The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-25
A STATEMENT OF THE CASE.

The following, from an old citizen of this
city, now residing in Shreveport is refuta-
ton of the testimony of Merrill and Lavissee:
Having read in the papers what purports to
be sworn testimony of parties living in
Shreveport, before the Congressional Com
mittee at New Orleans, in which one A. B.
Levlssee states that there We're only three
| Democratic colored voters in Caddo, | feel
impelled to publish the following statement
and | have delayed doing so until I could
make it where the testimony was taken, here
in the city of New Orleans and where | am
known SO well.
know the feelings, wants and opinions of
the colored people of Shreveport and Caddo
parish better than any man in it. There
never is day that not one hundred come into
my store to purchase supplies, and on Satur-
days the number Is rarely less than five hun
bred. A good deal of the leisure time of
myself and employees is occupied in whiting
letters for them to their friends in other par
lshes and States, and we have to read a good
many letters for them. We have to draw up
great number Of contracts tor them, and
when they sell their cotton, We generally have
to examine their account sales and count their
money; and to the honor Of the cotton buy
ers OF Shreveport be it said, we have never
found an error in their statements Or an at
tempt to detraud them out of one cent of the
amount due them on their cotton.
Shortly before the election last fall num-
Der OF colored men came to me and asked
me if they voted the Democratic, or as they
called it, the White peoples ticket, if | would
back them.
replied / would do all l could: that they
were freedmen and entitled to vote as they
pleased, or as they thought best for them
selves and their country. At their sugges-
ton | drew up the following paper, in the
following words, to wit: 1--WE, the under
signed, hereby agree to form the Burckett
Democratic Club, and pledge our honor to
meet at the store Of J. Burckett 4 Son on the
day of election and march in procession to
the polls and vote an open Democratic ticket"
This document is now in my possession
at No. 66 Texas street, Shreveport, La, and
was signed by about 80 cclored men, who
are all now living in Shreveport and Caddo
parish, and vii, cheerfully substantiate every
word | say; but large number of colored
men declined signing this roll, saying that |
word had come out in the country that any |
colored man who voted the Democratic ticket |
would have his fingers and toes cut off but |
they nevertheless said they would come to my |
store and vote the Democratic ticket |
opened this list about ten days before the |
election, and when the fact became known
several friends tried to induce me to relinqush |
colored people would not vote any ticket but
the Republican. | replied, wait and see.
Well, the night before election, purchased |
some paper of peculiar color, and went to
the printing Office and had five hundred Dem
ocratic tickets printed on that kind of paper.
and | took charge of them and brought them
to my store did SO to show to the people of
Caddo parish that the colored people of
Caddo We're in earnest in deserting the Re
publican party and partly for my own salts
faction.
When the morning Of the election came
my store was crowded with colored men ask
ing for tickets, but before giving a ticket to
any colored voter | informed him that it was
a Democratic ticket, and not to take it unless
he intended to vote it. | tried to count the
tickets, but the demand was so great, that
when we got up to 1913 tickets given out, we
abandoned the count; but when the election
was closed, and the votes counted, it was
found that over 300 of my red tickets had been
deposited by colored voters in the ballot boxes
at Shreveport.
With these facts, which can be substanti-
ated by every citizen Of Shreveport, both
white and colored, | leave it to the people of
Louisiana and the United States to say
whether three voters or three hundred was
the number of colored Democratic voters of
Caddo parish, Louisiana.
J. BURCKETT, &C Texas street,
Shrava1,nrt