Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-11-29

IgnaTtmCuts '
Wheeler. | copy from the famous report signed
by Wheeler Hoar and Fry.
VIII.
The laws of Louisiana provide that, under pen,
atty of fine or imprisonment, person shall carry
| firearms on TO the premises or plantation of any
citizen without The consent of the owner, thus de
! priyng the great mass Of the colored aborcrs OF
the state of the right to keep AMI bear arms, al
ways Jcalously priced and guarded by theu whI'e
| employers.
Statute oflsGj. chapter II, puu,he, by fine and
| imprisonment the entering upon any plantation
| without the permission of the owner thns pre-
venting any person from seeking any intercourse
with the negro for the purpose OF giving poH'lcal
| or other information, except such as MS master
| should approve.
statute Of 1868, chapter II authorizes any Jus.
tee Of the Peace, a complaint that any person
! is a yacrant, on summary process to require such
person to give bond for his good behavior and ~
| tue industry Tor the period of one year. On ta-
ing to give such bond, the Justice shall issue his
warrant to the Sheriff TO hire out such person for
| lhe term Of twelve mouths, under such regulations
Is nav be made by the municipal authorizes
provided, that if the accused be a person that has
| abandoned his employer before his contract eX-
| pncJ, the preference Shall be given to such en-
| ployer of the preference shall be given TO such
| employer of hiring the accused thus putting 1t
| in the power of the local Magistrate, on summary
| process to remand the laboror 10 CONDITION OF
| practical slavery.
statute of 1865, chapter lG, cnacts that any one
| who shall persuade OF en;ice away, feed hatbor
| or secrcte any person who leaves his employer
without permission, shall be subject to a fine OF
| not more than twelve months, OF both. Thus no
| la5orcr could leave his employer without perms-
sion without becoming an outcast, to whom food
| and shelter must be denied by all mankind.
Statute of 1865, chap 20, enforces fine and i'm
pilsonment on any person who employs any labor
cr already under contract TO another.
Statutes OF 1867 authorized the imposition Of
poll tax for highway purpos' Of $40. Under this
law il would be possible to raise the sum of =, 6l2,-
900 il a single year, which should be divided per
| capita among the males over twenty one, rich and
| poor paving tue same sum. These laws persisted
with the Government which enacted them, in 1867.
Ih,ss laws were repealed by act of Congress,
but the coloTcd republicans have lot fors often
them.
IN.
Bat the whites, led by the same men who drove
the state into reheloa, did not sop with egsla-
tive attempt, 10 defeat the fiat of the nation de-
carng slavery to be abolished. The brefest
statement Of their bloodred record ever given is
bad enough-it is scrt Of Liebeg's cssepce of a
thousand murders. quote single passage from
s speech by Hon. j. Il. West, Senator from Louis
lana, delivered in the Senate of the United States,
in February, 1870
Intimidation in the State Of Louisiana and
throughout the South did not commence with the
| election Of 1874. The echoes of the last gun
fired at Appomattox had scarcely died upon the
ear before this intimidation was practiced broad
cast throughout the South, and has continued to
| be up to the present day. | speak for my State.
| show 10 the Senate that throughout its existence
| since the day Of reconstruction there has been
nothing but intimidation, prescription, murder and
violence practiced by the democrats Of that State.
| From 1860 to the present time there have been
| nine great butcheries or massacres for political
reasons in the State Of Louisiana. In 1866 in New
| Orleans twenty-six persons were killed, and 100
| were taken to the Marine Hospital, and the sur
geon on duty at that time and the surgeon now on
| duty-the same mau-has asserted the fact that
| after those wounded men were taken TO that hos
pltal, the llDtefs formed line in its rear and fired
| a yoy into its chambers Here is one of the vol
umes of the history of violence in Louisiana.
The history OF violence in Louisiana is not to be
learned in eight days. 1t lies here under my hand
in eight volumes Of testimony, every page telling
Of a life given, and every word Of every page
counting for a drop Of blood, shed in the sacrifice
OF political opinions. What did the committee
then say : | will read briefly their opinion of
that horror
There has been no occasion, duiing our ration
al history, where hot has occurred so destitute
Of just.hable cause, resulting in massacre so in
human and hendlsh, as that which took place at
New Orleans on the Both of July last.
The massacre was begun and finished in midday,
and such proofs of preparations were disclosed
that we are constrained TO say that an intention
existing somewhere, to dispense and Slaughter the
members of the convention and those persons
white and black, who were present and were
friendly to It's purposes, was mercilessly carried
into effect
The Police were acting on the side of the riot
ers, SAYS the Wheeler report, and 260 persons
were killed.
No intimidation in Louisiana And yet in the
same year the Bossier massacre took place, in
which over three HUNDRED were killed aud wound
cd the ST. Landry massacre, in which 200 were
killed and wounded; the Orleans massacres in
which siXty-three were killed and wounded the
Caddo massacre, In which forty-six were killed
and wounded; the Jefferson massacre, in which
siNty-eight were killed and wounded All these
occurred in that one year, 1865
it is said by the defenders of the White Line
Democracy of Louisiana, that those outrages
ceased in 1866. Even if this statement were true
and il is as false any lie in history--we should
not forget IN inquiring whether is is probable
that thousands of negroes voluntarily voted the
democratic ticket on the 7th of November. that
the memories and the effects of these massacres
have not been oblerated from the minds of the
blacks. Let us what Vice President Wheeler
in February, 1879, reported of the history of Lou
isiana since 1866:
"The testimony shows that over 1000 persons
were killed. wounded, or otherwise injured in that
state within few weeks prior TO the Presidential
election; that half the State was overrun with vi
olence; midnight raids, secret murders, and open
not keep the people in constant terror until the
republicans surrendered all claim and then the
State was carried by the democracy. The Parsh
of Orleans contained 29,9l0 voters, 1920 black
In the spring of 1868 that parish gave 1913 re-
publican votes. In the Fal of 1868 ii gave Grant
LIS falling off of 1915 votes. Riots prevail
ed for weeks, sweeping the City of New Orleans,
and filing ii with scenes of blood, and Kuklux
| lloters were scattered through the city warning
the cololcd men not to vote. In Caddo there q
9o1 republicans In the Spring of 1868 they car
rled the parish. In the Fall they gave Grant one
vote. Here also were bloody riots
in this parish this year there was intimidation
at only few precincts, and the result is that it
| has given Hayes nearly 1900 majority Two
years ago, as in 1867, the White League virtually
swept this republican majority out of existence.
ri.
But the most remarkable case is that of ST
Landry, planting parish on the River Teche.
| Here the republicans had registered majority of
| OH votes. In the Spring of 1868, they carried
the parish by G1S. Ia the Fall they gave Grant
no votc-not one, while the democrats east A. 1877.
The full vote Of the parish, for Seymour and Blair
Here occurred one Of the bloodiest riots on record
| IN which the kukluX killed and wounded over two
hundred republicans, hunting and chasing them
for two days and nights through fields and
swamps. Thirteen captives were taken from the
Jal and shot. pile Of twenty-five dead bodies
were found half buried in the woods. Having
conquered the republicans killed and driven of
| The white palpfa a..