Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-11-28
From an Occasional Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Monday, Nov. 20, 1876

From an Occasional Correspondent
| WASHINGTON, Monday, Nov. 20, 1876.
| propose to prove by evidence and official sta
tics that if there had been free and fair election
in the Gulf States there would have been no ques-
| ton, not only as to the triumph of the republican
candidate foi the Presidency, but that the republic
can party would have decisive ma orily in the
| For;y-fffh Congress. To establish these state
mems shall rapidly review the condition of af
| fairs in South Carolina, Florida. Georgia, Alaba-
! ma, NJ ssissppi AID Texas. | shall then glance at
| the returns from North Carolina, and exhibit a
| strong probability that the democratic victory
there the result of preconcerted and audscious
| frauds. Referring only to the long series of let
| tiers already published in the Daily Times during
the campaign, and since, and to the two thousand
pages of afhdavits and Official documents in the
report of the Mississippi Investigating Committee
volumes which every American who values the
future peace and stability OF the country should
procure and study-l shall assume that the in
| dctmcnt that charges Mississippi with reyolu-
| tionary victory has already been fully demon
| straed.
| / turn now 20 LOUISIANA
| Bat first, ! must direct attention TO the crafty
and the misleading policy of the dcringer demo
Gratis. To-day, one paper discusses the character
of Keogg's Administration. Another demands
| to know whether a Returning Board is consti'u
tional A third debate whether il has judicial or
only ministerial duties A fourth decides that the
votes actually returned should be counted. Let
me ask How do the people of Louisiana vote
when they have free election I That is the ques'
| ton of the hour.
| Loui, is republican State by at lcasttwer-
| ty thousand majority.
| In 1870, by the United States by at least twenty
| thousand majority.
Ia 1870, by the United States census, Louisiana
| Ol
Whites, S7O76
Coored, 6S9l3
| An apparent white voting majority of l6l
But apparent only, for by the same census (page
| 621, it is seen that while in Louisiana
| The aggregate male population is 1899
The number Of citizens IS l5900l
A difference of l4,97S
| This represents the unuaturalized foreign popu-
lation-French English, and Italian, who partly
to escape taxes and jury duty, partly from their
own national pride, refuse to become citizens of
| the United States In New Orleans alone there
are 9,ljl unnaturalized foreigners. This leaves
a black majority in Louisiana of nearly 5000
| Thi, was in 1870.
But since that time that there has been no con-
siderable immigration Of whites int Louisiana
| Thousands of young men have gone to Texas and
| Arkansas, and to the Northern and Pacific States.
| New Orleans was losing its commercial import
ance before the by the construction of lines of
railroad 10 the sea-board from every point on the
on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers. These
roads were even then cutting off the vast trade of
the Mississippi valley, which once had almost it's
only outlet in New Orleans. During the rebellion
the Delta City was sealed to Northern commerce.
and railway facilities of transportation multiplied
| When peace came back the trade did not come
back. 1t It'll kept in the overland route that war
| had forced TO make. The construction of rail
| roads northerly from Texas was another cause of
the depressihn Of business in New Orleans.
So, to-day New Orleans is no longer the New
York of the Mississippi valley, but only the chief
city Of the State of Louisiana; and it offers no
longer the splendid inducements for the ambitious
young men Of the South which caused it to be
their mercantile Mecca in the days of slavery.
The whites emigrate now The increase of the
whites since 1870, it is believed has been the nat
ural increase only.
1t has been different with the blacks. They
have immigIated in countless numbers. The
planters drew them from far east as North Caro-
lima, to some extent under the promise of high
wages although most of them went back again.
unpaid.s After the kn-klux operations in Geor-
gis, by which the colored republicans were prac-
tically DISTINGUISHED. swarms of negro laborers
from the "black bet' emigrated to Mississippi and
Louisiana. 1t was estimated that 10000 OF them
settled in Mississippi The Chairman of the Dem
ocratic State Committee, in speaking Of the politi-
cal future OF Mississippi nth Gov. Ames referred
ominously to "the black cloud from the East"
In the summer of 1875, during the campaign Of
| Assassination and terrorism in Mississippi there
xas' great exodus of negroes into Louisiana.
That State has gained not less than so 900 blacks
| Now, although there are no Trustworthy official
statistics to establish these statements ali well-n
| formed Louisiana men attest them. They are
| facts universally admitted They show that The
| disproportion between the republican and demo-
cratic voters has largely increased since 1870 and
in favor of the republican party.
| But shall waive the increase since 1870. a. |
| cannot demonstrate it by official records and con-
fine myself TO the votes since 1868 and to the cen
sus of 1870.
There and thare have alweys bot at least s. 900
white republicans in Louisiana. Mr. Mcmillan.
(Greely independent in his contest for a seat in
the United States Senate was forced to admit the
truth Of this statement although he tried to des-
troy its political value by the unsupported theory
white republican vote. He said
MY impression always has been that there
have been about as many colored people who voted
in opposition to the republican ticket and that
| 1000 or 5000 would cover the entire number
throughout the State"
Even admitting this theory, which is not based
on fact and drawing the lines strictly in politics
and without reckoning the increase since 1870,
there stil remains, on the basis, an overwhelming
majority for the republicans. Not less. by anY
mode of computation, than Is, 900.
| V.
What do the election returns show
There have been six State elections in louisiana
| since 1868.
In April. 1868, in the election for governor, the
hepuhlican vote WAS 65 ,270
| DEMOCRATIC vote was, 3i,llS
republican majority of 27,l52
| In November, 1868, ia the Presidential election.
when Seymour was candidate the
Democratic vote was, 1894
hepuolican vote was, Al ,5l3
|
a democratic majority of 4546l
| In 1870 at the election for Auditor, the
| Republican vote was, G5,53l
| Demociatlc vote was 4l,0la
| republican majority of N5ls
In 1872, in the election for governor, the
Republican vote was, 72e9(
Democratic vote was 64,O7!
republican majority of 1881
ln 1874, in the election for Treasurer, the
Republican vote was, 70,444
Democfatic vote was, $685.
A republican majority Of l,S6t
Three Of these returns are entitled to no respect
because one Of them was not honestly made aps
two OF them were the result of terrorism
The Gubernatorial election in 1868, in April
was an honest one. The Presidential yo,e of iS6i