The Van Buren press., 1875-01-26
Louiataaa.

Below VIC publish synopsis Of the re-
port OF the Congressional Committee,
two of whom are Republicans, sent to
investigate the condition OF affairs in
Louisiana:
After giving full account of the action
Of the returning board, the committee re
port that they are constrained to say the
action of the board in rejecting the re-
turns in the parish of Rapides, and giving
seats for that parish to republican candi
dates was arbitrary, unfair and withou,
warrant of law. Ii the committee were
to 60 behind the papers before the board,
and consider the alleged charge ofintimi
dation upon proofs before the committee,
their finding would necessarily be the
same. Ra,ides parish was taken AS y
sample parish of intimidation. Many
witnesses, which we're of both parties.
showed, beyond question, that there vas
q full, free, fair, and peaceable election
and registration. There was no evidence
OF any intimidation of voters practised
on the day of election, although it was
asserted that intimidation ofcolored men
before the election had been effected by
threats of refusal to employ them or to
discharge them if they voted the republi-
can ticket. No evidence either of dis.
charge or the refusal to employ was pro
duced Certain witnesses, themselves
every one office holders, testified general.
ly to such action, but hardly any one was
able to specify a single instance in which
he heard any employer so threaten or
discharge any voter, or know of any EN-
ploye being SO threatenedo discharged.
Not one single colored man throughout
the entire parish was produced to testify
either to such threat, or to the execution
of such purpose, whether before or after
the election. The committee allude to
numerous illegal acts of the returning
board, and say again.
1--WE are constrained to declare that
the action Of the returning board, ON the
whole, was arbitrary, unjust, and in our
opinion illegal, and that this arbitrary,
unjust aud illegal action alone prevented
the return by the board Of a majority Of
conservative members to the lower house
"The committee confined their investi-
CATION to two parishes, and find that no
general intimidation of republican voters
established No colorcd man was pro
duced who had been threatened or as.
saultcd by any conservative, because of
political opinion, or discharged from EN-
ployment or refused employment. o
all those who testified to intimidation
there was hardly any one who. of his
own knowledge, could specify reliable
instance of such acts; and Of the white
men who were produced to testify gener.
ally on such subjects, very nearly all, j..
not every single one, was holder o
Office No witness, we believe, succeed
ed in naming in any parish five repubi
cans who supported the Kellogg govern
ment, who were not themselves Office
holders or related to office holders, o !
those having official employment Or
the other hand, applications to United
States commissioners in various parishes,
not only for alleged crimes, but because
of alleged threats of discharge and non
or other interference, with
political preference, were frequent Upon
these applications warrants were often
issued aud white citizens arrested and
bound over for trial. In many localities
federal troops were detailed for service
under marshals and deputy marshals, and
not only made many arrests Immediately y
before election, but reports that they were
coming to particular neighborhoods
about the time OF election for the purpose
of making such arrests, served, as the
conservatives claimed, to intimidatc, and
sometimes even to produce stampede
among the white voters,
at was il evidence that the blacks,
who sought to act with the conservative
party, were, on their part. sometimes ex.
posed to enmity and abuse. In the in
terror, one colored man was shot for
making a conservative speech; and in
New Orleans, it appeared from testimony
that colored men who sought to co.ope.
rate with the conservatives, were subject
to so much abuse from the police, and
otherwise, that an association Of lawyers
volunteered to protect them, but with
little effect
The conviction among the whites
that the Kellogg government was u
the general want Of conf
dencc in the state and local officials,
heavy decline in state securities, and ex.
orbtant taxation, the reduction of wages,
non. fulfilment of personal or political
pledges, malfeasance Of home aud local
officials disputes among leading colored
persons, loss or embezzlement in some
cases of school funds. and failure Of the
Freedman's bank, all combined to divide
the views of colored voters. During the
late campaign an,effort was accordingly
made by the conservatives to acquire
part Of the negro vote. With that view
it was sought in many quarters to pro-
pitiatc them.
Frequent arrests by United States
for intimidation or threats OF
non employment, and the apprehension
that was felt that the returning board
would count out these men if an excuse
for such course were offered, all com.
bucd, especially after the l4th of Sep.
tember, to put the conservatives on their
good behavior. and the result was that
in November, 1874, the people Of Louis.
lana did fairly have free, pcaceable and
full registration and election, in which u
clear conservative majority was elected
to the lower house Of the legislature,