The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-11-17

bv Messrs. Hoar, Wheeler and
.Frye. The laws inlmical to the
colored people of Louisiana referees to
in this report have been repealed for
years. Except during the schism OF
Governor Yarmouth, in 1872, Inc ne
publican party has long had control OF
the machinery of the State. The late
registration shows an excess otothe col
ored over the white voters.giyipg 9O,1Sl
colored to 1929 white. In'the absence
of any direct evidence that the late
election was not free and fair, the as
sumption by the minority that enough
colored voters must therefore have been
prevented from voting at the late cleo
ton by the recollection OF the Colia1
and Coushatta killings and by their
riots, which occurred years before, to
have changed tho result of the election
throughout the State, is an assumption
so violen:-when it Is recollected that
both these parishes elected full Kellogg
ticket by Republican majorities-as rot
to be received, If any other cause Tor
the vote of the state can be found.
Such causes exist, and are obvious.
Among them are: First, The registra-
ton was incorrect aud exceeded the true
colored vote. The registration was
wholly in the hands OF the Kellogg Off
cisl, with whom Republican committee,
with United States Marshal Packard at
their head, co-operated. In only three
parishes did the Republican supervisors
of registration make complaint OF unfair
or Observation-Disclosures. On the other
hand, very great complaint was made by
the Conservatives, who specified, with
nroof. $500 cases of conceded false regis
trstion in New Orleans alone, and those
Conservatives who had been co operating
in Joint party committee to secure talr
registration gaveiup the effort infdespalr.
The census of 1870 1.-THE correctness of
which is not impeached) showed 37,O76
whites and 86,91S colored males over Il
wears of age. All the statistics and evil
dence before US indicate no change in
this proportion in favor OF the colored
voters. Yet the registration Of cotored
voters exceeded by 1900 the total number
of colored adult males returned BY the
census, while the registration of white
voters was lO,VoV eeoo.
Second. The whole number of votes
registered was l67,604. Of these, 49,
523 voted. This is a larger proportion
of voters than usually vote in any OF the
Northern States. In an agricultural
States, sparsely settled, where long jour
news had often to be made to reach the
polls, it is unreasonable to suppose that
greater number of the registered blacks
would have voluntarily tarned opt to
sustain government under which the
prosperity of the State and their wages
and the value of their shares OF produc-
ton had steadily declined than usually
vote at elections.
Fifth. The entire want of any direct
evidence to show any general intlmlda-
ton of the colored voters. VI course, III
so large a state, 1t would be Impossible
there should be no instances of refusal
to employ nor of iutim idation. Such &C.
cur IN every state. But the evidence
certainly indicate no general lntimlda-
ton of colored voters and that SUCH IN
timldation as did exist in the state was
rather ip the interest Of the Republicans
than of the Conservatives. The U nlted
States marshals, whose chief was cnsir-
man of the Republican State Committee,
armed in some cases by blank warrants,
and aided by federal troops, made con-
slant arrests before election, but pot
afterwards. The oversight OF the enc
tions and of the returns was IN the hands
of Governor kellogg's oticlas. The
count and return did show % majority
ofmembers of the lower house elected by
the Conservatives without any protest
whatever, except in three parishes, al
though it was their province and duty TO
protest in any case where violence or IN
timidation or fraud existed.
Indeed, the direct evidence as to the
election of 1874, as well as the circum-
stances, clearly indicate Pea ;eaOIe ana
lair election, In fact, after the WISH OF
the first committee and the revisit OF the
special committee, the Kellogg party,
with all the machinery for collecting
evidence, were unable to produce IN the
entire State mora than halt dozen per
sons to testify TO anything lmpesch,hS
the freedom and fairness OF the late cleo
ton who were not otice-holders or con-
nected with office holders.
AGAINST such facts it seems to us idle TO
assume that the disturbances so Vlvidly
pictured by the minority could have kept
up throug hout tho State such feeling OF
intimidation as would justify the assump-
ton that but for that feeling the 1T ne
would have gone Republican. All 'X-
perience shows that the result OF the cleo
ton of 1874 in Louisiana, as returned to
the Returning Board, was natural, and
to be only accounted tor by the reasons
we have given.
We hold, therefore, that in November,
1874, the people of the State OF LOUISIANA
did fairly have free, peaceabie and iull
registration and election, in which clear
Conservative majority was elected to the
lower house of the Legislature, OF when
majority the Conservative party were de-
priyed by the unjust, illegal and arbl-
trary action of the Returning Board.