National Republican., 1876-12-15
FORTY-FOURTHs CONGRESS.
SECOND ST SsION.

N senate.
The Senate was called to order By PRESI-
DENT pro fempore FERRY at Il o'clock m.
and prayer was offered by the chaplain.
BILLS AND PETITIONS
. Bills and petitions were presented and referred
as follows:
The CHAIR laid before the Setate the
ANSWER OF THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR
to the resolution calling for information in rela-
tion to the removal of the Sioux to the Indian
missioner of Indian Affairs on the subject.
Petitions for regulating the traffic and suppress
sion Of intoxicating liquors were presented By
Messrs EATON, JOHNSTON and DORSEY, which
were referred to the Committee on Finance.
relief Of WIN. Owen. Referred to the Committee
on District of Columbia.
BY Mr.. MORRILL,: Petition and memorial Of
Managers of Girls Reform Scnool in the District
Of Columbia. Referred to the Committee on Dis
tTict of Columbia, -
gent Expenses @ Of The Senate, reported fayorabiy
the resolution in regard to
PAYMENT OF WITNESSES
before investigation committees. IL
should be made in favor of witnesses from the
Pacific coast. Debate arising, thereport was laid
over.
21st inst, he would call up the resolution in re-
gard to paying the salary Of his late colleague,
Mr.. Caperton. =.
PRESIDENTS LOUISIANA MESSAGE.
Mr.. SHERMAN called up the resolution pro,
Presidents message and accompanying docu-
ments in regard to counting the Louisiana cleo
Mr.. THURMAN desired to offer an amendment
providing that the Democratic committee report
should be stitched with and bound up with the
report made by the Republican committee, and
If the testimony should reach the Senate in sea-
son he would also include that.
SENATOR SHERMAN REVIEWS DEMOCRATIC
PAPER
Mr.. SHERMAN reviewed the report of the
Democratic committee, and said that the commit
tee bad filled up large portion of their report
with reference to the laws of 1871 and 1s72 which
did not in reality affect the result or the jursdic
tion Of the Returning Board.
Another point the democrats make is that the
vacancy in the Returning Board was mot filled,
and therefore II was not legally constituted. It
might, he said, have been proper for the board to
fill the vacancy, and had he (Mr. SHERMAN) been
vacancy with any Democrat who would serve on
1t. But the vacancy did not affect the result in
the least 1t had the same power without being
full board as It would have with every member
there. Would the Senate or House lose their
power or their existence because all the vacancies
were not filled.
He read the reason given by Gov. Wells why
the vacancy was not iIled-thst they offered the
position to six Democrats who refused to serve.
Returning Board had no authority to count the
electoral votes. He read from the law of 1s72,
showing where they obtained their suthority.
authority to count the votes Of Brewster and
Others who were disqualified by virtue Of holding
had been So fuiIy % answered that n need ' not be
further alluded to. Next, they held that the Re-
turning Board cannot take jurisdiction Of intimi-
four hours after closing of the polls. Mr.. SHKR-
MAN read from the report to show that there were
several protests before the board;
that protests were not coined In New Orleans and
laid before the board. but that they were not
made within twenty-four hours after the closing
Mr. SHERMAN said the report brought here
was q mere batch Of technicalities. There was
no question but that Intimidation,
RIOT, TuMULT AND MURDER --
existed to an alarming degree, and he did not be.
elected by gross fraud. He did not want to dis
cuss this question now, for he believed 1t was their
duty to allay excitement until the matter could
Mr.. THURMAN said this report.was q one
sided one and might present doleful picture, but
wait until the whole story comes here, and we can
then see If there is not another side to this pic
ture. They would see that there was another
as intmdaion and that word saa' Sas eHssseraUn HSn
and 1t had played very important part in the
late election: He wanted this question to go over
MT. ANTHONY said this was mere question
Of printing report, and It ought to be disposed
of at once. The type was set up, and II the extra
copies were not printed soon there would be extra
expense. He was opposed to printing in driblets,
and then Senators who caused It came here and
objected to the extravagance Of the Government
MT. THURMAN said the question of expense
of printing vas a triie. He thought there was
Country, and he thought it looked as though there
the country. The Fresieent had sent % down nIS mem
this count, mt in Which the President % had exceeded
his duty. or gone outside of his duty.
