The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-01-01
E.OsSjSSagsa's ECI7Ss o7st.
ADDREss OF THE Co;fMITTEE OF SEVENTY
TO TIE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES
THEY PROTEST AGAINST THE ACTION
OF THE ZETUREING BOARD.

| TO TIE PEOPLE OF THE United STATES
THEY PROTEST AGAINST THE ACTION
OF TRE ZETUREING BOARD.
NEW ORLEANS, December %, 1874.
! The Committee OF Seventy, whose ropre-
sentative character is we'll known to the
| country, call the attention Of the people Of
! the United States 30 additional wrongs and
| indgnities under which the once free pso-
! pie of Louisiana are now suffering. For
| two years We have been in vain appealing
! TO the President and Congress for relief
! from injustice, expressions and robberies of
| a usurping State Government on US by the
order Of a drunken United States Judge,
! written in his chamber, and sustained by
! the United States army, brought here be-
! fo:ehand fcr the purpose. The Governor,
! Ineligible under our Constitution and des
| feated at the polls by 5000 majority, and
by such means installed and maintained in
power, had been unable, after nearly two
years nisrule, to gain tho alightest foot
hold in the confidence or respect OF The
people, and rs soen as the federal army
was Withdrawn, within one hour, his show
of auth oIity and force melted into air be-
fore the calm determination Of an outraged
people, and he sought refuge in the sane
tuary OF the United States Custen House
pom command of the President, all the
fruits Of brilliant victory achieved Ly our
citizens, with the State House, public build
ings aud archives, were surrendered TO ar
officer Of the United States Army, who skew
s1sd Kellogg to his Guet bnaterial seat.
| For several weeks before the election on
tho I'd Of November, tho whole State, and
especially tse Democratic parishes, were
gaTTiEoDed by the United States army and
our best and leading citizens arrested on
truInped up charges made by irresponsible
, tools OF the radical party, for the purpose
of intimidat:ng The whites and carrying
Z rzlE.T tEz.--s - L., r
| Eotwithstanding this our people, knowing
that thoir continued existence in this state
depended upon their driving the Govern
IuaEt of pluuderers frsn power, knowing
thst by rrisgovernment and s1orbitant tax
alton, imposed 10y ignerant and corrupt
Legislators, who had no interest in the
State, the value Of property had besn de
stroyed, and instead CT being blessing,
! had become a burden knowing that the
fountains OF law and justice had been cor
Tupted, and the Government whose end
should be prots ction, had been converted
into an engine of oppression and extortion,
only limited by it's imbeciiity knowing
these facts, their utmost efforts, and with
ali the machinery of iniquitous election
laws, devised to perpetuate radical rule in
the hands OF the usurpation, and with the
| United States army in The hands of the
Chairman Of the Republican State Central
Committee, and used as an electioneerins
engine against the Conservatives, succeed
ed iii carrying the State by at least 2. SEQ
majority, with majority of tvertv-eiTht
in the House of Representatives, q ma iority
on Joint ballot in both Houses, and tie
city OF New Orleans carried by tho Con.
seTvatives by over 12, GOO majority The
fact of the Conservatives having carried
the election has been well known ever since
the 9th Of November, because tbs ballots
were counted a. the polls immediately, and
/ returns made oct in duplicate Yet even
now, seven weeks after the election, we
are imminently threatened with being de-
frauded Of our victory and of our frsUchisa
lie election returns have been submitted
TO boald Of returning oficcrs, consisting
! OF five members four Of whom are ideuti-
| fed with and corr ulitted to the usurDi1C
Goverp scent. These men, aside from their
| party, have not sustained such character
, before the community rs inspire us with
confidence in their integrity or mpsrtiality.
I or to give any hOps that they will fairly
! and hon nestly compile and promulgate tn.
! returns. They have already evincsd a de-
| termination to defraud the people and de-
! feat their will, as expressed at the ballot
! box. In the case Of the parish OF Deseto.
| Conservative by over !, 600 maiority, the
radical election officers stole tho returns
and placed them in the hands of women of
the town, who offered to give them ND for
one thousand dollars, and left the State
| The returning officers refused to take stems
! TO recover these papers. Attorneys repre-
sentIrg the Conservatives sent to Desoto
and brought down and presented a dupli>
| cato OF the original returns Of equal value
| which had been filed with the Clerk Of the
District Court for the parish in pursuance
of law, and these they refused to receive
| aud consider, although in radical parisha as
they had acted on secondary evidence
This is but one Gaze of many sush. Appli-
cation vas made by a candidate for Inas-
damus to coripcl them to receive and com
pile these duplicates of original returns
from DeSOto TO the only court competent
under existing law to grant writ The
judge OF this court, a creature Of the usurp-
ing State Government, and a member oi
the famous Lynch returning board of 1872.
having received a judgcsbip a. a re ward
for his services on that occasion, refused
the nlandamus. During the session Of this
board we Lave seen the clerk accusing a
. member OF frauds on election Teturns tha
member in return accusing tho clerk, hav.
seen documents on the Democratic side
stealthily abztracbed, and Republican cross
marked alfidavits stealthiiy inserted and
acted on, election returns themselves al
! tered and forged i'll the interest of the rad
icalS wocks after the slection. There is no
redress through the courts, because those
to which slone application can be made are
but creatures of the usurpaton, whosa ex>
istence depends upon the continuance OF
radical rule, i'll defiance OF the expressed
will of the people. Those returning off.
GERS have been now for sevon weeks dallv>
ing with the liberties and rights of the
people ef an entire State, apparently wait
, ing until an opportunity is offered for them
to consummate their vilainy by promulgat
ing radical majority as elected to tbs
Legislature. They hope to do this with
impuuity because the State House, where
. they sit, is Garrisoned with Kellogg police
with several companies of the army of .he
United States within five hundred Yards
, the whole force of the army and navy with
! In call OF heilogg's whistle, sleeping OF
the'r arms, with cartridges distributed. II
this manner are We threatened kill, an
| other rnongrol herd of sagacious plumbers
ignorant aad debauched. CLAIMING to h,