The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-03-03
THE COMMITTEES REPORTS.

The majority Report Of the Con-
gressional Committee sent to this
State sustains the position of the
Conservatives that they carried the
State in the election of 1874, and that
the registration was fair and the cleo
ton peaceable. They report that the
Conservatives were deprived of their
victory by the ''unjust, illegal and ar
bitrary action of the Returning
Board" The following synopsis is
clipped from the New Orleans Bulle-
tin, and is signed by Foster, Phelps,
Potter and Marshall:
l. II became the interest of the Conser-
NATIVES, at least at that election, not to in
timidate, but to acquire, by every fair
means, the colored vote.
It was plainly their own interest 10
avoid the setting aside of their votes
Local combinations against the heno,ge
fgovernment were made in many parishes
by men of all parties and colors. In seve-
raj parishes union ticket OF colored Con-
seryatiye voters was voted for and elect
ed. These causes and feelings naturally
united to swell the Conservative vote in
such localities exactly as indicated by the
returns.
In the absence of any direct evidence
that tho lat. election was not full and fair,
the assumption that it was not, is SO vio-
lent as not to be received, if other causes
can be found, especially as the returns
show that in Colfax and Coushatta par
ishes, where the outrages occurred, full
Kellogg ticket was elected by increased
Republican majoritles. Other causes are
\ found. a.. -
: 2. The total registration was 167 ,6O4-o1
, these 146,523 voted. This is larger pro
portion of registered vot ers than usually
vote in the Northern States. In an agri
. cultural State, sparsely settled, where long
Journeys had to be made to reach the polls
it is unreasonable to suppose that great
!, er proportion of the registered blacks
: would have voluntarily turned out to sus
+ tain q government under which the pros
, perity of the State and their wages ane
: the value of their shares Of production
had steadily declined than usually vote at
. elections.
3. 1874 was year of political changes
!, in which the vote throughout all the
States was seriously affected against The
Republican party-a change which exceed
} ed the true colored vote. The registration
machinery was all in the hands Of the Re
! publicans, and only in three parishes die
they make complaint of unfair or INSULT
. Gent registration. On the other hand very
Z great complaint was made by the Conser
9 NATIVES, who specified with proof 500
cases of conceded false registration in New
Orleans alone, and the Conservatives wht
/ had been cooperating in joint party com
- mittee to secure a free registration gave
5 up the effort in des pair. The census O
e 1870 showed 7,078 whites, and &c, 613 col
ored males over twenty-one years of age
Il and there was nothing before the commit
tee to show any change in this proportion
in favor of the blacks, yet the registration
: of colored voters exceeded the census by
e 10000, while the white registration wa
10000 less.
The evidence certainly indicates no gen
8 eral intimidation Of colored voters, ant
such intimidation AS did exist in the Stat'
0 was rather in the interest of the Republi
Q cans than of the Conservatives. The Uni
ted States Marshals, whose chief wa!
J. chairman of the Republican State Com
: mittee, armed IN some cases by blank war
:, rants, and aided by Federal troops, mad,
4 constant arrests before the election, bu
not afterwards.
The oversight Of the elections and o
: the returns was in the hands of Gov. Kel
lcgg's officials. Their count and return
!. members of the Lower House elected BY
wit
, whatever, except in three parishes, al
: though it was their promise and duty tt
> protest IN any case where violence, intim
: idatiOn or fraud existed.
: Indeed the direct evidence as to thu
election of 1874, as well as the circumstan
ces, clearly indicate a peaceable and fail
: election. In fact after the visit of the frs
committee and the revisit of the specia
committee, the Kellogg party with all thei
!. machinery for collecting evidence were UNI
= able to produce in the entire State NOR
5 than half a dozen persons to testify t,
t anything impeaching the freedom ant
- fairness of the late election, who were no
holders. After further comment up
S on the subject the committee say: W.
hold, therefore, that in November, 1874
' the people of the State of Louisiana die
s fairly have free, peaceable and full regis
!, tration, in which a clear Conservative ma
jority was elected to the Lower House O
!, the Legislature, Of which majority, tn
J, Conservatives were deprived by the un
4 just, illegal and arbitrary action of tn
o Returning Board.
To the resolution reported to the Hous
from the Committee, as to the action o
the Returning Board, we are all agree; w
understand the committee to be unani
nous in finding the fact that the action o
the Returning Board has defeated the will
: of the people as expressed by them at tn
9 polls on the Sd of November, 1874. TIL
" people then elected to the lower house o
t their Legislature 4 majority Of conssrva
o A portion of the Conservative member
' thus elected were refused their certificates
: This is an act of great injustice. to the in
- dividuals, Of the gravest danger to tn
: States and free. government, and ought t,
be Immediately corrected by anyone com
. petent to correct it.
: The resolution recommending the recog
= milton of Gov. Kellogg is based upon gen
eral information, land not upon evidence
i the committee or any part of it.
IL Messrs. Potter and Marshal utterly op
pose any resolution recognizing Kellogg
finding nothing to justify the belief tina
he was ever legally elected, or Congress t.
7 recognize a usurpation SO gross and so op
pressive, as they think; to establish pre-
cedent, by which, under such p1etexts any
State government may be overthrown, til,
F.. will of the people nullifed, fraud and VIC
) lence made permanent, and republican
form Of government used to destroy Eber
ty. In their Judgment all that is needed
: in Louisiana is to withdraw the Fedora
9 troops, and leave tbs people of the Stat
to govern themselves. 1%arL ia