The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-12-21

yous, stating that proceedings OF this cha
: acter will impress the negro with a sense
: your united strength, and it is further +
! commended, that on the day of election,
= each polling place. there should be affidavit
prepared to the effect that there has been |
Intimidation, and no disturbance on accoul
, Of any efforts by the Democratic part
TO prevent any one from voting on al
: Count Of race. color, or previous condition
! servitude.''
Thus carefully guided from the Ccntrs
Democratic authority, by this secret and cor
fdential circular, urged to impress on the tin
Liz blacks, by horseback professions, the sens
ot The united strength of their former mas
tiers, and warned to prepared blank affida
wits in advance, tiat no terrorism la
been exercised, the next, and no. least
important part Of the scheme Of these leader
was to select the parishes, where, having tn
means to. carry the election, and intending t
use them, as stated III circular, they could d
50. with most effect. There We're in the Stat
OF Louisiana, on The day Of election, 92,99'
white, registered voters, and lis, $40 eolored
4 majority OF the latter Of 22,3l4. 1t was vel
! known that If left free to vote, unintlucncet
| BY violence or intimidation, the blacks would
| bealmost unanimously Republican, and that
with the white Republican votes, it majority
would be about equal to that above indicated
The plan appears to have been to select, for
purposes Of intimidation and violence, as few
parishes as possible; for, in forty Of the fifty
seven parishes, where these were not employ
ed, the Republican majority was GOO, but to
select those in which the colored vote, as
compared with the white, would be large I'M
less unlawftlly prevented: for in so doing
it might be expected that should any major
ity which they should thus obtain in such
parishes be rejected, they would nevertheless
attain their purpose by the suppression Of a
large Republican vote. In pursuance of this
islan, five Of the parishes selected in which
the greatest violence and intimidation were
practiced, were East and West Feliciana,
which border upon that portion Of Mississip-
pi in which murder and outrages so prevail
ed during and preceding the election as; sub
stantially to prevent any Republican vote;
Baton Rouge, which borders on the Scu.h-
.ern portion of East ,FeliciaEa; Morehouse,
which adjoins, the State Of Arkansas and
Ouachita, which adioins ard lies directly south
of Morehouse. The geographical portions OF
~, G,,a e,,sto tr bo
purpose to be attained, for it was easy for
members Of the clubs to be formed therein,
and who usually perpetrated their outrages
with masked faces, to pretend that they
were committed by border ruffians from Mis-
sissirpi and Arkansas, where like. outrases
had been perpetrated. The location OF these
parishes, was not, however, better suited to
the plan to be accomplished, than was the great
existing therein, between the
number Of whites and colored voters. The for
mer numbered but 5,134. and the latter
Il, 224; a majority Of the latter equal to more
than one-third Of the entire majority of col
orel votes in the fifty-seyen parishes of the
State. The returns Of the votes actually cast
in these five parishes suggested that the
clubs, to whom were assigned the task of Sc
curing Democratic majorities, therein had
performed their work of violence and intim-
idation cffectually Whilst the proof discloses
brief summaries of portions of which are
hereto annexed, that where violente and in
timidation were inefficient, murder, manning,
mutilation and whipping, were resorted to.
Instead OF 5000 or 1000, which the Republ
cans should have had in these parishes, upon
a fair election, there was actually returned
to the Returning Board a Democratic ma
iority for the parishes Of East and West Fell
ciana, Morehouse, and Ouachta, of 3,s7s,
and in East Feliciana, where the registered
colored voters number 2,127, not Republi-
can, vote for Elector was cast. In East Ba-
ton Rouge, containing 1862 colored register
ed voters, and /, s0l whites, tile Democrats
claim majority OF 617, which. but for the
rejection Of several polls by the Commission
ers and Supervisors of Election, would have
been returned to the Returning Board as the
votes actually cast. If, to the Democratic
majority from the four parishes above stated, 8
We add the Gl7 thus claimed and insisted up
the Returning Board, a Democrat
ic, majority Of 4, 495 is the result Of an. cleo
ton, in five parishes, containing 1924 colored
Republicans, and 5,134 white Democratic vo-
tiers; The conclusion that Intimidation and
violence alone could have produced this is
almost irresistible, and that such influences
were employed and were supplemented by
murder, when that was thought necessary,
is established by the proofs already referred
to. 1t but confirms this conclusion to refer
to the vote cast in these five parishes. In
1874, when no special motives existed for the
use of cruel means to Influence The election,
the Republican majority there was 3,979.-
The result: also suggestive Of violence and
Intimidation, was obtained by means most
terrible and revolving. Organized clubs OF
armed men formed as recommended by the
Central Democratic Committee, rode though
the country at night, marking their course by
whipping and shooting, wounding and MAIN
ing, the 'mutilatioil and murder of women
and children and defenseless men, whose
houses were forcibly entered whilst they
slept, and their inmates fled throught!fear.-
The pistol and the rifle, the knife aud the
rope, were employed to do their horrld work
Crimes like these, testified to by scores Of
witnesses, were the means employed in Lou
isiana to elect q President Of tile United
States. - ';+ '' '-,'i
It was by means of large mass of itesti-
moly that the adjudication has been reach
ed. The members of the. Board, acting I'M.
der oath, we're. bound by law, il convinced
by the testimony that riot, tumult. acts Of
violence, Or armed disturbance did ma
terially interfere with the purity and free
dom of the election at any poll or voting
place, or did materially change the result 0
! the election thereat, to reject the votes thu
cast, and to exclude them from their iina
\ return. OF the effect Of such testimony. th'
Board was the sole and final Judge, and if il
reaching q conclusion it exercised good faitl
and was guided by an honest desire to d
Justice, its determination should, be respect
ed. even upon like proof a different conclu
| abo1 bxyof -;