The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-03-02
THE LOUISIANA QUESTION.
MAJORITY REPORT OF THE COM
MITTEE.

MITTEE.
FINDING OF PHELPS, FOSTER, POTTER AND
MARsHALL-THEY RECOMMEND THAT THE
PEOPLE BE LEFT TO GOVERN THEMSELVES
VIEWS ON KELLoGG's ADMINISTRATION.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23.-The undersigned, /
a majority of the committee on the state of
the South, respectfully report that they can
not agree to the report made to the commit |
tee by Messrs. Hoar, Wheeler and Frye. |
The laws inimical to the colored people of
Louisiana referred to in this report, have
been repealed for years, except during
the schism of Gov. Warmoth in
long had control Of the machines
of the state. The state registration shows
an excess of the colored over the white
voters, giving 90, 7S1 colored to 76, s23 whites.
In the absence Of any direct evidence that
the late election was not free and fair, the
assumption of the minority that enough
colored voters must therefore have been pre-
vented from voting at the late election by
the recollection of the Colfax and Coushatta
killings, the cases and circumstances of
which are disputed. and by other riots which
occurred years before, 10 have changed
the result of the election throughout the
state, is an assumption so violent, when it is
recollected that both these parishes elected
the full Kellogg ticket by an increased re
publican majority, as not to be received, il
any other causes for the vote OF the state can
be found. Such causes exist, and are OBJ
viOus. Among them are: First, the regis
tration was incorrect, and exceeded the true
colored vote. The registration was wholly
i'm the hands of the Kellogg officials, with
whom arepublican committee, with United
States Mrshal Packard at their head, CO.
operated. In only three parishes did the
republican super vlsoTs Of registration make
any complaint of unfair or
INSUFFICIENT REGISTRATION.
On the other hand, very great complaints
was made by the conservatives, who
specified with proof !, 200 cases of conceded
false registration In New Orleans alone, and
those conservatives who had been CO.
operating in the joint-party committee to
secure a fair registra ion, gave mp in
despair. The census of 1870, Correctness of
| which is not impeached, slowed S7,076 whites
and sc, 913 colored males over twenty-one
years OF age. All the statistics and evidence
before us indicate no change in their pro-
portion in favor Of the colored voters. Yet
the registration of the colored voters ex-
ceeded by 4 600 the total number of colored
adult males returned by the census, while
! the registration of white voters
was 10000 less; 2. The whole num-
| Der of votes registered was 1S7 ,604,
of these, lac, 523 voted. This is larger pro-
portion OF registered voters than usually
a
agricultural state sparsely settled, where long
| journeys had often been made TO reach the
polls, it is unreasonable to suppose that a
greater proportion OF the registered blacks
would have voluntarily turned out
to sustain a government under which
the prosperity of the state and their
wages and the value of their shares of pro.
duction had steadily declined, than usually
vote at elections North or South. Third, the
year 1874 was year Of political change, in
which the vote throughout all the states was
seriously
AFFECTED AGAINST THE REPUBLICAN PARTY,
a change resulting largely from the fnan-
cial distress of the people, and which should
therefore naturally have been even greater
in Louisiana than elsewhere. Fourth, it
became the interest of the conservatives, at
least at the last election, not to intimidate,
but to acquire by every fair means
colored votes. Parties who were alleged
to have threatened the blacks, even
with a refusal of employment, were sub
I jected to prompt arrest. 1t was known that
pretexts would be sought to deprive the
conservatives ofthe result If they prevailed
in the election. 1t was. therefore, their
interest to avoid giving any such
pretext. Accordingly they determined
everywhere 10 co operate with and
to corciliate the blacks. They voted down
1 were
made in the early part Of the campaign for a
refusal to employ those coloIed voters who
would not cooperate with them,
| and generally sought, by combin-
ing with the colored voters, to carry
the elections. Local combinations
in many parishes on men of all parties and
coler. In many parishes union ticket of
colored and conservative voters was voted
for and elected. An intelligent colored wit
ness testified that he desired better gov
eminent, and to that end was willing to
swallow the white man if the white men
would swallow the cOlored. These causes
and feelings very naturally united to
SWELL THE CONSERVATIVES VOTE
in such localities as are indicated by the re-
turns. Fifth, the entire want of any direct
evidence to show any general intimidation
of the colored voters. OF course in so large
a state il would be impossible that there
should be no instances OF a refusal to en-
ploy or of intimidation. Such occur in every
state, but the evidence certainly indicates no
general intimidation of the colored voters
and that such intimidation as did exist in
the state was rather in the interest OF the
republicans than of the conservatives. The
| United States marShals, whose chief was the
| armed in some cases with blank warrants
Il of arrest, and aided by federal
troops, made constant arrests before the
election, but not afterwards. The oversight
1 of the election and the returns were
in the hands of Coy. Kellogg's officials.
Their account and return did snow twenty
nine majority of the members of the lower
house elected by the conservatives without
any protest whatever, except in three par
isles, although il was their province and
duty to protest in auy case where violence
and intimidation or fraud existed. Indeed
the direct evidence as to election oil
1874, as we'll as the circumstances, clearly
indicate pesceable and fair election. In
fact, after the visit of the first committee, the
kellogg party, with all their machinery for
collecting evidence, were unable TO produces
in the entire state more than half a dozen
persons to testify to anything inpeaching
the freedom and
| FAIRNESS Of THE LATE ELECTION
who were not office holders or connected