The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-12-09


spread and persistent determination OF
its ruling white people to prevent me eX-
| ercise OF the elective franchise by the col
ored race. except subject to their VIII.
This was manifested by violence, out
RACES and murders perpetratcd in that
state Just preceding the presi-
Dental election Of 1865. They will be
found stated in various congressional re-
ports. From these it appears that over
! two thousand persons We're killed,
wounded and otherwise injured in that
state within few weeks of the prcsiden-
| tlal election of that year; that half the
state was overrun by violence, midnight
raids, secret murders and open riots,
| which kept the people in constant terror
! until the Republicans surrendered all
| claims, and then the election was carried
by the Democracy. The parish OF Or
leans, which contained 29.Gl0 voters,
l5.020 of which We're colored. and which
in the spring had given 1898 Repubi
can votes, in the tall east tor Gen Grant
but ll.1Si, a falling Off of 1879 votes.
Riots prevailed for weeks, filling New
Orleans with scenes OF bloodshed, and
ku-klux notices were scattered through
out the city warning colorcd men not to
vote. In the parish of Caddo there were
Dos Republicans, who in the spring Of
| ippc. i'u iiit fdii'ii. NiNh III tiiN
| fall gave to Gen. Grant but one
| vote. aud there also bloody riot,
| occurred. In the parish of Saint
Landry, the Republicans had a registered
| majority of OIL votes, and in the spring
| of that year carried it by G7S votes, whilst
| in the fall not vote was cast for Gen.
Grant, whilst for Seymour and Blair the
| Democrats east the fun vote of the par
ish, ,7S1 votes and there occurred one Of
| the bloodiest riots on record, in which
| the ku-k Ink killed aud wounded over
200 Republicans, hunting and chasing
them for two days and nights through
| fields and swamps. Thirteen captiyes
were taken from Jail and shot, and n pile
| of Twenty-Five dead bodies were found in
the woods. Having thus conquered the
J Republicans, and killed and driven off
! their white leaders, the masses were cap
tured by ku-KlllX, marked with badges
| of red flannel, enrolled in clubs, led to
| the polls. and compelled to vote the
Democratic ticket, after which they were
given certificates of that fact. These are
some of the outrages which marked the
pathway to political supremacy OF those
who but few years before had obtained
! the mercy of a government under whose
laws the black Republican and the white
| Democrat were entitled to equal protec-
| ton. @
1t was but natural and just that the
cOlored race should unite with and cling
| to the party. to whose principles they
owed freedom and protection, and this
| seems to have marked their political
course from the time they were given
| the elective franchise, and their history
| in Louisiana has but illustrated this,
| whenever they have been LETT free to
| M thaU rllan sol Until a Radical
| change could be effected in the nature
and purposes of those who had been
their owners, and who repudiated the
idea Of being placed on terms of civil
| equality with them, it was evident that a
| fair election could not be held in the par
ishesi containing any considerable ma
| jority of colorcd votes, and hence the act
of 1870, acquiesced in by both political
parties, and amended i'm 1872, was passed
creating returning board, authorized to
sit In New Orleans, having supreme at,-
thOrity 10 canvass the votes cast through
out the entire state, and authorized. if
convinced that riot, tllmult, acts of Yio-
lence, intimidation, armed disturbance
bribery or corrupt influences had pre-,
vented voters from registering, or
had materially interiered with
the purity of freedom of election at any
1 rOh W NOliiiS paw. vi Iiidlti idlf y
changed the result of the election, to eX.
clude the votes cast at such polls or vo
ting places, from the final count. This
law. with some amendments, not mate
rally changing its nature. is thai
underswhich the present returning boarC
OF Louisiana is now organized and sets
That some such an independent, tribuna
was necessary tor the protection OF the
legal voters, and As check:upon the VIC
lence and intimidation which had before
prevailed throughout the state, no one
can deny. twill be seen, when the stat
ute organizing this board and defining it!
4 duties, is examined, how inadequate ar,
its provisions to afford full relief agains
the wrongs it was designed to prevent
Thus the powers OF the board are limited
to the rejection Of the votes polled fol
causes stated, whilst it cannot in any
case add TO the retnru votes which woult
have been polled but for tue intimida
ton, violence, etc, mentioned.
TO Illustrate, the undersigned will re
fer to the five parishes of East and Yves
Feliciana, East Baton Rouge, More
house and Ouachita, which appear al
9 should be necessary TO prevent the Re
9 publicans from casting any considerable
vote in either. In each and all of theS
: there is large Republican majority. Ii
all of these the white votes registeret
: for this year numbered 5.l3i, the coloret
| 1874, n majority of S,ll0. If by intlmi
dation and violence the Democrats coul,
receive in each OF these parishes major
u ity, an immense gain would thus D.
: achieved, for, if the board should, upol
, | the canvass, reject the vote of all,
would be powerless TO administer tina
complete Justice which would consis
: only in declaring for the Republicans sucl
: q majority in each parish as but for in
| timIdation and violence would nave beer
cast for their candidates.
The law. therefore, in this but provide
: for a partial and Inadequate remedy 10
e grave wrongs. from which the colore,
@ people and the white Republicans o
!. Louisiana have long suffered. and whei
the proof taken by the board is examine,
s and weighed it will be found, as we be
1 iteye, that the returns by II excluded fo
the causes mentioned are generally from
the polling-places which. but for intimi
dation, violence, outrage and murder
! would have given Republican majorities
thereby greatly increasing that declares
by the board. t-
2 la considering its powers and dutie
: this important feature of the law SHOULD
5 be borne constantly in mind, for willis
7 that tribunal may upon proof and in tn
{ exercise OF judicial discretion reject vote
a for the causes mentioned, it canpot upoI
E so doing return any vote not actually east
lt Will therefore readily occur 10 any one
! | that a careful selection of the politi
D cal managers Of certain parishes, known
: 10 have large Republican majorities, 70
| scenes OF intimidation and violence /,