The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-12-13
The Louissana Crfuse..


the open sessions Of the kellogg Return
Board in Louisiana, has Just appeared. It
is pamphlet Of seventeen pages, and re-
views the law and facts OF the case with
singular clearness, and exposes the Illegal
and atroctous acts of the Kellogg Board
with an ansparing hand. 1t is addressed
to Hon. Abram S. Hewitt, at whose request
the commissioners went to Louisiana after
the President had selected only Republi-
cans to represent the Administration. 1t
opens with reference to and extracts from
the Republican reports on the Kellogg frauds
OF 1872 and 1874, and presents concisely the
law relating to the Board, and disputes its
jurisdiction entirely, as the act Of 1872,
under which the Board is created, omits all
reference to elections for presidential
electors, while = the net OF 1870 ex-
pressly provides for computing and GER
tifying such votes by the Governor, Secre.
tary OF State, Acknowledgement and dis
trict judge. The Jurisdiction Of the Board
was objected to also on the ground that the
act is unconstitutional, and again because it
was Illegally constituted for want Of mi
nority representative, as imperatively re-
quired By the law.
A review Of the act creating the Board
shows conclusively that its powers were
uuired "to canvass and compile the state
ments OF the commissioners OF election !"
and proclaim the result, unless the commits
sioners OF election or the supervisors i'm
pose additional duties by reports Of intimida-
ton or fraud accompanying the returns. 1t
shows that no outside protest can be enter
tanned, and the violent and illegal proceed
ings OF the Board in receiving complaints
about parishes, which were afterthoug hts,
to give some excuse for rejecting them,
are characterized with just severity.
The report very carefully reviews the
action OF the Board in its shifting posi-
tons to escape a just computation Of the
vote Of the State, and shows that the honest
return OF the vote OF the State gave the
highest Tilden elector S,957 majority over
the lowest Hayes elector, and a majority Of
$500 for the lowest Tilden elector over the
highest Hayes elector. This vote was vio-
lently changed in secret session to give the
Hayes electors from 1926 to Alp, and how
the result was reached is still withheld from
the public.
On the subject Of intimidation the report
deals frankly with the question. The sum-
ming up on that disputed issue and the
closing appeal Of the commissioners to the
country is as follows:
as it has been accessible to us, discloSes q
state OF lawlessness in certain parishes, not
in the State generally, about the cause of
which parties are not agreed. The Demo-
Gratis attribute it to the inefficiency and inn
becility Of the State government, which
they allege to be usurpation, resting
wholly for support On the Federal army,
without the confidence or respect of the
people, and without the disposition to pre-
vent or punish crime which they can per-
vert for political uses. Such a state Of
things, rs might be expected, has led to dis
order, and, in some instances. to the most
shocking barbarities. ... ... a.
The Republicans, on the other hand, at
tribute the lawlcssness to the hostility OF
| the white against the colorcd race, and as
| largely due to politics.
The murders and outrages which have
been brought to our notice are frequently
committed by persons of the same race
upon each other, and in large majority OF
eases have no political significance. Many
such cases were brought to henotice Of the
Board by er parte atfidavits, without re-
gard to the time OF their occurrence, and
when they did not have the slightest con-
nection with the recent election. Strangely
enough, it is assumed by the Republicans,
government for years, that if they could
show that lawlessDess prevailed in certain
| localities and crime went UNPUBLISHED that
those facts furnished a reason why they
should be continued in power, notwith-
| standing the large majority OF ballots cast
against them. ... -. ... 80 /. -..t
Another assumption of the Republicans
| is that all the .eolored men in the State are
necessarily Republicans. This is by no
means true. We were visited by a large
number Of colored persons from different
parts Of the State, including the alleged
| disturbed districts, who made speeches and
| took an active part in the canvass in favor
of the Democratic ticket, and who gave
among other reasons for so doing that they
had been deceived by the Republican Off
Gals, who had proved dishonest and cor
rupt, had robbed them of their school
money. and burdeled them with unneces-
sary taxes, and that they believed it for the
interest Of the colored race to unite their
fortunes with the whites, whose interests,
like their own, were identified with the
State.
1t is certain that thousands of colored per-
sons voluntarily and actively supported the
Democratic ticket. The entire vote of the
State at the recent election is about fifteen
thousand greater than ever before, and even
in the parishes where intimi dation is
charged it exceeds in the aggregate any pre-.
Yious vote. The congressional committee,
which, it is understood, will soon visit the
State armed with authority to send for per-
sons and papers, and inquire into all the
facts connected with the recent election and
the action Of the Returning Board, will
have greater facilities for arriving at the
truth than we possess, but with the law and
such facts before us as have been disclosed
by the action Of the Returning Board, we
do not hesitate to declare that its proceed.
ings as witnessed by us were partial ano
unfair, and that the result it has announced
is arbitrary, Illegal, and entitled to mo re-
spect whatever. ~ 'i- -..- ,.'.' ~
Fifteen years ago, when Fort Sumter was
fired upon by men who sought dlsrup-
| ton OF the, Union, a million patriots, with
out regard to party affiliations, sprang to It's
defence... Will the same patriotic citizens
now sit idly by and see representative gov.
eminent overthrown by usurpation ano
fraud? Shall the will Of forty millions Of
people, constitutionally expressed, be
thwarted by the corrupt, arbitrary, and ille'
sal action OF an ,ilegally-eonstituted Re.
turning Board in Louisiana, whose wrong
| full action heretofore, in all respects similar
/ to its present action, has been condemned
| by all parties? 1t is an admitted fact that
Mr.. Tilden received q majority OF quar-.
ter ofra million Of the votes at the recent
election. This majority is ready and will
| ing to submit to the rule Of the minority
when constitutionally entitled to demand
such submission, but is it willing that by an
arbitrary and false declaration OF votes in
Io,,isiona the minority shall uSurp the