The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-02-24
Majority Report of the Investigating
Committee.
WASHINGTON. Feb. 80.

WAsHISGToN, Feb. 80.
The following is the official majority re-
port Of the Louisiana investigating com
mittcc:
The undersigned, ma oriiy OF the COM
mittcc on tic state of the south, respect
fully report that they cannot agree to the
report made to the committee by Messrs.
Hoar, Wheeler and Frye. The laws nim-
ical to the colored people of Louisiana. re-
ferred to in their report have been repeal
ed for years, except during scIism OF
Gov. Warmoth in 1872, The republican
party has long had control Of the machine
ry of the state. The late registration shows
all excess of colorcd over the white voters,
giving 80, ISL coloicd to 1898 whites. In
the absence of any direct evidence that the
late election was not free and fair, the as
sumption Of the minority that enough col
ored voters must therefore have been pre-
vented from voting at the late election by
recollection of the Colfay and Conshatta
killing, the causes aud circumstances of
which are disputed, and BY other riots
which occcrrcd years before, to have
changed the result of the election through
out the state, is all assumption so violent,
when it is recollccted that both OF those
parishes elected full Kellogg tickets by in
creased republican majorities, as not to be
received if any other cause for the vote of
the state can be found Such causes ex.
list and are obvious. Among them arc:
FirstNThc registration was incorrect,
and exceeded the true colored vote. The
registration was wholly in the hands of the
Kellogg officials, with whom the republican
committee, with United States Marshal
Packard at Their head, co-opcrated. In
only three parishes did the republican SUI
pervisors of registration make any com
plant of unfair or insufficient registration.
On the other hand, very great complaint
was made by the conservatives, who speci-
fed with proof $500 cases of conceded
false registrations in New Orleans alone,
and those conservatives who had been CO.
operating in the joint PARTY committee to
secure a fair registration gave up the effort
in despair. The census of 1870, the cor
rectness of which is not impeachcd, show
81, 076 whites and sc, 913 colorcd males over
twenty-one years Of age. All statistics
and evidence before us indicate no change
in its proportion in favor of coloied voters,
yet the registration of colored voters eX-
coded, by 1000, the total number of col
ored adult males returned by the census,
while the registration of white voters was
10000 less.
Second-The whole number of voters re-
gistered was 187,604. OF these LAG, 59s
voted. This is 4 larger proportion of regis
tered voters than usually vote In any OF
the northern states. In an agricultural
state sparsely settled, where long journey:
had often to be made to reach the polls, il
is unreasonable to suppose that greater
proportion of registered blacks would have
voluntarily turned out to sustain the gov
eminent under which the prosperity OF thu
state, and their wages and value of thel
shares of production had steadily declined
than usually vote ut an election north ant
south.
Third 1874 was year of poltica
change in which the vote throughout all o
the states was seriously affected agains
the republican party, this change resultin.
largely from the financial distress Of tn
people and which should therefore natural
ly have been even greater in Louisiana thai
elsewhere.
Fourth-lt became the interest of lh
conservatives, AT least at the last election
not to intimidate, but to acquire by ever
fair means, the colored vote. The partie
who were alleged to have threatened th
blacks, with refusal of employment, wer
subjected to prompt arrest. 1t was know
that pretexts would be sought to depriv
the conservatives of the result, If they pre-
vailed in the election. II was, therefore
their interest to avoid giving any such pre-
= texts. Accordingly, they determine
= everywhere to cooperate with aud concil
y ate the blacks. They voted down the pre-
: position or suggestions, which were mad
= in the early part of the campaign, for
I refusal to employ those colored voters VIII
0 would not cooperate with them, and ger
orally sought, by combining with colore
voters, to carry the election. Local con
binatons against the Kellogg candidate
=, were made in many parishes by me
/ of all parties and Colors. In several pa
/, ishes union ticket of colored and consc
4 vativc voters was voted for and elected
An intelligent colored witness testified th'
he desired better government, and to thu
. end was willing to swallow the white ma
: If the white man would swallow the co
ored. These causes and feelings natura
s ly united to swell the conservative vote
4 such localities MS are indicated by the r.
Q turns.
il Fifth-The entire want of any direct ey
dence to show any general intimidation
colored voters. OF course, in 80 large