Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-12-06

scared and ran away. That this man
who had interrupted him, killed
colored man the same evening ant
escaped. He said that he was him
self born and raised in Louisiana
and until he made that trip stumping
he did not believe the many stories
of violence he had heard.
While sitting with the Returning
Board, when Madison Parish wal
opened, the affidavit of the judges ol
election at Poll No. s was read, stat
ing that shortly after the polls were
cleared, a party of armed men ap'
pcared and took forcible possession
Of the ballot boxes and poll book and
carried them away, since which time
they had never seen them. To the
best Of their belief the Hayes electors
had majority of about sixty votes
All of the incidents related, are what
are called "bull-dozing," and were
employed with more or less effect in
15 parishes in all. To show the effect
of such intimidation, I will cite East
Fcliciana Parish, which in 1870 cast
l,273 republican votes, in 1872 cast
1,696 republican votes, and 1874 cast
1858 republican votes, this year cast
one republican vote. Ouachita Par
ish, which in 1874 gave a republican
vote of l,694, this year cast only 7Sl
republican votes-or, lin other words,
the Is parishes which since 1870 have
been giving a republican vote varying
from $500 to 1850, this year only
poc 90 vaSv hxy ~
democrats. The claim of the Louis
lana republicans is that this disparity
was occasioncd by overwhelming
and wholesale violence, bloodshed
and murder, and the intimidation re-
sulting thcrcfrom, seems to be clear
and conclusive. l talked with many
southern democrats, and found them
always ready TO discuss the situation.
Their answer to all the stories of vio-
lencc, was to say, in many cases the
blacks we're flogged for various often
scs, and that they were liable in the
South to acts Of violence, and referred
me to the fact that mob occasional
ly hung man in the North. The
violence in the South always occur
about election times. / met quite
good many northern men who had
located in business in New Orleans.
They generally Informed me that they
were now democrats, and could live
South as well as North. will give
you n case of a Mr.. Blaisdcll, son
of the Governor of Nevada, who
with his father-in-law, wife and sis
ter, bought one of the best plantations
in st. Tammany Parish, moved on it
and went TO work. They took no
part in politics, but in the nature of
things it was known in the parish
that they were republicans. From
that day no white woman ever enter
cd their house. Blaisdelfs stock
gradually disappeared, his colOred
workmen were called OH and whip
ped. Being one among a very few
white republicans in the parish, he
was this fall candidate for the Leg
islature, and beaten about ninety
votes. The Supervisor of Registra-
ton filed protest against the cleo
ton on account of intimidation, and
Mr.. Blaisdell was called upon by
who notified him that if
he was seated by the Returning
Board. he could not live longer in the
parish, The facts i'm this case were
given me by Mr.. Osborne, a brother
in-law of Mr.. BlaisdelI. In four or
five cases / was informed by white
men in New Orleans, that they would
vote the republican ticket, but could
not afford to loscl their business. and
General Bussey, well known here.
also assured inc that such was the
fact.
Personally, I would not live in
Louisiana, if ] were presented with
ono of thc'bcst plantations in it. To
my mind, the object of the leading
ultra spirits of the State seems to be
the keeping under subjection the
white conservative clement, by threats
of ostracism in business and society,
md by intimidation control the black
vote as completely as they used to
own them, and with ssSolid South"
will dictate to the democratic party,
and will control the country as posi-
lively as they did in the palmiest
days of slave power. Yours respect
fully. w. A. McGREw.