The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-01-18
THE REPoR 7
OF TNE
CONGRESS COMMITTED
Il Proves all and More than all
that the Conservatives have
Charged.
,-vuEARD-oF FRAUD AN d
OPPRESSION.


,,,,r.,ancc Of the order of the full COM
- December o2i a special committee
n..t,-cc visited New Orleans, and proceeded
Ga 80" ;n,c.tic-atiou. the result Of which
tbr hex, report 10 the general committee as foi-
lows: 49,. ra,~ or the comr,;t.
Too ~ December odd the undersigned visited
<rU Orleans, and there procrcoen win IL!
a;T,arce 10 the examination ulreclca ny Tue
c,,t,uittcc During the e'Snt da.s 'uey ie
,rg,r,I there they were attended throughout
,t,,r sessions. which were puoiic, D! Tue
n,nr.tl &C the Republican and CONSERVATIVE
.,>.,rrmif,rr-. In that period they eX-
am;rpI ever DiGcty-i'e witnesses, oesiues
."i;r,,, l3r.r amount OF documentary EVIL
I",'.= .Imoar;,n. in all. il is estimated, to
,'.,~a ,hln fifteen hundred printed pages.
T. view Of the cXigcncy that now exists
-, We affairs OF that State, and OF the DELAY
ta...k, whicl must elapSe before that teS-
,,r.,.y An he written ont and printed, your
e,.,.,.rrc ha, determined 10 state the con-
c,,,...., ~ which they have arrived so Tar rs
.t.. ..r,. unanimous in their conclusions.
Tta committee undertook no investigation
n. .t... election Of 1872. Much evidence has
,Ir,.t,;y been taken by other committees OF
to-.,r,~> upon that question, and the time
r,,.,,2 ho,n for their action and for the SeS-
.i,, or Congress seemed TO be too short TO
(gr} tar Iarir faen entering on that investi.
,,o,i,.r TL,y announced this conclusion,
md .l3f therefore they would first proceed
foam examination Of the acts Of the Return.
ir.. Board OF the state in respect Of the late
election. and then 10 IN inquiry in reference
TO tine White ..cASur.
Tine law provides that the Board shall con-
si,t of live persons, representing all par
tir.." II consisted at the opening Of their
last session OF five Republicans. Upon the
resignation OF one OF them General Long
street,. Mr.. Arroyo, Conservative, was
taken 10 ill the vacancy. After protesting
AGAINST the action of the Board in secret SEES
SION be resigned before the conclusion OF
their nbors. and his place was not filled; so
that. as your committee think, the law IS to
the constitution of the Board was not COM
piled with.
The election laws Of Louisiana provide for
2 supervisor of registration, who appoints
bis owu deputies for each ward in New Or
leans, and Tor one supervisor Of registration
for each parish in the state. These officers
we're al appointed by Governor Kellogg.
In addition to these supervisors the police
Jurors Che local authorities OF the parishes
aEuDiulcd three commissioners OF election
for each poll in the parish, and there were
two United States supervisors appointed by
the district Judge Of the United States for
each poll.
The law further provided that in case of
such violence, intimidation, or corruption at
or near either poll, either during registration
or election, preventing fair, free, peacea-
b,r and full vote the commissioners Of cleo
tiou, if the occurrence was on clect!on-day,
the supervisors OF registration, if on the day
Of registration, should make full, verified
statement of the occurrence, forward the
same with aud annexed to the return; and
further provided that when the Returning
Board, in cauras>iug the returns, should
come TO any poll where the returns were &C.
companied by such protest they should
not canvass, count, or compile the statement
Of voters from such poll until the statement
from all other polls had been canvassed and
compiled.
The Conservative counsel objected that the
Board, on reaching the return from such pro-
tested polls, read and became informed of
those returns before laying them aside to take
UP the other polls. They insisted that the
purpose Of the law was to prevent the COM
miSSioners from knowing what the results at
the polls protested against were, in order
that when they came to examine the poll pro.
tested against they might do SO without being
biased by knowing what was the result re-
turned: and they objected that in these cases
OF protest the Board had proceeded TO read
the returns, add up and compile them, and
then defer their determination Of the case
after having acquired knowledge Of how the
returns protested against would affect the
election.
On the other hand. the Republican coun-
sci insisted that such a course was impracti-
cable; that the Object of the law in delerring
auy determination of the results Of the polls
protested against until the returns from the
other polls were clnvaSscd Was merely to
enable the Board to ascertain whether the
result OF the disputed returns would affect
the election. however decided so that if they
would not the Board might be spared the
labor OF considering this protest.
Your committee have not found it neccS-
sary to come to any determination upon that
question. The election embraced but one
State officer. The chief struggle was over
the election OF members Of the State Legisla-
ture and parish officers; and in these cleo
tons local and personal considerations, las
well as national or State politics, entered.
The returns by the commissioners of cleo
ton, compiled and forwarded by the super
ylsor> Of registration, gave the Conservatives
majority Of tWcnty-nine members out OF
total OF one hundred and eleven members.
In only three instances were there any pro-
tests accompanying the returns.
The Returning Board was in session for
many weeks. AS finally announced, their
findings gave, as Governor Kellogg reckoned
it, tifty-three members TO the Republicans,
fifty members TO the Democrats, of whom,
however, one was defeated as not "stay-
Ing Democrat" The Board made no deci-
sion as TO the remaining five seats.
The public slttingS of the Returning
Board were attended by the counsel of the
Republican and Conservative State commit
tees. Objections were received from the
counsel Of the respective parties to the re-
turns from different polls. The objecting
party was generally allowed TO produce ath-
davis to support the objection, and the other
party 10 reply by atfidavits. A day was fixed
when these proofs were 10 be closed. After
these public sessions the Board went into
private or, as they were called, executive
sessions, where the proofs and matters in
dispute were discussed, and a decision ar
rived at. The minutes Of the Board are very
MeagIe.
They contain but little more than record
OF It's meeting, going into executive ses-
son, ana It's adjourning, and some formal
pable orders. They contain 10 minutes
whatever OF the proceedings in executive
session, and furnish therefore little light
upon the findings OF the Board.
The parish of Rapdes chose three mem.
bers TO the Legislature. The returas elected
all three Conservatives. When the proofs
closed the only paper filed With the Return
ing Board was the affidavit of the United
States supervisor that the election was in all