The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-05
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE.
Eleventh Days Proceedings.
Robert p. Hunter.

Is q resident OF Alexandria, RapideS parish
Is editor and proprietor of the Caucasian,
Since the war has been thoroughly tamilia
with public affairs in that parish. In 1S6
the negroes were massed and armed, an,
marched upon Alexandria. They were dis
armed by the police, and no conflict ensued
All the parish officers elected were Republi
cans.
The election of 1870 was quiet one, anl
Republicans were again elected to Office Ii
the campaign # 1872 the Liberal Republican
movement drew to it all the white people O
the parish, with few exceptions Witness wa
one Of the exceptions.
The negroes claimed that they had not beer
allowed to register freely, and there was con
siderable feeling expressed by them in con
sequence.
Those who had registered went in bodies tt
the polls, and in some instances were armed
The Fusion ticket was elected. The negroes
an these campaigns were organized in clubs
by white leaders. They were persuaded by
these men that it was the intention Of the
Democrats to enslave them. The idea o.
forming the White Mans party for the cam
paign of 1874 was first advanced by the Cau.
casian, and appeared in that paper on the
18th of March, 1874.
Witness then read the article referred to.
1t had been represented to the negroes that
the property Of the parish was taxed at a rate
amounting almost to contiscation, and earnest
efforts were made to secure their cooperation
to secure reform. They refused to give that
cooperation, hence the idea Of inaugurating
the White Mans movement
Witness believed then, and does now, that
it was only by appealing to their pride Of race
that the white people of North Louisiana
were united in the late election. AS was the
case in the parish OF Rapides, the people be-
ieved that it was useless to go to the polls
Judging from the action of the General Gov
eminent relative to the election of 1872, they
believed that the power of that government
would be used to rob them of the fruits OF
victory won at the polls. The campaign on
carly in the year.
The Republicans held off until quite short
time before the election. The Registrar Of
Voters for the parish, appointed by Kellogg,
gave general satisfaction. Several days after
the overthrow of the Kellogg Government, in
September, 1874, Republican officials in
Rapides were deposed and the McEnery men
installed. The election was fair and free, as
tar as the negroes were concerned.
Troops were sent to the parish, and at KEEL
logg's suggestion, desired to take possession
of the courthouse as barrack. The sheriff
refused to give the use Of the bull ling for
any such purpose, and thereupon Lieut. Bel
ger camped his men in the court yard. He
took one room in the courthouse for COM
missary stores, and b IS possession OF it yet.
The fact of ms n being arrested unwarranta-
bly, by troops in adjoining parishes, fright
ened few men in Rapides when the troops
and Deputy Marshal arrived there; however
it cannot be said that the election was affected
to any great extent by the advent OF troops.
The election was fair and free; witness visited
several precincts on election day and can tes-
tify to the fact The Republicans claim that
they could not canvass the parish.
Witness said this was not the case; there
was only one place in the pari-h at which
they might have been disturbed, and that
was on Bayou Rapides.
It is hardly possibly that they would have
been disturbed here even
Among the planters Elk Gov. Moore is the
only planter, as far as witness knows, who
threatened to discharge his laborers in the
event Of their voting the Republican ticket.
There is demand for laborers in the parish
now and no one inquired as to how the negro
voted. There is no White League in the
parish of Rapides; no secret organization of
any kind. There are political clubs. The
relations of the races in the parish have al
ways been most friendly.
Touching affairs in the parish of Grant,
Witnes IS related that the negro Ward with his
company Of militia were accustomed to raid
ing through the country, and foraging upon
whom they pleased.
The witness related the outrage upon the
Lecour family by the negro Hamp Henderson
md his gang.
Don't think the Colfax affair had any effect
upon the colored vote of Rapides in the last
slection.
Witness submitted statement of the whole
80 :n;l %ad in, fhal
,arish since January LIST. 1868, to the present
lime.
1t embraces in all ffty-seven, of which
seventeen were whites and forty blacks The
is made up as follows: whites killed
" black, 3; blacks killed by whites, 10;
whites killed by whites, 8; blacks killed by
lacks, IS; whites killed by unknown parties,
!; blacks killed by unknown parties, 2; sui
ides, g Of those tried on the charge of
murder there have been only three convic-
ions.
The only murder that can be considered
political murder il that of Lloyd Shorter,
rho disappeared and has never been heard
f. The ineficiency on the part of the Re-
ublicans to enforce criminal law induced
many negroes of the parish to vote against o
Ontinuance of Republicans in power.
As to the question of o-tracism, the witness
emarked that there were but few white Re- !
ublicans in the parish.
Gov. Wells is the most prominent one, and
9 is not socially ostracised. Many Republic, (,
ans have been concerned in schemes of fraud
nd plumber, and they are therefore avoided |
8 men unworthy of social r cognition. BY {
statement Of the parish Treasurer it il ,
hown that the Indebtedness of the parish j
mounts to s34,934 The police jury man.
ged the financial aft .irs of the parish as we'll
} they could. They were engaged in no |
.hemes of plunder The rate Of taxation
efore the war was one-half Of one per cent I
q valuation of over three millions of dol a
rs; in 1873 it was twenty mills, and in 1874 |
urteen mills.
The causes which induced the negroes to '
,te the Conservative ticket, may be sum- Y
ed up as follows: The laxty in criminal Q
on the part of Republican OIL t
ais; failure of the Freedmen's Bank; the
'llection of the per capita tax, and the O
rnest assurances Of protection given BY the n