Litchfield enquirer., 1876-12-21

aand violence, far exceeded the registered
 vote of the Democratic party.
 We have thus alluded to some of the
 causes which led to the creation of this
 board, and have also called attention to
 to it's duties and the proof upon which it
 is authorized to act. It is tribunal es-
 tablished by the laws of Louisiana entire
 ly independent of the laws of any other
 State, or of the United States. It is en-
 powered. among other things, to canvass
 aud finally determine the number of votes
 legally cast for electors for President and
 Vice President of the United States; but
 in the discharge of that duty it acts ex-
 ciusively t under the authority of the laws
 It became our duty immediately on ar-
 irving in New Orleans to thoroughly un-
 derstand the constitutional powers and
 duties of this board, and to examine with
 care the statutes under which if was
 bound to act, and enough has been writ
 ten to show that tribunal charged with
 such powers, the members of which were
 originally appointed by the Senate, is en-
 titled to the respect of all citizens until it
 shall be forfeited by violation of It's ju-
 dicial or ministerial obligations. The
 great national importance of the duties
 to be performed by the board invested
 each member with much interest, and as
 many reports had been circulated concern Ing them, we were led to make some in- quiry as to thelr individual history
 Two of them, the Hon. James Madison
 Wells, President of the Board, and Gen. Thomas c. Anderson. next senior mem- Der, are Southern born, and of old and highly respectable families. The father of the former was the Hon. Levi Wells of the Parish of Rapides, who, in 1872, rep resented it in the convention called to frame the Constitution of the State of Louisiana. The son received a liberal education, and was early engaged in the care of the planting and other interests of his father. He was Union man from the time the war broke out, and although he suffered greatly by it in the loss of pro- perty, he never faltered in his devotion to the Union cause. Under the Banks's re- construction scheme, he was chosen Lieu tenant Governor on the ticket with the Hon. Michael Hahn, who was elected Governor, and upon the election of the latter to the Senate year after MT. Wells became Governor of the State, to which office he was almost unanimously re-elect- ed under the reconstruction plan of Pres ident Johnson. His experience in public life has been great and varied. and his capacity to discharge the duties assumed cannot be questioned.
 Gen. Anderson was born in Virginia, has resided in the Parish of St. Laundry for the period of some forty years, is Q cousin of Gen. Anderson who commanded Fort Sumter at the outbreak of the war; was educated lawyer; is the owner of and carries on several plantations; is vide ly known and highly respected through out the State; has been intimately asso- ciated in the promotion of social and in- dustrial interests of his parish, and has 1t in both branches of the more than twenty years.
 MT Casanave, the thlrd member of the Board, is man of intelligence. of excel lent character and business habits, not deRendent on office for living, nor seek ing it. but a we'll educated citizen who has long conducted prosperous and re- Spectable business in the city of New Or. leans. as
 Mir. Kenner, the junior member of the board, IS young man. born and reared in the city of New Orleans, intelligent and active, who was for some time Tn charge of the Street Commissioners Bureau in the Department of Improvements.
 We will how present such an outline of the proofs as disclose not only such vio- lence af d intimidation as prevented fair election in several parishes and at many polls, but disclose also that these grave otfenses were committed in pursuance of B preconcerted and settled plan formed by the Democratic leaders to prevent Re- publican voters from attending the polls, and that such unlawful purpose was so effectualiy accomplished as not only to interfere with the purity and freedom of the election, but materially to change its result. To illustrate how carefully the political campaign was considered ,and the plan mentioned contrived by the leaders ot the Democratic party, it is instructive to refer to circular issued from the rooms of the Democratic Conservative State Central Committee at New Orleans, marked "Confdential, and signed by J, W. Patten, President, and R J. Sullivan. Secretary, intended for circulation in each parish, and recommending the formation of ward clubs therein. These circulars urged that lin conversation no gloomy forebodings should be indulged in, and that the result of the election should be spoken of as foregone conclusion, as we have the means of carrying the election, and intend to do so: but be careful to say and do nothing that can be construed into 3 threat or intimidation of any character" The circular also recommended that there should be frequent meetings of all the clubs to be formed, and that they occa- forma their several places of and proceed thence on horse back to the central rendezvous, stating that proceedings of this character would impress the negroes with seuse of your united strength" And it further recon mended that on the day ''of election at each polling place there should be afida- wits prepared to the effect that there has been no intimidation, and no disturbance on account of any efforts by the Demo- cratic Conservative party to prevent any one from voting on account of race, color, pr previous condition of servitude.
 There were in the State cf Louisiana on the day of election g. .996 White registered voters and f15, ,310 Co ored-a majority of the latter of 9, ,314. 1t was we'll known that, If left free to vote uninfuenced by or intimidation, the blacks would be almost unanimously Republican, and that. with the white Republican vote, its majority would be about equal to that above indicated. The plan appears to have been to select for the purposes of
 and violence as few parishes as possible tfor in forty of fifty parishes where these were not Employed the Re- publican majority was 600). But to select those in which the colored vote, as com pared with the white. would be large un-
 less unlawfuIly prevented. for in SO doing 1t might be expected that. should any majority they could thus obtain in such parishes be rejected, they would never theless attain their purpose by the sup- pression of large Republican vote.
 In pursuance of this plan, five of the parishes selected in which the greatest violence and intimidation were practiced were East and West Feliciana, which bor- der upon that portion of Mississippi in winch murder and outrages so prevailed during and preceding the election, as sub- stantiaiiy to prevent any Republican vote; East Baton Rouge, which borders on the southern portion of East Feliciana; More house. which adjoins the State of Arkan- sas. and Ouchita. which adjoins. and lies directly south of MorehOuse