Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-11-23
Prof. summer ON Louisiana.

At the request Of friend we print the
following extracts from a letter just pub
lished by Prof. W. G. Sumner, of Yale Col.
lege, on Louisiana affairs. He was one of
the Democratic committee who went to
New Orleans, and his letter simply reflects
the partisan views of the committee. 1t
may be proper to add that Prof. Sumner,
though one of the faculty OF Yale College,
had little or no support either amongst
the faculty or the students in his conclusion
to support Mr.. Tilden; from ex-President
Woolsey down to the freshman class the
voice was strongly against him. This is
what he says
The election was held under complicat-
ed and elaborate corps of State officials, ap-
pointed by the State Government, and free
from any of those popular checks which
we, in the North, regard as essential to
self government. The efforts of the press
and che party committees to obtain infor-
nation were treated as impertinent 1t was
furthermore necessary, inasmuch as the
ruling party did not publish returns Except
as hereafter stated and did not, therefore,
either deny or accede to the Democratic re-
ports, to fortify these latter by certificates
in manner totally unknown in the North.
experience of 1872 and 1876 took, as 1t ap
pears, energetic measures to secure trust
worthy returns, duplicates of the returns
sent to the Returning Board. have before
me detailed statement by parishes Of the
returns which were received as a result of
the efforts of the Democratic Committee,
with memoranda of the authority on which
each parish return is based. Allowing for
possible errors of detail, this statement es.
tablishes a moral certainly that Governor
Tilden carried the State by 1900 majority
according to the returns. l met no persons
in Louisiana (and mixed as freely as pos
slble with persons of all classes and both
parties), who denied or doubted that this
was the true result of the election. 1 was
told that the Republican newspapers had
published returns from thirty or forty par
ishes, coinciding with those in the Demo-
cratic statement, but had then desisted,
declaring that the returns were
incorrect and unsatisfactory. met
no person whatever who admitted any
other hypothesis than that the Returning
Board would bring out Republican ma.
jority. 1t was not discussed; it was as
sumed as of course. 1 heard abundant
complaints of outrages, &c, against ne
groes who voted the Democratic ticket, and
l talked with a number Of persons who had
such complaints to make. l also resolutely
pureued all possible inquiries within my
reach to try to find out the truth. In
conversation which a number of us held
with Governor Kellogg, he was asked for
facts under this head. He cited the case
OF Gaid only. Gaid was killed by lynching,
under circumstances of revolving injustice,
in September, 1875. Politics had nothing
to do with it, much less this election. 1t is
fair to say that our interview was cut short,
and Mr. Kellogg got no further with his re-
cital. Other charges of outrage which l
heard or cav we're intangible and uncertain.
| could not bring any of them to distinct
shape. ALI of them were denied, and es-
pecially the broad and general descriptions
of systems OF intimidation were energeti-
cally denied by men of unquestionable
character and integrity.
The election law is intricate, and while
apparently adapted to provide for all con-
tingencies, really creates a hundred tech
nicalities and machinery which renders
really popular elections impossible. The
play of its various parts allows scope for
fraud, chicanery and abuse. 1t depends
upon the action of an army of officials, ma
ny of whom are far away from any control
and free from all responsibility, while they
are able to defeat the whole purpose of the
election by corrupt or malicious asser-
ton. The ingenuity with which devices
are planned and practiced for producing
fraudulent results is simply dabolical. The
party in power having control Of this ma.
chinery, can make any election mockery,
and the community finds itself locked in
network OF crafty arrangements from
which escape seems impossible.
l saw negro presidents of negro Demo-
cratic clubs. When asked why they had
formed or Joined these clubs, they replied
that they were sick of the confusion and
misery of the country. They thought that
the promises made to them had not been
kept. They complained especially that they
had no schools. and that the school funds
were embezzled. They said that tie DEM
ocrats made fair promises, and they were
disposed to try them. Colored men made
speeches to this effect through the disputed
parishes. l saw and read an original speci-
men of circular issued by the Republican
committee to the State Supervisors of cleo
tion, in which the person addressed is or
dered to bring up the Republican vote of
his parish to certain figure, and is told
that his recognition by the future State ad
ministration will depend on the fidelity and
success with which he does this. 1t is
claimed that polls we're established at the
last moment, or in out-of-the way places and
we're not opened before the hour appointed.
In New Orleans sewing-machine circular
was sent through the Post Office to voters
who had registered. These circulars were
often misdlrected in some way or other, 30
that they were returned "not found"
Each one had a registration number on it,
and the person who held that number was
struck from the list and warrant for his
arrest issued, but not served. The cases
we're recorded in book, but the evidence
circular was attached to the warrant. A
volunteer committee indexed the book and
published the names, and after long exer-
! tion succeeded in getting back the warrants
| and circulars b as 10 bring about trial and
exculpation. There were several thousand