The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1876-12-21

AndesOn who commanded Fort Sumter al
the outbreak of the war was educated a
lawyer; Is the owner of and carries on
several plantations is widely known and
| highly respected throughout the State has
been intimately associated in the promotion
of social and industrial interests of his
parish, and has represented it in both bran
ches of the Legislature more than 20 years
Mr.. Casanave, the third member OF the
board, is man of Intelligence, of excellent
character and business habits, not dependent
on office for living nor seeking it, but a
we'll educated citizen, who has long con-
Quoted prosperous and respectable bust
ness in the City of New Orleans
Mr.. Kenner, the junior member of the
board is young man, born and reared in the
City of New Orleans, intelligent and active,
who was for some time in charge of the
Street Commissioners Department Of I'm
provements.
PLAN OF THE DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGN.
We will now present such an outline of
the proofs as disclose not only such violence
and intimidation as prevented fair elec-
tien in several parishes and at many polls,
but disclose also that these grave offences
We're committed in pursuance of a precon-
certed and settled plain formed by the
Democratic leaders to prevent Republican
voters from attending the polls, and that
such unlawful purpose was so effectualiy
accomplished as not only to interfere with
the purity and freedom of the election, but
materially to change It's result. To illus
trate how carefully the political campaign
was considered, and the plan mentioned
contrived by the leaders of the Democratic
party, it is instructive to refer to circular
issued from the rooms Of the Democratic
Conservative State Central Committee at
New Orleans, marked Confidential, and
signed by j. w. Patten, President, and p
j. Sullivan, Secretary, intended for circula-
ton in each parish, and recommending the
formation of ward clubs therein. These
circulars urged that "in conversation no
gloomy forebodings should be induled in,
and that the result of the election should
be spoken Of as foregone conclusion, as
we have the means Of carrying the election,
and intend to do SO, but be careful TO do
and say nothing that can be construed into
threat or intimidation of any character" :"
The circular also recommended that there
should be frequent meetings Of all the clubs
to be formed, and that they occasionally
form at their several places Of meeting, and
proceed thence on horseback to the central
rendezvous, staing that proceedings of this
character would impress the negroes with a
sense of your united strength" And it
further recommended that on the day "of
election at each polling place there should
be afidavits prepared to the effect that there
has been no Intimidation, and no distur-
bance on account of any efforts by the
Democratic Conservative party to prevent
any one from voting on account Of race,
color, or previous conditions of servi-
tude." x
There were in the State of Louisiana on
the day of election 81, ,996 white registered
voters, and 115,310 colored-a majority of
the latter of y, ,3l4. 1t was well known
that, if left free to vote uninfuenced by
violence or Intimidation, the blacks would
be almost unanimously Republican, and
that, with the white Republican vote, its
majority would be about equal to that above
indicated. The plan appears to have been
to select for the purposes of intimidation
and violence as few parishes as possible (for
in 40 or 90 parishes where these were not
employed, the Republican majority was g.
000). But to select those in which the
colored vote, as compared with the white,
would be large unless unlawfully prevented,
for in so doing it might be expected that,
should any majority they could thus obtain
in such parishes be rejected, they would
nevertheless attain their purpose by the
sup preston Of large Republican vote.
THE RESULTS OF INTIMIDATION.
In pursuance of this plan, five of the
parishes selected in which the greatest
violence and intimidation were practiced
were East and West Feliciana, which
border upon that portion of Mississippi in
which murder and outrages so prevailed
during and preceding the election, as
substantially to prevent any Republican
vote East Baton Rouge, which borders
on the southern portion of East Feliciana !;
Morehouse, which adjoins the State of
Arkansas and Ouchita, which adjoins,
and lies directly south Of Morehouse.
The geographical position of these five
parishes was well suited to the purposes to
be attained, for it was easy for members of
clubs to be found therein, and who usually
perpetrated those outrages with masked
faces, to pretend that they were committed
by border ruffians from Mississippi and
Arkansas, where like outrages had been
perpetrated. The location of these five
parishes was not, however, better suited
to the plan to be accomplished than was
the great disproportion existing between
the number of white and colored voters
The former numbered but 3, l34, the latter
13,244-a majority of the latter equal to
one-third of the entire majority of coloYed
voters in 81 parishes of the State. The
returns of votes actually cast in these FIVE
parishes suggest that the clubs to whom
was assigned the task of securing Demo
cratic majorities therein had performed