throughout al The States was serl-
change resulting largely from financial distress
of the people, and which should therefore natu-
rally have been even greater in Louisiana than
elsewhere.
Fourth-It became the interest of the Consery-
atives at least at the last election not to intlm-
date, but to acquire by every fair means the col
ored vote. Parties who were alleged to have
threatened the blacks even with refusal OF en-
ployment were subject to prompt arrest 1t was
known that pretexts would be sought to de-
Ia Gnn
prevailed in the election. 1t was there
fore their interest to avoid giving any
such pretexts. Accordingly, they determined
everywhere to cooperate with and conciliate the
blacks. They voted down the propositions or
suggestions which were made in the early part OF
the campaign for a refusal to employ those col
ored voters who would not cooperate with them,
and generally sought by combining with colored
voters to carry the election. Local combinations
against the Kellogg candidates were made in
many parishes by men OF al! parties ana c0lors;
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
was willing to swallow the white man if the
white men would swallow the colored." These
causes and feelings naturally united to swell the
Conservative vote In such local1tleS as 1nulcateu
by the returns.
FifGh-The entire want of any direct evidence
to show any general intimidation of coOred voters.
OF course, in so large State it would be lmposs-
BILE there should be no instance of refusal to en-
ploy, or of intimidation. Such occur in every
State; but the evidence certainly Indicates no
general intimidation of eolored voters, and that
such intimidation as did exist in the State was
rather in the interest of the Republicans than of
the Conservatives. United States Marshals whose
chief was the Chairman of the Republican State
Committee armed, in some cases, with blank
warrants of arrest, and aided by Federal troops,
made constant arrests before the election,
but not afterward The oversight OF the
election and returns was in the hands
Of Gov. Kellogg's officials. Their account
and return did show twenty-n1ne majority OF
members of the lower house elected by the Con-
servatives without any protest whatever, except
in three parishes, although 1t was their province
and duty to protest in any case where violence
and intimidation, or fraud, existed. Indeed the
direct evidence as to the eleGtion OF 1919, as wen
as the circumstances, clearly indicate peaceable
and fair election. In fact after the visit OF the
first committee and revisit OF the special commit
tee, the Kellogg party with all 5helt r. maehlnefy
the entire State more than half-a-d dozen persons
to testify to anything impeeatehlng et the, the free,
were not oficeholders or connected with
oficeholders Against such facts 1t seems TO us
idle to assume that the disturbances so ylvldly
pictured by the minority could have kept up
throughout their State such feeling of int1mlda-
ton as would justify the assumption that but Tor
that feeling the State would have gone RepuDn-
can. All experience shows that the result OF tne
election of 1874 in Louisiana, as 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-
free peaceable and full registration and election,
in which 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
Returning Board.
To the resolution reported to the House from
the committee as to the action OF the Returning
mittee to be unanimous in finding the fact THAI
the action of the Returning Board has defeated
the will of the people as expressed by them at the
polls in November, 1874 The people then elected
to the lower house of their Legislature major
ity of Conservative memoers. portion OF the
their certificates This is an act of great injus-
tice to individuals, of the grayest danger to the
State and free government, and ought to be i'm
mediately corrected by any power competent to
correct it.
THE resolution commencing the recognition oi
Gov KELLOGG is based upon the general impres-
sion not upon evidence. On this point no testi-
mony was taken either by the committee or any
part of it. kellogg may or may not have been
elected in 1872 but there Is no evidence to show
the fact, or if there belt has been neither sought
nor found by this committee.
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 OF
the legal and political interests of the
State
The committee conclude as follows;
To avoid rnixrhief and the roufnsion of :