Litchfield enquirer., 1876-12-07

that T have no symr thy with the so-call- cd republican state government here, and shonld not weep f, see it go overheard. But tho unfairness of forcing the blacks to vote the way they don't want to. when such forcing elects a president of the Uni ted States, is calculated to make the aver age man call for a fair vote as well as fair count -ss-is' 5. A.-fgir count" here-that is, a count of all the votes cast-elects Tilden. The question simply is. Should We go behind that vote and show that it was obtained l by force and gross intimidation? That is what the returning board are doing. They are not only looking into the ballot-box- es. but going behind them to see if help l less class of voters had a fair show. have mentioned in my dispatches the fact that numbers of colored democrats have been brought in from the disturbed par ishes to confer with the northern. demo- crats now here. sent you what the blacks said upon such occasions, or, rath- or, the drift of their remarks. On the | face of things they arc approved as gen. luine democrats, who thought they and the country would get along better under democratic rule. 2 Que of these men-I will not say what parish he was from, or when he called, or anything that might get him into trouble; but it is enough to know that when be was alone with some republicans, with full assurance that his name should no
 be revealed, he said that every black man ] was at heart republican, and the reason that they voted so largely with the demo- crats in his parish was because ''they
 wanted shelter" His people say that re- publican rule was very distasteful to the
 whites-in fact, that they wouldn't have
 any more of 1t. The whites declared that every black man who voted with them should have the amplest protection; he
 should never be molested, he should have
 plenty of land to cultivate and good wages, and schools for his children. ' But f Ile needed not the summons to help las rid the state of radical robbers. why,
 then he must look out for himself. And if he wanted land to cultivate, he must get it for himself. And if he wanted work to do. he must go to the radical car
 pet-baggers. ee .
 | Such were the influences used. I am I glad to know that in most instances 1t was no worse. And l am glad to know. fur
 ther, that the republican stories of mur-
 der are exaggerated. Murder there has
 been, but happily less of it than the re-
 publican organist brings himself to be- Iieve. Stories are going from here that
 must shock the moral sense of the nation. Sadly I say it, some of these are true. But not all. thank heaven-not all.
 NEW YORK, Tuesday, Nov 21. Judge Matthews arrived at Cincinnati,
 Monday, from New Orleans, and stated lit as his opinion in relation to Louisiana affairs that, with free and fair election,
 the State is, beyond question, Republi- can: that fair canvass of the votes &C., cording to the laws of that State and ac- cording to justice and right will give the electoral vote of the State to Hayes; that the election as conducted in many of the parishes was farce and fraud upon popular government: that the face of the returns, including those of the intimida- ! ted parishes, will show @ majority for the Democrats of not over 400O, but revis- 1 ion of the returns as required by law will give the Republicans decisive ma- iority; that the mistakes 1n regard to the Republican electors in one of the parishes will not amount to over four hundred votes, and will not affect the general re- suit. The returning board he believes will act fairly and impartiallY, following the letter and spirit of the law. The ev- idence in regard to violence and intimi-
 dation in many of the parishes is over- whelming. As an illustration may be mentioned the case of one voting precinct where the colored men were marched to the polls between lines of armed white
 men and compelled to vote the democrat ic ticket, and then marched to another
 place where they received certificates that
 they had so voted, which were to protect them from violence. That the action of the returning board ought to give the
 state to Hayes, and that it ought to set
 tie the controversy in the minds of all
 fair and intelligent men, he firmly be-
 heves, but that the Democrats. as party
 will so accept the result he has grave olence and intimidation, however, will be
 fully reported. and the people of the North will have an opportunity to judge for themselves, The members of the re- turning board are fair men and are as fully entitled to confidence as any board that might be selected for like purpose in this city, Dispatches are sent to the North from New Orleans by the Demo crats of that city, who do not believe what they telegraph. It cannot be de- nied by any candid or fair minded man that Louisiana is Republican state, and that an election conducted without vi- olence or intimidation or fraud would
 have placed the result beyond dispute.
 The white people of the Southern States
 do not, however, talk war, they know, too we'll, what that would mean. They know that there IS a magazine in their midst,
 that if touched by the fire of civil war, would explode with an effect that would
 be destructive and uncomfortable. If
 the Northern people want free govern
 ment, controlled by popular suffrage, they must stand for that which is legal and manfully insist upon the enforce
 ment of the constitution and the laws. This is known to the Democrats as we'll
 as the Republicans, but the former set out to carry the state for Tilden at all
 hazards and without regard to law,justice
 or human life, and. they are not now dis
 posed to give it up Where there was
 peace at the voting precinct in what are called "the bulldozed" parishes it was
 the result of violence and intimidation
 that preceded, And where the colored
 men voted the Democratic ticket they did
 so in most cases to save their lives. It is
 the opinion of Judge Matthews that if the
 negroes were in any degree as vindictive. cold -blooded and cruel as the lawless
 whites, the south would be devastated,
 but the colored people bear what the
 white people would not endure for a sim gle day. They are the victims of their
 docility and forbearance.
 THE DEMOCRATIC VIEW.
 The opposite side of the matter is
 strongly set forth in letter from Prof.
 Sumner of Yale College to Gov. Ingersoll. .sr.f - New Haven, Nov. 21, 1876. DEAR SIR-Several gentlemen who
 have been much impressed, as I have been, by your relation of what you
 saw and heard during your recent visit
 to New Orleans respecting the political