Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-01-21
TIE LOUISIANA AFFAIRS.

tive George +. Hoar, OF the suhscom.
mittee of three Of the special CONS
mittee on that portion Of the Presi-
dents message relative to the condl-
ton of the South, who visited New
Orleans and proceeded with an investi.
CATION, to day reported the result to
the general committee. Daring the
eight days they remained there they
were attended throughout their sessions
which were public, by the counsel of
the republican and conservative State
committees. Iu that period they ex-
amined over ninety five witnesses, be-
sides taking a large amount of docu>
mentary evidence. amounting in all, it
is estimated, to more than fifteen hum
dred printed pages.
Before that testimony can be writ
ten out the committee has determined
to state the conclusions at whIch have
arrived, SO far as they are unanilnor III
reaching their conclusions.
The committee undertook no inves-
tigatlon of the election of 1872 They
first proceeded to an examination of
the returning board of the State in
respect of the late election, ana then to
an inquiry in reference to the White
League.
The law provides that the board shall
consist of five person. representing
all parties. 1t consisted at the open
ing of their last session of five republic
cans, upon the resignation of one of
whom, General Longslreet,) Mr..
Arroyo, conservative, was taken to
fill the vacancy. After protesting
against the action Of the board in secret
session he resigned before the conclu-
sion of their l.bors, and his place was
not filed, so that rs your committee
think, the law rs 10 the constitution Of
the board was not complied with. 49,
The committee detail the machinery
Of the election laws Of the State, and
the claim Of the conservatives that the
board, notwithstanding the law proyl~
ding that they shall not do so, yet read
the returns from protested polls before
laying them aside, when the design
was that they should ct the close cam
vass them without being biased by
knowing what was the result.
As finally announced, as Kellogg
recorded it, the findings gave to the
Legislature fifty three republicans and
fifty democrats, one of whom was re
garded as not staying democrat, the
board making no decision as to the re-
naming five seats. The private sess-
ions Of the board, held after the proofs
had been put in publicly in both houses
are alluded to, in which the decisions
were secretly arrived at, Of which the
minutes make no record.
The committee go at length into
different cases, including the parish of
| Rapids, from which three conservative
members were returned with certifi-
cate from the United States suparvis
ors that the election was fair, full and
free. and the elected members pro.
ceeded to New Orleans, there having
been no intimation that any one con
tested their seats, yet they found that
at one Of the last meetings Of the board
it had declared the republican cardi-
dates elected fer that parish.
The committee found this to have
been done on an affidavit Of MIR. Mills
of intimidation at certain polls, of
which the counsel Of ths democrats
were not informed and had DO oppor,
tuuity to reflte Mr. Mills could not
be got before the committee to testify
afterwards Or be examined, and there's
fore the committee declare the action
Of the returning board Ia giving the
seats Of that parish to the republicans
as without warrant of law. They
could not, after investigation, fnd the
least evidence Of Intimidation.
This parish was taken as a sample
parish of intimidation, bat no evidence
of such was found of it, either by
threats to discharge colored men be-
fore election, or by other means during
the holding of it. The action Of the
board in this parish alone changed the
political complexion Of the lower house
but the action in other parishes, the
committee say, was equally objection
able. We have not space now to
follow the committee in these matters,
the report making over fifty pages of
manuscript The committee say:
Without now referring to other in
stan ces, We are constrained to declare
that the action of the returning board
on the whole was arbitrary, unjust, and
illegal action alone prevented the re
turn by the board Of a majority Of cons
sentative members to the lower hous
Upon the general subject of the state
of affairs in the South and as to'wheth-
er the alleged wrongs to colored citi-
zens for political offenses are real, or
were asserted without due foundation,
the committee took all proof offered as
to two parishes most accessible, and in
addition they received all the testimony
that was then on hand in New Orleans,
offered by either party, as to the con-
dition of affairs in other parts of the
State.
VIRGINIA SPEAKS FOB LOUISIANA.