The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1875-03-04
LOUISIANA AFFAIRS.
Majority and Minority Reports of the Con
gressional Investigating Committee.
'1S0@ N OE1O1 {5ecO111s5 OVIIII111UUCOs
MAJORITY REPORT.

Inc following are the conclusions arrived at
by the majority OF the Louisiana Investigating
Committee, as embraced in their report to the
House of Representatives at Washington:
The undersigned majority of the Committee on
the State of the South respectfully report that thew
cannot agree to the report made to the committee by
Mesers. Hoar, Wheeler and Frye The laws nmical to
the coored people of Louisiana referred to in their
report, have been repealed for years Except during
the schism Of Gov. Warnoth, in 1872 the Republican
party has long had control Of the machinery of the
State The late registration shows excess of the
colored over the white voters giving 9O7S1 colored
TO 76 1928 white. In the absence of any direct evil
dence that the late election 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 cir
cuInstances Of which diaputed), and by other
acts which occurred years before, to have changed
the result of the election throughout the State is an
assumption so violent, when it is recolected that
both those parishes elected the full Kellogg ticket
by increased Republican maorites as not to be re-
ceived, if any other for the vote of the State
can be found Such causes exist and are obyious
Among them are:
First-The registration was incorrect and exceed
ed 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, co-operated In only
three parishes did the Republican Supervisors Of
Registration make any complaint of unfair or in
sufficient registration On the other hand very
great complaint was made by the Conservatives who
specified, with proof, 200 cases of conceded false
registration in New Orleans alone, and those Con-
serYatlVes who had been cooperating in the Joint
party committee to secure fair registration gave 1lp
the effort in despair. The census of 1870 fhe cor
rectness OF which is not impeached, showed 87076
whites and g. 9l3 colOred males 81 years Of age
ALI the statistics and evidence before us Indicated
no change in this proportion in favor of the coored
voters. Yet the registration of colored voters ex-
ceeded by 1000 the total number of adult males re-
turned by the census while the registration of white
| voters 10000 less.
SecOnd-The whole number of votes registered
/ was 167, GOT. Of these 1868 voted This is q
larger proportion Of registered voters than usually
vote in any of the Northern States. In an aericut
ural State, scanty settled where long journeys had
often to be made to reach the polls it is unreasona
BILE to suppose that greater proportion of the regis
tered blacks would have turned out to sustain the
goyernmer under which the prosperity of the State
ana their wages declined, than usually vote at cleo
/ tons North or South
/ Ihard-The year 1874 was of political change in
which the vote throughout all the States was ser-
ously affected against the Republican party-a
change resulting largely from financial distress of
the people, and which should therefore naturally
have been greater in Louisiana than elsewhere
/ f0Wth-lt became the interest of the Conserva-
Ves at least at the last election, not to intnidate
but to acquire by every fair means the coored vote
Parties who were alleged to have threatened the
blacks even with refusal of employment were subject
to prompt arrest. 1t was known that pretexts would
be sought to deprive the Conservatives of the result
| II they prevailed in the election. II was therefore
| their interest to avoid giving any such pretexts
| Accordingly, they determined everywhere to CO.
operate with and conciliate the blacks They voted
! down the propositions suggestions which were
made in the early part of the campaign for refusal
| to employ those cOlored voters who would not CO.
| operate with them, and generally sought by COM
| bining with colored voters to carry the election
Local combinations against the Kellogg candidates
were made III many parishes by men of all parties
and colors. In several parishes Union ticket of
cOlOred and Conservative votes was voted for and
elected An intelligent coored witness testified that
he . desired better government" and to that end
was willing to swallow the whte if the white
men would swallow the cOlored." These causes and
feelings naturally united to swell the Conservative
vote in such localities, as indicated by the returns
FSttb-The entire want of any direct evidence to
show any general intimidation of colored voters OF
course, in SO large State it would be impossible
there should be no instance of refusal to employ, or
OF Intimidation Such occur in every State but the
evidence certainly indicates general intimidation
OF colored voters, and that such intimidation as did
exist in the State rather in the interest Of the
Republicans than of the Conservatives United
States Marshals, whose chief 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, bnt not afterward The oversight of tbs
election and returns in the hands of Gov. F!
Rellogg's officials. Their account and return did
show twentynine majority of members Of the lower
house, elected by the Conservatives, 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 the election
of 1874, well as the circumstances clearly
indicate peaeeabe and fair election In fact |
after the visit Of The first committee and revisit of
the special committee, the Kellogg party, with all |
their machinery for collecting evidence, were I'M
able to produce in the entire State than half
dozen persons to testify to anything impeachine
the freedom and fairness of the late elections who
not OffieehOlderS connected with OfticehOG-
eEs. Against such facts it to us idle to as
sumo that the disturbances wildly pictured by
the minority could have kept up throughout the |
State such feeling of intimidation would justify
the assumption that but for that feeling the State
would have gone Republican. 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 tire people OF the State of Louisiana did fairly
have free, peaceable, and full registration and |
election, in which clear Conservative majority
elected to the lower house OF the Legislature, of
which majority the Conservatives were deprived by
the unjust Illegal and arbitrary action of the Re
turning Board
To the resolution reported to the House from the |
committee as to the action of the Returning Board
are all agreed. We understand the committee to |
be unanimous in finding the fact that the action of
the Returning Board has defeated the will Of the |
people expressed by them at the polls in Novem-
Der, 1874 The people then elected to the lower
house Of their Legislature majority of Conserva-
tive members. portion OF the Conservative men, |
bers thus elected were refused their certificates |
This is act OK great injustice to individuals of
the gravest danger to the State and free government
and ought to be Immediately corrected by any power
competent TO correct it.
The resolution commencing the recognition of
Gov. Kellogg is based upon the general impression
not upon evidence. On tHls podn6 no testimony was
taken either by the committee any part of it, |
Kellogg may may not have been elected in 1872 |
but there evidence to show the fact there
be it has been neither sought nor found by this
mittee
Messrs. Foster and Phelps, think that the
popular belief, taking both Conservative and
Radical circles, incnes 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
another in his place, after this lapse of time,
might involve incalculable mischief to the legal
and political interests of the State.
| The committee conclude as follows:
To avoid mischief and the confusion of change,
the majority OF the citizens of Louisiana will
ing to accept, az compromise, Kellogg's recogni-
ton and the restoration to the Conservatives of the
control Of the lower house. For these reasons,
Messrs Foster and Phelps do not wish to oppose the
recommendation that the administration Of the
Governor Kellogg, be recognized. Neither, in view