MI. EDMUNDS tinterruptingl asked the SEN
ing outside Of his duty when he sends out gentle
men to obtain informa ration for him.
right really to send persons out 70 witness any
thing, even the blowing up of He'll Gate, if he
Mr. LOGAN, (soto voce.) That might open up
a way for the Democrats to be counted In pos
Mr.. THURMAN further opposed the haste in
printing, and asked why the Democratic mem
orial presented BY Mr.. Bogy on Tuesday had not
been printed and laid before them. Had there
not been time to print that small document, or
had 1t been withheld purposelyr
Mr.. WEST said that the Senator objected to
this Returning Board for throwing out some Of
the returns. In 1872 the Returning Board was
composed entirely of Democrats, and they threw
out parish after parish without show Of founda-
tion for i, without even an affidavit charging
fraud. So If this board has done wrong they had
q good Democratic precedent for It.
Mr.. HERMAN thought It .unadvisable to dis
GUS enSs u tne merits o. these questions On mere mo
them at another time, when both sides of the
question would be before them.
Mr.. MORTON said this Democratic report was
CONFESSION OF THE CRIMES
that existed in Louisiana. They say that the In
yestigation disclosed q state Of lawlessness but
the parties were not agreed as to the causeof 1t.
And they go on to say that the Democrats there
attribute It to q usurpation Of the government,
supported by United States soldiers In other
words they admit the lawlessess and crime and
Mr.. BkYARD said there . might N be a shocking
condition OF affairs in Louisiana, but who was re-
sPonsible for It? What excuse could they give for
to that state of affairs? 1t is not the truth,
ghastly and dreadful as it is, that he wanted to
shut out, but
WHY WE'RE NOT THESE THINGS STOPPED
with Republican Governor, having the courts
and the Treasury at his commando Why did he
not arrest and punish and stop such proceedings
These shocking recitals are the results which
brought here By the Senator nom Ohio.
Mr.. SHERMAN said that Governor Kellogg
when rufisns' broke up the courts and assassi-
mated the judges. There was such o degree of
to execute the law. Unpleasant as 1t might be to
speak It. nevertheless it was tact that the In
timidation was confined to one party. White
men are not afraid Of the negroes, and when
these tumults and disorders take place 1t is not
the white men who suffer: It Is not the whites
who are killed. 1t Is almost invariably the COL
ored man, because they are determined to
PREVENT THE NEGRO FROM VOTING.
They say that it is Q humiliation and o shame to
allow the negro to exercise the right Of suffrage
Mr.. WHYTE asked If the Senator from Ohio
thought 1t wise to have the Presidential election
decided by the vote Of State where such prac-
tices prevailed.
Mr.. SHERMAN said II such q state Of affairs
existed all over the State he would assuredly
swer no; but these events were local, and took
place only in some Of the parishes. For all the
Democrats were much opposed to negro suf-
frage they had gained thirty-fye electoral votes
by the enfranchisement Of thenegro, and yet they
denied to him the right. and these troubles arose
| from such opposition. He said If he (Mr. SHER-
MANI was Governor Of Louisiana he would put q
stop TO such practices, or he would perish in the
| attempt
| Mr.. wITHERS desired to know why, II the
| negroes were afraid to vote, they were not also
| afraid to make these affdavits Of intimidation,
| and thus place themselves on record.
| Mr.. SHERMAN said many OF them were afraid
to make the afhdayits, and there was some trouble
in getting some of them.
He gave statistics to show that one in six of the
colored population could read and write, and the
proportion Of the whites who could read and write
was much less than that.
| Mr.. BAYARD again charged that the inefn
| cheney of Governor kellogg was the cause oi
| much Of the trouble that existed there. Where
/ outefda NJ tat of Iaoufsiana