The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-02-24
THE SOUTH.
Majority Report OF the Commit
tee ON the Condition Of the
Southern States.

WASHINGTON, February 2S.-The un
dersigned, majority Of the Committee
on tho state Of the South, respectfully re
port that they cannot agree TO the report
made to Congress by Mcssrs. HoaF
Wheeler and Frye. The laws inimical u
the colored people Of Louisiana, referred
to in this report, have been repealed FOL
years, except during the schism OF Gov
ernor Warmoth in 1872, The Republican
party has long had control OF the ma
chinery Of the State, The late registra'
tion shows an excess Of the colored over
the white voters, giving 90,7S0 Colored "a
76,S29 whites, In advance OF any evi
denee that the late election was not free
and fair, the assumption OF the minority
that enough COlOred voters must there
fore have bGen prevented from voting al
the last election by recollection OF the
Colfax aud Coushatta killing, the causes
and circumstances OF which are disputed
and by other riots which occurred years
before, have changed the result Ol
the election throughout the State, Is al
assumption so violent, when It IL re-
collected that both Of those parishes
elected tho full Kellogg ticket by increas'
cd Republican maiOrities as not to be re-
Ceived II any other cause for the vote ot
the State can bc found, Such causes eX-
ist and are obvious, Among them arc
First. The registration was incorrect
and exceeded the true colored vote, The
registration was wholly in tho hands Of
the Kellogg officials, with whom a Re.
publican Committee, with U. s, Marshal
Packard at their head, co-operated. In
only three parishes did the Republican
supervisors Of registration make any
com mplaint OF unfair or insufficient regis
tration. On the other hand very great
complaint was made by the Conservatives,
who specified with proof 6,2O0 cases Of
conceded false registration in New Or
leans alone, and those Conservatives who
had been cooperating in joint party COM
mittee to secure fair registration gave
up the effort in dispair, The census OF
1870, the correctness Of which il not I'M
peaChed, showed S707G whites aud SG0l3
COlOred males over u years Of age.
All the statistics and the evidence before
us indicated no change In this proportion
in favor Of the cOlOrGd voters, yet the
registration Of colOrGd voters exceeded
by 4,0003the total number Of colorel
adult males returned by the census, while
theifeBfstratlon Of white voters was TO-
900 less, ... I..
Second. The whole number OF register
ell voters was l0700l; Of these l46623
voted. This Is larger proportion Of
registered voters than usually vote In any
OF the Northern States. In an agricul-
tural State, sparsely settled, where long
Journeys had often 10 he made 10 reach
the polls, 1t Ia unreasonable TO suppose
that a greater proportion Of registered
blacks would have voluntarily turned
out to sustain q government under which
the prosperity Of the State, and their
wages and the value Of their share pf the
productions had steadily declined, than
vote at elections North or South.
Third. The year 1874 was year VI
political change, In which tho vote
throughout oil llle States was seriously
affected against the Republican party--a
change resulting largely from financial
distress Of tho people, and which should
therefore naturally have been even greater
in Louisiana than elsewhere.
Fourth. II became the interest Of the
Conservatives, at least at the last election,
not to intimidate, but 10 acquire by every
fair means the Colored vote, Parties who
were alleged TO have threatened the
blacks, even with the refusal Of employ
ment, were sub bjeCt to prompt arrest. II
was knOYn that pretext8 would bo sought
to deprive the Conservatives Of tho result
II they prevailed in tho election, 1t was
therefore TO their interest to avoid giving
any such pretexts. Accordingly they de-
termined to everywhere cooperate with
and conciliate the blacks. They voted
down tho propositions or suggestions
which were made In the early part Of the
campaign for refusal to employ those
cOlored voters who would not cooperate
with them, and generally sought by com.
bining with the cOlored voters to carry
the election. Local combinations against
the Kellogg candidates were made In
many parishes by men Of all parties and
colors. III several parishes q "uniOn
ticket" Of colored and Conservative
voters was voted for and elected. An
intelligent colored witness testified that
he "dcsired better government" and
to that end was "willing to swallow the
white man II the white man would swal.
low the colorcd." These causes and feel.
ings naturally united the cOlOred mon
and Conservatives In such localities, as
indicated by the returns.
Fifth. The entire want O(any direct ev.
idenCe to show any general intimidation
OF the colored votes. Of course, In 40 large
a State II would be impossible there
should be no instance Of refusal 10 en-.
ploy, or Of intimidation, such occur in
every State. But evidence certainly In.
dicaics no general intimidation Of the
colored voters, and tliatsuch intimidation
IA did exist III this State was rather In
the interest Of The Republicans than Of
the Conservatives. 49,.
us. Marshals, whose chief was Chair.
man Of the Republican State Committee,
armed In some cases with blank warrants
Of arrest and aided by The Federal troops,
made constant arrests before the election
but not afterwards. The oversight Of the
election and returns we're In the hands OF
Governor Kelloggs officials. Their ac.
count and returns did show twenty.nine
majority Of The members Of the Lower
House elected by the Conservatives with.
out any protest whatever except in three
Parishes, although It was their province
and duty to protest In any case where
violence and intimidation or fraud
existed. Indeed The direct evidence
az to the election Of 1874 "a
we'll ne the circumstances clearly
indicate n peaCeable and fair election. In
fact, after The visit Of the first Committee
and the revisit Of The special Committee,
the Kellogg party, with all their machin.
cry for collecting evidence, were unable
10 procure in the entire State more than
half dozen persons to testify TO anything
| impeaching The freedom and fairness Of
The late election who we're not oilice.hOld.
eFs or connected with ofIice.holdofs.
Against such facts II seems 10 us idle to
assume that the disturbances Al Viyidly
pictured by the minority could have kept
up throughout the State such feeling Of
intimidation as would Justify the as-
sumption that but for that feeling the
State would have gone Republican, All
experience shows that the result Of the
election Of 1874 in Louisiana, IA returned
| ~ Ii,n paIuEntn1 Unatt1 waa haIUFai and