The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-01-18

clore that the action of the returning board, on
the whole was arbitrary, UNJUST, and, IN our
opiuion illegal and that this arbitrary, UNJUST
and illegal action alone prevented the return
by the board of majority OF conservative
members to the lower House.
TREATMENT OF CoLoRED CITIZENS.
The alleged wrongs to colored citizens for
nautical offences are unreal, or were asserted
with due foundation. Your COMMITTEES took
such proof as the opportunity offered. No gem
eral init nidation of Republican voters was es-
tabished. No coored man was produced who
had been. threatened or assaulted by any Con-
servative because of political opinion, or dis
charged from employment or refused employ
ment Throughout the rural districts of the
state the lumber of white Republicans are
very few. 1t hardly extends beyond those
holding Office and those connected with them.
No witnesses, We believe, succeeded in naming
in any parish five Republicans who were not
themselves etficeholders or related to otice-
holding. or those having official employment.
On the other hand, applications to the U. 3
commissioners in the various parishes, not
only for alleged crimes, but because OF alleged
threats of discharge and non employment, OF
other interference with political preference,
were frequent Upon these applications war
rants were often issued and white citizens ar
rested and bound over for trial. In many To-
calites the Federal troops were detailed Tor ser
vice under the marshals and deputy marsnals,
and not only made many arrests before the
election. but the report that they were coming
to particular neighborhoods about the time OF
the election, for the purpose OF making such ar
rests, served as the Conservatives claimed, TO
intimidate, and sometimes even TO produce
stampede among the white voters
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF AFFAIRS.
The general condition of affairs in Louisiana
seems to be as follows: The conviction has
been general among the whites since 1877, that
the Kellogg government was an usurpatlon.
This conviction has been strengthened by the
Kellogg Legislature, abolishing existing courts
and judges, and substituting Others presided
over by judges appointed by Kellogg, having
extraordinary and exclusive jurisdiction over
political questions; by changes in the laws
centralizing on the governor every form OF pc
litcal CONTROL including the suspension of the
elections; by continuing the returning board
with absolute power over returns OF election;
by the extraordinary provisions enacted tor the
trial of titles aud claims to office; by the con-
vreson of the police force, maintained at the
expense of the city of New Orleans, into an
armed brigade of state militia,
subject to the command of the governor;
and by many other acts of similar radical
and arbitrary character. A want of confidence
in the integrity of the state government has
resulted which Is accompanied by the paraly-
alton of business and destruction of values.
The securities of the state have fallen, in two
wears from 20 or 80 to 25; those of the city
of New Orleans from so or 80 to 80 or 40;
while The fall in bank shares, railroad shares,
city and other corporate companies, mas III q,
like degree correspondent. Throughout the ru-
raj districts OF the state, the negroes reared III
habits of reliance upon their masters for sup
port and in a community where the members
are always ready to divide the necessaries OF
life with each other, not regarding such action
as very evil and having immunity from pun
ishment from the nature of the local officials,
had come to filching and stealing fruit, vege-
tables and poultry, SO generally, as Bishop
Wilmer stated, with put contradiction from any
source, that the raisiug of the articles had to
be abandoned entirely, to the great distress OF
the white people within the parishes, as well
as in New Orleans.
TAXATION.
Taxation has been carried almost literally to
the extent of confscaton. AS the people saw
taxation increase and property diminish; as
they grew poor while the officers grew rich,
they became naturally sore. That they loved
their rulers cannot be pretended The Kellogg
government claimed to have reduced taxation
This was effected in part by establishing
board to fund the debt OF the state at 6o per
cent. of its value. This measure caused great
hostility not SO much because of the reduction
of its acknowledged debt, as because it gave
the funding board, whose powers seem TO DE
absolute and without review, discretionary au-
thority to admit to be funded some SIX millions
of debt alleged to be fraudulent, so that, under
the guise of reducing the acknowledged debt,it
gave opportunity tie swell the fraudulent depG
of the state.
THE LAST ELECTION
At the election in 1874, au effort was made
by the Conservatives to acquire part OF the
negro vote. With that view it was sought IN
many quarters ia propitiate them. The ire
ouent arrests, by the United States marshals,
for intimidations aud threats OF non'empioy-
ment aud the apprehension that was felt that
the returning board would count out these men
If an excuse for such course were onered, all
al ia1I off "a S1ntRm-
Der, to put the Conservatives on their good be-
haviour, and the result was that in November
1874, the people of the state of Louisiana did
fairly havee free, peaceable and full reglstra-
ton and election, in which clear Conserva-
tive majority was elected to the lower house of
the legislature of which majority the Conser-
NATIVES were deprived by the unjust illegal and
arbitrary action of the returning board.
THE WHITE LEAGUES.
The "White League of the city of New Or
leans is Reorganization composed OF differ,
,tsst clubs, numf herring in all between $500 and
$500, the membeIss Of Which hove provided arms
for themselves, aud, with or without arms, en-
gage in military drill They have no uniform
and the arms are the property of the individu-
ais and not of the organization. They comprise
large number of respectable citizens and of
property holders in New Orleans. Their pur-
pose they declare to be simply protection.
necessity occasoned by the existence of leagues
among the blacks; of the hostility with which
the Kellogg government arrayed the black
against the white race; of the want OF security
to peaceable citizens and their families which
existed for those reasons, and because also OF
the peculiar formation of the police brigade.
On the other hand the Republicans assert
that this is an armed body of volunteers exist
ing for the purpose of intimidating the blacks
and overthrowing the Kellogg government.
That it bad any considerable relations outside
of the city of New Orleans, or that it was 1n-
tended ia any way to interfere with the rights
of the colored citizens, did not appear, nor, on
the other hand, did it appear that there was
any extensive secret league amongst the blacks
of any kind That the White League would
readily cooperate in any feasible scheme for
overthrowing the kellogg. government your
com mittee do not doubt. So will substantially
all the white citizens of Louisiana.
THE CONSERVATIVES VERY TOLERANT.
If Louisiana was a country by itself Nc
Emery and his associates would at once be in
stalled in power, but the Conservatives OF Lou
isiana do not propose to fight the Federal gov
eminent They submit not because they want
to. but because they must; not because they
proclaim any enmity against the flag; not be-
cause free labor has not been found practical
BILE; not because of any hostility to the colored
people because they are defrauded out OF the
election of 1872, aud yet more out of the last
election, and because they think their state
government has been to the last degree de-
structve and corrupt Indeed in our Judg-
ment. the substantial citizens of the state will
submit to any fair determination of the ques-
ton of the late election, or 70 anything by
which they can secure firm and good govern
ment What they seek is peace and an OPP
portunity 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 question of po-
litical party.
News and Other items.
Gen. Gideon j. Pillow of Tennessee, was
failure as an army engineer, but his daughter,
Miss Gertrude, is a success as hunter, having
recently shot bear n Arkansas. She handles
l. cly nd bac hrnuoht