Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1875-01-22
TheHaMSsana Report.

one VINO WlSneS 10 have q correct understand
ing of tie present troubles and the causes
which have led to them. The committee itself
deserves she thanks of the whole country for
the hdelits' and impartiality with which its OBJ
servations have been conducted. and the cam
dor and honesty with which they have been
reported TO Congress and to the public The
selection of the committee was a singuarly for
tunate one ,(sOf the three two were Republi-
cans, whiles.sh were me. in point of character
and ability, to command the entire confidence
of the country. They have agreed unanimous
ly upon report which may be safely accepted
as an impartial and truthful statement of the
present condition Of affairs in Louisiana. The
committee have no policy to recommend
Their report deals only with the facts, and
here are its conclusions:
First. As to the November election, the COM
mittec state explicitly that sin November, 1874
the people of the State of Louisiana did fairly
have free, peaceable and full registration and
election, in which clear Conservative ajori-
ty was elected to the lower house of the Legis-
lature, of which majority the Conservatives
were deprived by the unjust, Illegal and arbi-
trary aclio1 of the returning board" The ac-
tual retufF made by the commissioners OF
elections. appointed in each parish by the 10
cal authorizes compiled and forwarded by
the superY AIRS ofregistra,ion," (appointed by
Governor LeIlogs. s'gave the Conservatives a
I-ns' of twenty-niec r'n'n'}ays i, a total of
III members. In only three instances were
three any protests accompanying the returns. y
The returning board, after being in session for
many weeks. deciding all questions in secret
or, as it was called, executive session, preserv-
ing no record Of their deliberations, promul-
gated on Christmas day report which gave
htty-three members 10 the Republicans and tit-
ty to the Democrats. one of whom, however,
IN the language of the committee, WAS not
regarded as Il STAYING Democrat. As 10 the
remaining FIVE seats the board made no dccis-
ION. The sub committee analyZe the action Of
the returning board in the cases of Rapides
iberia, De Soto. VIM ami Tcrrc Bonnie par
shes, and conclude as follows: "Without
now referring 10 other instances Ethan those
lIuSt enumerated, We are constrained TO declare
that the action of the returning board. on the
whole was arbitrary, unjust and. in our opin-
ion, Illegal, and, that this arbitrary. unjust
ana Illegal action alone prevented the return
Of majority Of Conservative members to the
low r house
Sseendy. Upon the subject Of intimidation
of voters. the committee say that mo general
intimidation of Republican voters WAS eStab-
lishcd No colored man WAS produced who
had been threatened or assaulted b. any Con-
| >ervatve because of political opinion, or dis
charged from employment or refused employ
meut.' But. add the committee, ION the 9th
er hard. it was in evidence that the blacks
who sought to act with the Conservative party
! were, their part, sometimes exposed 10
nifty fnd abuse. In the interior one colored
man was shot for making Conservative speech,
and in New Orleans il appeared from the tcSIi
mony that colored men " ho sought 10 cooper
/ ATE with the Conservatives were sub jeCied To
much abuse from the police and orher~ Use
/ that association of lawyers volunteered 10
protec, them, but TO little effect. The intIm-
| dalton Of white Conservatives by the ye1atious
proceedings of United States Commissioners
/ and Narshals i also dwcit upon
Thuily. As to the white League, the as
sociaiion which General sheridan wants the
/ Presidents permission 10 shoot and hang a.
! band til, the committee SAY that in the
| last campaign in Louisiana the opposition was
| composed OF various elements, Democrats, Re
| formers, dissatisfied Republicans Liberal Re
publioans, old Wings. and in order TO Undue,
the cooperation of all some Of whom refused
| to unite with an organization called Democrats.
/ they took tho name OF the The Peoples party.
called in some localities the Conservative par
! ~, in otlrrS the White Mans party. in 9TH
ers the White League, and had ordinary pc
| litIcal cuhs under these names throughout the
rural districts which were ordinary political
| clubs aud nothing morc-ncihcr secret nor
armed, nCr otherwise dlfrfent from usual pc.
/ lIuCni organizations Even that association
/ Of assa>sIr.s and Thugs according 20 President
Grant and Gen sheridan The White League
of the City OF New Orleans turns out to be
nothing more than an association for mutual
| license and scli-prUteciIcr. numbering in all
| from two thousand FIVE hund I'd 10 two thou
sand eight hundred mcmtcTs, and comprising
"a large nsmher OF reputable citizens and Of
! property holders in New Orleans
| f6.r'hiy. As to the present reasonable and
dISloyal spirit of the people Of Louisiana, which
| suggested the necessity of such heroic treat
ment TO Gen. sheridan and imposed upon the
President the necessity Of sending Sheridan 10
New Orleans the committee SAY If Louis
Iana were 4 country By irse.t Mcknery aud
his ASSOCIATES would at once he Installed IN
power, but The Conservatives of Louisiana do
not propose 10 light the Federal Government.
Indeed. III our Judgment the substantial citizens
Ut the State will submit 10 any fair detcrmina-
| ton OF The question OF the late election, or to
anything by which they can secure a firm and
good government. What they seek Is peace
and an opportunity for prosperity. To that
end they will support any form OF Government
that will afford them just protection in their
distress they have got beyond any mere ques-
! non of political party And these are the
eople whom Sh ridIn wants to have turned
over 10 hun To be treated rs ''handIuI "a
process which the President, while admitting
to he Illegal regrets that II cannot be adopted
II is unnecessary TO repeat what the commit
tee say IN regard to the fruits OF years OF Radi-
cal mIsrule and kelloggs usurpation in Lou
isana; the pros,raiiou OF business, the depre-
citation of property the wholesale robbery by
! taxation, and the partisan and corrupt legisla-
ton which in the language of Kellogg own
counsel, has vested "a degree of power in the
Governor of a State scarcely exercised by any
sovereign in the world These are things al
ready known to the country. OF the occur
sence of Jan. 4, ii is only necessary to say that
the committee report themselves eyewitness
es of the facts corroborates tho version given
| by the Associated Press and Speaker Wilt.
| We again say that the report is the most
complete and crushing answer that can be
made to the reckless assertions by which men
| like Morton and Logan and Frelinghuysen
have attempted TO blacken the character of the
| people of Louisiana, to misrepresent the true
condition Of affairs there, and to Justify the E.
normous crime which the Fedral Administers
ton has perpetrated against that unhappy
State. The fi,lsehoods of Sheridan and the
sophistries of the Attorney General are alike
blown to the winds by the ''plain, unvarnish-
ed tale which MesSrs. Foster Potter and
| Phelps have delivered baltimore Sun.
Col. 8. r. Suit.
We are glad to see that this gentleman was
one of the signers TO the call for the great Mass
| Meeting held in Baltimore last week, to pro-