New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-01-26
THE CONGRESSIONAL INQUIRY
MORE TESTIMONY TAKEN
THE THIRD DAYS PROCEEDINGS

The congressional investigating commit.
tee appeared in their seats yesterday morn
ing, evidently prepared for weeks work.
Mr.. Zacharie stated that as concerned
most of the contested parishes, there would
be no necessity for TRANSPORTING the record,
as it was all in the hands Of the sub-com-
mittee.
w. K. Whitaker was the first witness
called-Acted as q committeeman ON the
Democratic Conservative side before the
Returning Board; witness read some de-
cisiOns relating to our election law, which
he took from published works;] during the
time of the session returns from certai n
bore signs that they had been broken;
General Anderson told me, before the board
had completed the compilation, that he be-
lieved the Conservatives had majority in
the House; we had duplicate returns from
nearly every parish; we put in some pro-
tests where none had been before, under
protest, that is, after the Republicans had
made protests where none had accompanied
the returns; there were twenty contested
parishes; we discovered, that Testimony
had been distracted from the returns of
three parishes.
Witness narrated bits of his experience
while before the Returning Board, stating
that he was not employed as professional
in the above case, and never received COM
pensation for his services.
Cross examinatiOn-Never read in news
papers that members of the Returning
Board were to be killed; read an article
from the Shreveport Times which threaten
ed the lives of some PERSONS the Times ia q
Democratic paper; do not know that the
Democratic papers of this city condemned
the article; Democrats here condemned the
article; do not know that Mr.. Arroyo was
persuaded to leave the Returning Board; l
was Democrat, afterward was Liberal
Republicans; at present have no definite
political leaning: came to Louisiana in 1862;
I am not a Democrat; at last election
voted mixed ticket; in 1872 I voted for
the best men.
Oscar Arroyo-I was member of the
Returning Board when jackson parish was
canyassed we found protest signed by
Judge Houma and Mr.. Jones; the protest
was set aside; one day met Mr.. Kidd and
congratulated him on his election as Repre-
sentative for jackson parish; he informed
me that his opponent, Mr.. Hood, had been
returned, notwithstanding l had believed
to the contrary.
Mr.. Zacharie stated that he had lately
received information and proofs that evil
dence, etc., had been filed before the Re-
turning Board after the board declared that
nothing more in the shape of testimony or
evidence should go in. One of the protests,
or rather statement about Carroll parish,
had never been seen by the speaker until
this moment, and he now finds this docu-
ment among the papers brought in from the
office of the Secretary Of State. As this did
not seem to be much, nothing was said or
done about it.
General Campbell proposed to inform the
committee of the origin of the election law
and the rules which should govern the Re.
turning Board, he insisting that the board
are simply returning otticers-not canvas
sers or compilers.
Mr.. Wheeler thought that the Returning
Board law was sufficient to explain itself, he
not caring to hear why the law was enacted;
1t was sufficient for him to know that it
was law.
General Campbell made an extended
statement, beginning by saying that previous
to adopting an election law over 1000 Re-
publicans had been murdered in the
parishes of Bossier, st. Landry, St. Bernard,
Caddo, Jefferson and Orleans, and these
massacres proved the necessity for strin-
gent law. He did not take up more than
ten minutes in making his statements.
Colonel Field took the stand to make q
statement. He began by calling on the
third article OF our State constitution, made
as protection for voters, to prevent riot
and tumult. He commended that the consti-
tuition alone was sufficient, even though ne
law had been subsequently adopted to pre-
vent improper practices in matters pertain
ing to elections; the Legislature can not
abridge constitutional provisions though it
should make law for that purpose. The
speaker contended that the board should
be governed by the law, which says that
when there is proof that an election had
been unlawfully conducted the Returning
Board had a perfect right to take cognizance
of those facts; the law does not say that
complaints must be appended to the
returns. If a man uses improper
influences to induce men to vote a certain
way the law is broken; that can be done and
yet q commissioner may not be aware of
the fact. 1t does not matter if a supervisor
or commissioner does not make complaint,
proper influences the Returning Board may
take cOgnizance, if information is furnished
by other parties than election officers. In
registration matters, if anything occurs to
prevent a free and full registration, the
subject may be considered as is provided
for by the law.
The speaker took up and expatiated on
each branch of the election law, but was
repeatedly interrupted by members of the
committee, who asked questions concerning
it.
John Ray-I am an attorney at law; re-
side in the town CT Monroe, Louisiana; was
appointed by State Executive Republican
Committee to be present at the proceedings
of the Returning Board; Messrs. Lowell
and Stamps were with me there; l was
present at every meeting, except the secret
ones; kept record of all the returns; when
counsel met the board on the second or
third day, the Democratic counsel made an
objection because there were no Democrats
on the board, contrary to law; General
Longstreet then resigned to make place for
Democrat; j. NJ. Sandidge, Democrat,
was elected, but he declined: the board
then elected Mr.. Arroyo, Democrat; there
was no objection to him, and did not hear
further objection from the Democrats: no
examinations of polls had been made up to
~ time Mr.. Arroyo took his seat;
after the board was thus organ
lied there was a question as to how
the polls should be taken up; the Demo
Gratis wanted them taken up by congress