Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-11-29
MISCELLANEOUS.
Testlnlony ON Louisiansa.

OUTRAGEOUS INTIMIDATION PRovKD-THE
STATE REPUBLICAN, BY Is 900 MAJORITY ON
A FAIR voTE-THR ooLoRED MEN THOR
oUeHLY FRIGHTENED BEFORE ELECTION.
"H. Y. r." Letter to Gin. Commercial
Large numbers Of witnesses from the
bull-dozed parishes arrived at the Custom
house yesterday and to day. spent sew
eral hours among them, talking to Witness
es and examining affidavits. Unless the
sworn statements of these people can be
overthrown, the Democrats need not at
tempt to convince the country that they
got their majority fairly. One woman tes-
titled that the bulldozers took her husband
and son out of bed at O'Clock in the morn
ing, and killed them. Her story is almost
too horrible for belief, yet she .ells it in
straightforward, simple way, that carries
conviction. Her daughter saw the whole
affair, and there is no discrepancy between
the witnesses. Two weeks before, the men
had been warned to leave in ten days, but
were advised by their white friends to re.
main, as but little significance was attached
to the anonymous warning. A copy of the
proceedings of the coroner's inquest upon
the bodies of the murdered men substan-
tiates the story. This was in East Baton
Rouge. The stories of all the witnesses
from the different parishes agree as
to the fact that their offenses were politi-
cal. The condition of these poor people is
pitiable. They are without protection, un-
less they become Democrats and yell with
the largest mob. Those who have been
numbering the defenseless blacks in the
bulldozed parishes are not even arrested.
The civil law is utterly powerless. The
poor negroes are ground hetween two mill
stones The Republicans are heaping up a
mass of testimony which will win their case
at the bar of public opinion, unless the
Democrats can overthrow it. When the
country sees the testimony that have seen
to-day, there will be less complaint because
the Returning Board throws out certain
parishes, or parts of them.
Sitting it all down, examining census re-
ports and registration lists, making allow
ance for black Democrats and white Repub
licans, come to one conclusion, which will
take more evidence than / have yet found
to drive me from, and that is this If the
vote here had been in every way as fair and
free as you have in Ohio, without murder
of the blacks or frightening them, or threat
ening them with no land to cultivate, or
lowering their wages on account of ''Rad-
ical taxation" or breaking up their meet
ings or anything of the Sort Louisiana
would have gone for Hayes by majority
of, not less than 10000.
We know that the negro is Republican
on national issues, owing to causes which
go back into history. On a free, fair cleo
tion, without any other appliances to win
votes than you have in Ohio, no more
blacks would vote the Democratic ticket
than whites would vote the Republican
ticket. We might fairly Offset one vote
against the other-the black Democrats
against the white Republicans. While this
is true, it is also true that TiIden carried
this State on the face of things; that is, he
has most votes in the boxes-from 1000 to
5000 more than Hayes, in fact. And it is
also true that the election at every polling
place in the State was quiet, SO far as I
have heard; no fighting, rioting or attempts
to drive the blacks off. But the blacks were
operated on before the election. They were
Influenced in various ways, some of the
leading ones killed outright (but the rum-
Der has been grossly exaggerated by the
Republicans), and all were made to under
stand that the path of safety and peace for
them lay in voting the Democratic ticket.
In East Feliciana not a single vote was
allowed to be polled for the Republican
ticket. Various explanations of this have
been given by the Democrats, but none
that will hold water. The bold, naked racr
remains that the Republican majority was
stamped out, and that the blacks, without
exception, were compelled to vote the DEM
ocratic ticket or not vote at all. In West
Feliciana mentioned in dispatches that
the Federal officer in command there told
me that the election in that parish was
perfectly free and fair, nobody hurt, and
no disturbance. All of which is true on
the face of it, There was no disturbance
or riot, or armed men at the polls driving
away voters at the pistol point, but mea-
sures had been taken days before the cleo
tion to create such degree of uneasiness
In the African mind as to incline them to
vote the Democratic ticket out of regard
for their own safety. And it is fair to say
that the other Federal officers stationed in
the same parish do not agree with the cap
tain whose views l quoted. ALI these Of
ficers are Republicans, and the different
light in which they see things in the same
parish, and from the same standpoint, illus
trates the difficulties of the situation.
I have before explained that l have no
sympathy with the so-called Republican
State Government here, and should not
weep to see it go overheard. But the un-
fairness of fore ng the blacks to vote the
way they don't want to, when such forcing
elects a President of the United States, is
calculated to make the average man call
for a fair vote as we'll as fair count A
" fair count here-that is, a count of all
the votes cast-elects Tilden. The ques-
tion simply is Should we go behind that
vote and show that 1T was Obtained by force
and gross intimidation2 That is what the
Returning Board are doing They are not
only looking into the ballot-boxes, but go
ing behind them to see if helpless class
of voters had fair show.