Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-12-20

and to examine with care the statutes unde,
which it was bound to act, and enough has
been written to show that tribunal charged
With such powers, the members Of which
were originally appointed by the Senate, ii
entitled to the respect of all citizens until il
shall be forfeited by a violation of it's Judicial
or ministerial! Obligations.
THE GREAT NATIONAL IMPORTANCE
OF the duties performed by the Board in
vested each member with much interest, and
as many reports had been circulated concern
Ing them, we were led to make some inquiries
as to their individual history. Two of them,
Hon. James Madison Wells president of the
Board, and Gen. Thomas G. Anderson, next
senior member, are Southern born, and Of old
and respected families The father of the
former was the Hon. Levi Wells, of the parish
OF Rapldes, who, in 1912, represented it in a
convention called to frame the constitution of
the State Of Louisiana. The con received q
liberal education, and was early engaged in
the care OF planting and other interests of his
father. He was a Union man from the time
the war broke out, and although he suffered
greatly from the loss Of property, he never
faltered in his devotion to the Union cause.
Under Banks reconstruction scheme he WAS
chosen Lieutenant Governor on the ticket
with Hon. Michael Hahn, who WIS elected
Governor, and upon election of the latter to
the Senate year after. Mr. Wells became
Governor of the State, to which Office he was
almost unanimously reelected, under the
reconstruction plan Of President 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 period of some
forty years; is cousin Of Gen. Anderson who
commanded Fort Sumter at the outbreak of
the war; was educated a lawyer; is owner of
and carries on several plantations; is widely
known and highly respected throughout the
State, he has been intimately associateted in
the promotion Of social and industrial interests
OF the parish, and has represented it in both
branches of the Legislature more than twenty
years. -
Mr. Cassnave, the third member of the
Board, is 8 man Of intelligence, OF excellent
character and business habits, not dependent
on office for living, and not seeking it, but a
well-educated citizen who has long conducted
prosperous and respectable business in the
city Of New Orleans.
Mr.. Kenner, 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 in charge OF the Street Commits
sioner's Bureau.
s tt. HOW 1T WAS DONE. . .
We will now present such an outline of
proofs as disclose not only violence and in
timidation sssprevent fair election in several
parishes and many polls, but disclose also that
these grave offences were committed in the
pursuance of 8 pteconcerted and settled plan
formed by Democratic leaders to prevent
Republican voters from attending the polls
aud that such purpose was actually accom-
plished as not only to interfere with the purity
and freedom of the election, but materially to
change it's result. To illustrate how carefully
the political campaign was considered and the
plan mentioned contrived by the leaders Of the
Democratic parry it Ia Instructive to refer to
circular issued from the rooms of the Demo-
cratic Conservative State Central Committee
at New Orleans, marked Confidential" and
signed by j. W. Patton. President, and P J.
Sullivan, Secretary, intended for circulation
in each parish, and recommending the forming
OF ward clubs therein. These circulars urged
that in conversation no gloomy forebodings
should be INDUCED in that the result of the
election should be spoken OF as q foregone
conclusion, as we have means of carrying the
election and intend to do 30, but be careful to
say and do nothing that can be construed into
a threat OR intimidation character. The
circular also recommended that there should
be frequent meetings of the clubs to be
formed, and that they occasionally form at
their several places of meeting and proceed
thence OH horseback to central rendezvous
would -r.,.-.
IMPRESS THE NEGRO
with a sense OF your united strength; and
it further recommended that the day OF cleo
ton at each polling place there should be
affidavits prepared TO the effect that there has
been no intimidation and no disturbance on
account Of any efforts by the Democratic con-
servative party to prevent any one from voting
GA account Of race color, or previous condition
~ nd ofY1ll i1oIf I,
central Democratic authority by this secret
and confidential circular, urged to impress on
timid blacks by horseback professions sense
of united strength of their former masters
and warned to prepare blank afidavitsc in
advance that no terrorism had been
portant part of the scheme Of these
leaders was TO select parishes whore, 'having
the means to carry the election and in
tending to use them, as stated in 8 circular,
they could do SO with the most effect. There
were in the state of Louisiana, on the day of
election, 81, 296 white registered voters and
115,310 colored. ma ority OF the latter of a.
314. It was well known, that. if left free to
vote, unlnhuenced by violence. the blacks
would be almost unanimously Republican, and
that with the white Republican vote its major
ity would be about equal to that above indi-
Gated. The plan appears to have been to select
for the purpose of intimidation and violence as
-" pcsAAoAiOS az RoSSiOiO, loA LII lOIly DdI1Su0S
where these were not employed, the
Republican majority WAS 600, but to So
lect those in which the colored vote,
as compared with the white, would be
large. unless unlawfulIy prevented, for in so
doing it might be expected that should any
majority they could thus obtain in such
parishes be rejected they would nevertheless
attain their purpose by the suppression of the
large Republican vote. In pursuance of this
plan the five parishes selected in which the
greatest violence and intimidation were
practiced were East and West Feliciana, which
border upon that portion of the Mississippi in
which murder and outrsges so prevailed dur
ing aid proceeding the election as substantial
Iy to prevent any Republican VOTE East Baton
Rouge, which borders On the southern portion
of East Feliciana, Morehouse, which adjoins
the State OF Arkansas, and Ouchita, which ad-
joins and lies directly south OF Morehouse.
The geographical position of
THESE FIVE PARISHES
was well suited to the purpose to be obtained, for
1t was easy for members Of clubs to get formed
therein and who usually perpetrated these out
RACES with masked faces to pretend they we're
committed by border ruffians from Missouri
and Arkansas, where like outrages had been
perpetrated. The location of these five par
ishes was not, however, better suited to the
plan to be accomplished than was the great dis
proportion existing therein between the num-