Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-12-13

NyONtrQ0-
and upon the election OF the latter to the Senate
year after Mr.. Wells bec.me Governor OF the
State, to viii b Office he was aim st unanimously
reelected under the reconstruction plan of Presi-
dent Johnson. His experience in public fe has
been great and varied ano his capacii ~ to dis
charge the duties assumed cannot be Ques toned
Gen. anderson was born II Virgins. has resided
| forty years and IL cousin sf Ger. Anderson who
commanded Fort Sumter 1t the outbreak of the
War. tie was educated lawyer, is owner of
and carries on several Plantations, is widely
! known and highly respe throughout the Staie:
| has been intimately associaed in the promotion
OF social and industrial interests ofhis Parish ana
has represented IL in both branches Of the Legis-
| lature more than twenty years. Mr. Casanase,
the third member Of the Board. is man of intel
lgence. of excellent character and business han.
its. not dependent on office for living, not seek
| ing 1t, but we'll educated citizen. who has long
| conducted prosperous and respectable business
| in the city of New Orleans. Mr.. keaner, junior
member of the Board. IL young man born and
reared in the city OF New Orleans, intelligent an
active, who for some time in charge of he
Street Commissioners Bureau IN tue Department
! of Public Works
! PROOFS.
We will now present such IN outline of proofs
| as disclosed not only violen,c and intimidation
as to prevent fair election il the several Parishes
aud many polls but disclose also that these grave
| ofenses We're committed in pursuance of pre-
| concerted and settled plan fonned by the Demo
cratic leaders TO prevent kepablicsn voters from
attending the polls, and thai such purpose was &C.
| tually accomplished, as not only to interfere with
| the purity ard freedom of election, bul materially
! 10 change its result To illustrate how carefully
! the political campaign considered and the
! plan mentioned contrised by the leaders of the
| Democratic party it is instructive to refer 10 a
| cir ular issued from the rooms of the Democratic
| Conservative State Central Committee az
| New Orleans, marked confidential" and
| signed by j. W. Patton, President, aud 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 foreboding- should be in
duged in; that the result OF the election should
be spoken of loregone conclusion. rs we have
means of carrying the election and intend to do so:
| but be careful to say and donothing that can be
construed into threat of intimidation of any
| 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 on
horseback 10 the central rendezvous stating that
| proceedings of this character would impress the
negro with sense of your united strength" and
II further recommended that ON the day of election
| at each polling place there should be ailidavits
prepared to the effect that there had been no ntim
| idation and no disturbance on account of any eff
| forts by the Democratic Conservative party to
prevent any one from voting account of race,
| color or previous condis lion OF servitude. Thus
! carefully guided from the central Democratic au-
| thoritv by this secret and confidential circular,
ged to impress on the timid blacks by no setback
professions a of the uni ed strength of their
| 70 mer masters, and warned to prepare blank aili
/ dlyits i'll advance that no terrorism had been ex-
ercised, the next and not least impo tant part OF
i
| whe 9. having the means to carry the election
and intending 10 use them, as stated in the circu
I, lar, they could do so with the most effect There
! were in the state of Louisiana on The day of
! election 9296 white registe ed voters, and
II ,5iu colored. majority Of the after of .23 4.
| 1t is well known that, il left free To vote unin
! fuenced by violence or intmidat on, the blacks
would be almost unanimously Republican.
| and that with the white Repaid can vote its ma
| jofity W uld be about equal to ttat above indi-
| Gated. The plan appears to have been to select
| n violence X few
Parishes possible, for in forty of the fifty
/ Parishes where these were not employed the Re
| publican majority TO-, bu TO select those in
! which the color d vote. as compared with the
| white, would be large unless unawtullv prevent
! ed for in so doing 1t might be expect d that,
| should any majority they could thus obtain in
! such Parishes be rega ded, thes would neverthe
| less attain their purpose by the suppression of
! large Republican vote. In pursuance of this plan,
Ave of the Parishes selected in which the greatest
| violence and intimidation were practicei were
| East and West Felciana, which border upon that
| portion of Mississippi in which murder and out
/ RACES 70 prevailed during and preceding the
election substantially TO prevent any
| Republican vote; East Baton Rouge.
/ which borders on the southern portion of
East Feliciana; Morehouse, which adioins the
| State Of Arkansas; and Ouachi n, which adjoins
and lies directly south of Murehouse. The geo
graphical posi- ion of these i've Pa ishes was well
! suited to the purpose to be attained, for 1t was
| easy tor members of clubs formed therein and
who usually perperated their outrage with
masked faces, 10 pretend that they commit
ted by border rnifia FROM Mis- issippi and Ar
I kansas, where like outrages had been perpe.
! trated The location OF these five Parishes W
not, however. better suited to the plan to be ac-
! complished than was the great d,sproporton ex.
| listing therein between the number of white and
! colored voters The former numbered but Ia,
! the latter 1924 majority Of the latter equal to
more than one-third Of the entire majority
! of the colored voters in hfty-seven Parishes
Of the State The returns of votes actual
! ly cast in these five parishes suggest that
the clubs to whom was assigned the task OF
/ securing Democratic ma orties therein had per
| formed their work Of violence and intimidation
| etectualY whilst the prof dlsc!oses brief sum
| maries of portions OF which are hereto annexed,
| that, where violence and intimidation were in
! snincient murder mining mntilat on, and
whipping were resorted to. Ins cad of maj ority
| of 5000 1000 which The Republicans should
| have had in these Parishes upon fair election.
! there was actually returned to the Returning
| Board Democratic majority for the Parishes OF
! East and West Eel ciana, Murehouse, and
/ Ouachta Of 1878. and in East Felicana, where
/ the registered coored voters number =, not
Republican vote for Elector cast. In tast
| Baton Rouge, containing 1859 coorCd voters and
| but sol whites: the Democrats claima majortyof
6l7 which, but fortso Jecti n Of several polls by
/ the Commissioners and supervisors oi Election,
| would have been returned to the Returning
| Board as votes actually cast If, 10 the Demo
| cratic ma orty from the -four Parishes IA above
| stated we add the blG as claimed and insisted
! upon before the Returning board a Democratic
majority of 44o II the result of an election IN ave
Parishes containing 1924 colored Republicans
| aud 5l3f white democratic yoes. The cghcln-
/ sion that intimidation and violence alone could
have produced this Is almost irresistible. and that
! sach Influences were employed and were supple
/ meuted by murder when that was thought neces-
sary il established by the proofs already referred
/ TO. 1t but confirms the concu ion to refer TO the
vote cast in these i've Parishes in Is a. when ~
| special matters existed for use OF cruel
means to influence the election The Re
publican majority therein then 1879 a
result 50 suggestive OF violence and int midai on
! was obtained by means he most terrible and re-
/ voting. Organized clubs Of masked armed me
( formed a. recommended by the Central democratic
/ Committee, rode through the country OF night,
/ marking their cDnrse by the wh piping, -hoDt ~,
/ wounding. manning, mutiiatinp. and murder Of
I women and children, and defenseess men, whose
4 houses were forci ly entered while they slept,
/ and as he inmates He'd through fear. Tia. pist ]
! and the rine The anife nd Inc rn.e NH..Le eIn-