Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-02-24

ana, referred to in this report, have bee
repealed for years, except during ii
schism of Governor Yarmouth, in lS7.
The Republican party has long had COZ
troll of the machinery of the State. Th
State registration shows an excess {
the coloTed over the white voters, giy
ing ninety thousand seven hundred an
eighty-one colored TO seventy-six thou
sand eight hundred and twenty-five
| whites. In the absence of any direc
evidence that the late election was nc
free and fair, the assumption of the mi
nority that enough colored voters mus
therefore have been prevented from
voting at the late election by the Iecol
lection Of the Colfax and Coushatta kill
ings cases, and the circumstances O
which are disputed, and by other riot
which occurred years before, to havD
changed the result of the election
throughout the State, is an assumption
so violent, when it is recOllected tina
both these parishes elected the full Ke!
Iogg ticket by increased Republican
maiorities, as not to be received II an
other cause for the vote of the State cal
be found that such causes exist and ar
obvious. Among them are
First-The registration was incorrec
and exceeded the true colored vote. Tit
registration was wholly in the hands o
the Kellogg officials, with whom Re
publican committee, with United States
Marshal Packard at their head, coop
Grated. In only three parishes did the
Republican supervisors Of registration
make any complaint OF unfair or INSULT
cient registration. On the other hand
very great complaint was made by the
Conservatives, who specified with proofs
five thousand two hundred cases OF false
registration in New Orleans alone, and
those Conservatives who had been CO.
operating in joint party committee to
secure fair registration gave up in de-
spair. The census of 1870, the correct
ness of which is not impeached, showed
eighty-seven thousand and seventy-siX
whites and eighty-siX thousand nine
hundred and thirteen cOlored males
over twenty-one years of age. All the
statistics and evidence before US indi-
Gated no change in this proportion in
favor Of the colored voters, yet the
registration of colored voters exceeded
by four thousand the total number of
coloreG adult males returned by the
census, while the registration of white
votes was ten thousand less.
Second-The whole number of votes
registed was one hundred and sixty
seven thousand, six hundred and four,
of these one hundred and forty-six thou
sand, five hundred and twenty-three
voted. This is u larger proportion of
registered voters than usually vote in
any of the northern States. In an ag1i.
cultural State, sparsely settled, where
long journeys had often to be made to
reach the polls, it is unreasonable to
suppose that greater proportion of reg
istered blacks would have voluntarily
turned out to sustain the government
under which the prosperity of the State
and their wages and value of their shares
of production had steadily declined, than
usually vote at elections north or south ?
Third-1S74 was a year of political
change, in which the vote throughout
all States was seriously affected against
the Republican party, change result
ing largely from financial distress of the
people, and which should, therefore,
materially have been greater in Louis
lana than elsewhere.
Fourth-It became the interest Of
the Conservatives, at least, at
the last election, not to intimidate but
to acquire by every fair means the col
Ored votes. Parties who were alleged
to have threatened the blacks even with
the refusal of employment were sub
jected to prompt arrest, as it was known
that pretexts would be sought 20 deprive
the Conser vatives of the result If they
prevailed in the election. 1t was there
fore their interest to avoid giving any
such pretext. Accordingly they deter
mined 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 refusal to employ
those colored voters who would not CO.
operate with them, and generally sought
by combining 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 in several parishes union
ticket Of the colored and Con-
servative voters was voted for
and elected, and an intelligent
3olored witness testified that he desired
better government, and to that end was
willing to swallow the white man If the
white man would swallow the colOred.
These causes and feelings naturally uni
ted to swell the Conservative vote in
such localities, as indicated by the re-
turns,
Fifth-The entire want of any direct
evidence to show any general intimida-
ion of colored voters. OF course, in SO
arge State, it would be impossible that
here should be no instances of refusal
20 employ or of intimidation such as oc-
,urs in every State, but the evidence GER
ainly indicates no general intimidation
If cOiored voters, and that such intimi-
latiOn as did exist in the State was ra-
her in the interest of the Republicans
han of the Conservatives. United
States marshals, whose chief was chair
nan of the Republican State committee,
armed in some cases with blank war
ants of arrest, and aided by Federal
roops, made constant arrests before the
election but not afterward. The over
light Of the elections and returns were
n the hands of Governor Kellogg's Of
icials and their accOmplices, and the
eturns did show a majority of twenty
line members ofthe lower house, elected.
The Conservatives were without any pro-
est whatever, except in three parishes,
it was their providence and
luty to protest in any case where Vio-
ence and intimidation or fraud existed.
indeed, the direct evidence as to the
lection of IA, as well as the circum-
tances, clearly indicate a peaceable and
air election; in fact, after the visit OF
he first committee and revisit Of the
pecial committee, the Kellogg party,
With all their machinery for collecting
were unable to produce in the |
utire State more than half q dOzen !
,ersons to testify to anything impeach-
ng the freedom and fairness of the late |
lections who were not office-holders or |
with ofice-holders. Against |
uch facts it seems to us idle to assume !
hat disturbances so vividly pictured by |
he minority could have kept up |
their State such feeling Of |
as would jnstify the as |
that but for that feel |
ng the State would have gone |
All experience shows |
hat the result of the election |
f 1874 in Louisiana, as returned by the |
eturning board, was natural, and to be |
for by the reasons we have |
iven. We hold, therefore, that in No
'ember, 1874, the people Of the State of |
louisiana did fairly have free, peacea-
le and full registration and election, in |
which clear Conservative majority was
lected to the lower house of the legisla-
ure, of which msjority the Conserva-
ives were deprived by the unjust, illegal
nd arbitrary action of the returning
oard. To the resolutions reported to
be house from the committee as to the
ction of the returning board We are all
greed. We understand the committee
. be unanimous IN finding the fact that
be action of the returning board has
efeated the will of the people, as ax-