Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-11-24


4 blood, while Ku hlux notices were everywhere
pos,ed, warning the colored men not to vote. 10
Caddo, there were $50 republican voters ln the
spring they carried the Parish by large majority
in the fall they gave Grant one vote. In St.
Laundry Parish, the republicans had a registered
majority Of 1911 votes in the spring election their
majority was 67S, while in the fall they gave
Grant no vote, and the democrats cast the full
vote AS, for Seymour and Blair
In twenty two parishes, and by parishes mean
counties, 5000 republican voters were driven
from the polls, and only $3.50 allowed to vote.
Over one thousand voters, all colored republicans,
were killed. 1t became entirely evident that
elections would be only farces, or If the republl-
cans persisted in trying to vote bloody tragedies.
under tie old and ordinary system of holding
them.
To remedy this, the Legislature took the pow
ers hitherto vested in Commissioners of elect )ns.
and vested them, so far as the counting of the
votes and making the returns was concerned, in
the hands of five men, who were to be the return
Ing officers Of the whole State and also clothed
them with oae additional power, namely-in
event of "A condition of things like the above oc-
earring at election, they, acting ia a body,
should be authorized to hear evidence, find facts,
and if in their judgment such fraud violence oil
terror existed in any parish as to prevent the ma
iority of the legal voters from voting, then they
should have the power to declare it a mob, and
throw out the votes of that parish or poll.
Such is the Returning Board of Louisiana, and
without it, as one distinguished witness before our
Congressional committee said, an election in thai
State would simply register the dictates of muir
derous mob. This became the law in 1872, and
Gov. Wells, John Lynch, Gen. Longstreet Mr..
Casanave and Louis NJ. Kenner were elected by
the Senate returning officers in January, 1873.
Mr.. Lynch resigned and T. c. Anderson was
elected in his place by the Board. The party
nomenclature was then republ lean, conservative
and liberal republican, each of these parties being
represented on the Board At the last election in
1874 party names had changed; they were repub-
lican and conservative, or "white man" or white
League"
In November 1874, tie Board met 10 canvass
the returns. The white man party protested that
they had no representation on the Board. There
upon Gen. Longsrcet resigned, and Mr.. Arroyo
selected by this party and entirely 10 sympathy
with them, was appointed, and took an active
part in their deliberations up to Dec. %, 1874 two
days before the final adjournment of the Board,
when he resigned. During this canvass counsel for
both parties were present, protested, argued, ex-
amned and cross examined witnesses, and the cvi-
dence before our Committee disclosed no wan, of
fairness, attempt at frauds no purpose to cheat
by any Of the Board.
| think can safely assert that Messrs Wheeler,
lloar and Frye never found any fraudulent acts
! or purposes on the part of these gentlemen, nor
did they or either Of them ever assert privately or
publicly, in conversation or in the official report,
that there was any want of personal or official in
tegrity in the performance of their duty. On the
contrary. | am confident that the evidence in
spired them with profound respect for the men,
bers of the Board and satisfied them that they did
not err in their findings of fact.
quote from the report signed by Mcssrs.
Wheeler, Hear and Frye:
eve now come to the events of 1874. The
campaign was iuaugurated by the formation of
party designed to divide the people of Louisiana
on the line of race, Its convention at Baton
Rouge begins its address I'VE the white men of
Louisiana This party assumed various names
in various localities, always indicating purpose
TO make the race issue distinct . The speeches
at public meetings and leading articles in the
press urged the people TO deeds of violence
II Is impossible to state, in the space which this
report can properly cover the details OF deeds of
lawless violence which were proved before the
committee. In many Parishes the legal officers
were driven out by force. Republicans were muir
dcred or compelled TO fly for their lves-whateyer
the pretext, the real oifense was their political
opinions The White League of New Or
leans itself was and is a constant menace to the
republicans of the whole State. 1t would be de-
sirous and able to overthrow the State Govern
ment at any time, if not prevented by the power
Of the United Stvtes.
We cannot doubt that the effect of all these
things was to prevent full, free, and fair
ele cton, and TO in,imldate the coloied votes and
the white republicans. The very formation of a
white mans party was menace of terrible m-
port to those who remembered Colfay and Bossier
and the convention. The press was filled with
threats of violence. The agreement to discharge
laborers, the suggestion that lid beasts are tanned
by hunger, was evidence Of the same spirit. The
overthrow of the State government by the White
League on the l4th of September; the turning
out large number of parish officials in the country
compelling them to flee for their lives the fearful
lesson of Coushata; the formation, arming and
drilling of the White League, the natural sue
cessors of the Knights of the White Camelia
these things in a community where there i, no
legal punishment for political murder, must in
the nature of things, have filled with terror a
people timd and gentle like the colored popula-
ton of Loui-iana, even il we had not taken album
ant evidence as to special acts of violence and
crime and their effects on particular ne ghbor-
hoods.
In view Of these facts, we do not hesitate to find
that the election of "a ne her full free or fair
that 10 large portions of the State the usual means
Of instructing and persuadiug the people, of Or
ganizing and conducting campaign, could not be
carried on by republicans without danger to
their lives; and that many more voters than we're
needed to give the republican party complete
victory were prevented from voting at all or
coereed into voting the white mans ticket.
1t was to declare the result of such an election
that the return Jag board met at New Orleans ia
1874"
So far as the facts are concerned, this board in
no respect went beyond our own findings. But
the third section of the act creating the board pro-
vi led for certain certificates of supervisors or
commissioners and Of this our committee said:
Upon this statute we are all clearly of opinion
that the returning-board had no right to do any.
thing except to canvass and compile the returns
which were lawfully made 10 them by the local
ohcers, except in cases where they were accom-
panied by the certificates of the supervisor or com
missioner provided in the third section. In such
cases. the last sentence of that section shows that
1t was expected that they would ordinarily exer-