New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-11-26

The Louisiana law in all these respects
prior to 1870, conformed in general out
line to the laws of other States. Tn
last election held under this la,
WAS the election held in Novem
Der, 1868. In 1870 the law wa
changed, and wide departure take
in the methods of election and in tn
powers and duties Of the respective off
GERS of election from the old law of tn
State and from the laws Of other States
The most material change, however, an
the one around which the other mi
nor changes were grouped was this
In depSiving the commissioners of cleo
ton presiding at the several poll
Of the function and authority which sucl
officers had previously exercised, Of max
ing the final and official count Of the vote
and of making the certificate or return
of the same, which constituted the priml
focie evidence Of election; then, j,
lessening the number of returning officer
to five for the whole State, and investing
these officers with the above named func
tions and authorities of returning officers
namely. those of making the final ant
official count. and the only certificate ant
return of election known to the law. Tn,
law then went further, and invested thes,
i've returning officers with another power
namely, when in any section or precinc
Of the State the election had been multi.
fed by Wholesale violence, disturbance,
riot or intimidation, or by Wholesale fraud,
the power to examine into the nature and
extent of these acts of violence or fraud
and where they had been of such nature
and extent as to render the election null
and void, 80 to declare, and to refuse to
count the so-called votes, which had thus
been made null and void. .....
Thus stating concisely the material
change made in the law of election, by
the legislation of 1870, I will proceed,
TO state briefly some OF the principal
facts in the history of the State, prior to
the enacting of the law which led to
this change. For period of about five
or six months prior to the election of 1868,
this State was the theatre of much and
widely extended violence, bloodshed and
murder. Owing to many causes, proba-
bly, those resulting from the war just
closed, and from the dissatisfaction Of
large class Of people with the changes
which had been wrought by the results of
the war, the political opposition, during
the canvass, to the Republican party took
the shape Of q secret and armed political
society, known as the Knights of the White
Cdmelia. BY the records of the legislative
congressional committee, known as the
Stevenson committee, whose report
was made to Congress in 1869, in which
the ritual, constitution and history of this
secret and armed political club were pub
ishec, it will be seen that it had branches
In almost every parish of the State of Lou
isiana. It will also be seen by reference
to the report of the Stevenson committee,
that there was o wide and extended terror
throughout the State among Repub-
icans, and especially colored people, and
that the chief ihstrumentality Of spread
ing this terror was this secret political
organization.
By reference to the same report it will
also be seen that planters and merchants
throughout the State bound themselves in
resolutions and in clubs to prescribe in
business and in employment persons who
voted against the Democratic party. By
reference to the same authority it will
be seen, by extracts from the different
Democratic newspapers of the time in this
State, that the Democratic press of the
State in some cases advocated violence
and bloodshed for political ends; in other
cases covertly and secretly encouraged it,
and in no case openly condemned it. Ex-
tracts from the New Orleans Times, New
Orleans Picayune, New Orleans Crescent,
New Orleans Commercial Bulletin, st.
Martin Courier, Shreveport Times, Plant |
ers' Banner, Baton Rouge Democratic
and Alexandria Democratic |
and reference to the files Of |
that year Of these papers, will give abund-
ant and astonishing proof as to the extent |
to which the newspaper press went in |
and encouraging blood |
shed for political ends.
During that year, from September until |
November, five horrible massacres Of col |
ored people were perpetrated by the DEM
ocrsts. On the twenty-eighth of Septem-
Der, 1868. in the parish of st. Landry,
massacre occurred Of colored people,
which lasted from three to six days, and |
during which from 200 to 300 people were
KILLED; between the twentieth and thir-
tieth of September, similar massacre oc- /
cured in the parish of Bossier, which
lasted from three to four days, during
which over 200 colored people were killed;
in the parish of Caddo, in the mouth OF
October, over forty colored people were
killed; in the parish of Jefferson, in the
month of October, forty persons were
killed and wounded; in the parish of st.
in the month of October, an
other horrible massacre occurred, which
lasted tor three days, during which over
lOO people were killed and wounded in the
parish of Orleans, in the months of SEN
tember and October, two attacks were
made upon Republican professions, du-
ing which about sixty persons were
kilied; in the parish of st. Mary, in DC.
;ober, 1868, the sheriff and parish Judge.
both Republicans, were publicly assas-
mated at their houses by an armed BODY
# men in the town of Franklin; similar
Icts of violence, and other outrages were
,erpetrated upon colored and white Re-
2ublioaas in thirty.6ve parishes Of the
stats, record Of which is contained in
he Legislative and congressional reports |
b which Ihave referred. The total SUM
ming up Of the murders that took place
or political reasons, in the months Of
Isptsnbsr. Octohsr and Nevsmbss; 1853 |
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