Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-12-15
FIRST EDITION.
The Louisiana Election.

EXTRACTS FROM YESTERDAYS DEBATE IN THE
sENATE-sENAToR sHERMAN's DEcLARA-
TIoNs-wITNEssEs " BULL-DozED."
In the debate in the Senate, yesterday,
Mr.. Sherman, of Ohio who opened it, re-
affirming the facts stated in his report to
the President, said that in seventeen par
ishes of Louisiana there was intimidation,
and as to the extent of it these gentlemen
of the Democratic committee dared not
commit themselves. He Mr.. Shermanl was
willing to stand not only before the Senate,
but before the people of the United States
and maintain that there was intimidation in
Louisiana to an extent which changed the
result of the whole election.
There was murder, riot, whipping, and
violence by the organized rifle clubs
Of the Democratic Party. The members
of the Senate, as Senators and men, ought
to keep their minds cool and deliberate to
decide the questions now pending. The
Electoral vote of three or four States was
in dispute. AS to South Carolina, he be-
lieved that 1t was conceded by all that the
Electoral vote was for Hayes and Wheeler.
Messrs. Randolph and Withers denied
that there was any such concession.
MIR. Sherman, resuming, said the vote of
Florida and Louisiana was in dispute. AS
to Oregon, he did not think that case would
rise to the dignity of diepute. He be-
lieved the Democratic candidate himself
would scorn to hold the Office Of President
in pursuance of such fraud.
Mr.. West, of Louisiana, said that in the
election of 1872 when the whole machinery
of election was in the hands Of Democrats,
and the Returning Board was composed en-
tirely of Democrats, parish after parish
was thrown out, without even an affidavit
or protest from the Supervisor. They were
thrown out upon affidavits made in the city
of New Orleans ten days after the election.
1t mattered not what the Returning Board
of to-day did, it had abundant precedent in
the acts of its Democratic predecessors.
He denied that the act of the Louisiana
Legislature of 1872 repealed the Election
Law of 1870 and said that the act of 1872
was to provide for the purity of elections,
and that it would have been an absurdity to
pass law to preserve the purity OF cleo
tions and, at the same time, repeal all cleo
tion laws, and say there should be 10 cleo
ton.
Mr.. Morton said the great question be-
fore the GLouisiana Returning Board WAS
that of intimidation, murder and violence.
The country wanted to hear about these
crimes. 1t wanted to hear from the Demo-
cratic comm ttee which visited New Orleans
in regard to this intimidation. The report
of that committee touched this great ques-
tion of intimidation with single paragraph
not as long as his finger. Mr.. Morton then
read from 1.-The report of the Democratic
committee, and said it admitted that vio-
lence existed in Louisiana, but said it was
because the Government of the State was
Government of usurpation.
Mr. Bayard argued that because crime
and lawlessness prevailed in Louisiana, Gas
declared by Mr.. Shermans report it was a
reflection on the Republican Governor who
did not enforce the rule Of law. "The
Judge is condemned when the guilty es-
cape" was a maxim older than the lam
| guage we speak.
Mr.. Sherman replied in substance that
the lawless opposition of the organized
| young white men, who rode rOugh-shod
| over the negroes, made it impossible, in
some parts of the State. In some parish
es it was impossible to even hold count
II this intimidation and violence should
be successful in electing President now
the same violence would soon extend all
| over the United States, and our Government
would be at an end. He did not want to
see war of races, but it would come un-
less the negroes in the South were gwen
the rights guaranteed them by the Consti-
tuition. The real trouble was in the at.
tempt by Democrats in the midst of this
| Presidential trouble to organize party on
| the color line, and make man President
of the United States who was not the
choice of majority of the American peo-
| Pile. He believed the minds Of the people
North and South were daily going forward
to the conclusion that these crimes of the
rifle clubs Of the South must not be per-
| mitted.
Mr.. West said he had received night be-
fore last, telegram from the United
States Marshal in Louisiana, informing him
that the witnesses who had been to New
Orleans to testify before the Returning
Board in regard to outrages, upon their re-
turn to their homes had been driven there
from, and some of them killed. He re-
ferred to the argument of Mr.. Bayard, and
said it was on account Of the encourage
ment received in Congress, in 1874 that a
Democratic mob arose in New Orleans and
attempted to overthrow the State Govern
ment, at the cost of fifty or sixty lives.