New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-01-10
THE York or aogIsIaNA.


the COmmiitees Discussed and Rx-
planned.
A meeting of the Republican Reform
Club of New York city was held January 3,
at their rooms, No. 81 Madison ayenae, the
object of which was to hear an address
from General James III. Van Allen on the
impression produced on his mind by his re-
cent visit to New Orleans. Mr.. John A.
Weeks presided, and in introducing the
speaker, said: General Van Allen At
tended the canvass of the ballot of the
State of Louisiana at the request of the
President, and has made his report. Dis.
connected from partisan pOlitics-neither 9
holder of nor an aspirant for otfice-by his
social position, both at the North and the
South, and his eminently conservative
views, he is peculiarly well qualified to give
q clear and unprecedented statement of the
result of the Presidential contest in that
State. / have the honor TO present General
James H. Van Aleu-" General Van Allen
spoke as follows:
Gentlemen of the Republican Reform
Club-I acknowledge with gratitude the
invitation by which you have requested to
| take counsel with me concerning the result
Of the presidential election, and especially
concerning the electoral vote of Louisiana.
| If this club were liable to the suspicion of
being more partisan than pRtriotic-if its
proceedings were subject to the reprOach
of seeking success for the Republican party
| through any dubious avenues-my I'M
| familiarity with the practice of public
speaking would afford an easy excuse for
/ avoiding this occasion. But l esteem it
high honor for my Judgment to be
| asked as q guide or q confirmation of the
opinions of gentlemen, with whom it has
been q privilege to be associated in this
| political campaign for upright purposes
through upright means. Knowing that
| it is our common desire to ascertain the
truth and abide by it, whatever its result
/ upon the fortunes of candidates or parties,
| beg your indulgence of the awkwardness
of person unused to other arts of speech
than those of social conversation, while
L tell you briefly the substance of my obser-
| vations and inquiries in New Orleans. The
invitation with which the President hOnored
me to go to Louisiana and report to him
the truth about the election there, pre-
| sumo was owing wholly to personal &C.
Quaintance and confidence. he knew that
/ was not politician, and he did me the
credit to believe, perhaps for that very
reason, that if saw fraud or outrage on
either side would be very quick TO say SO.
Possibly, also, my opinion, well known to
him, Of the inefficieney and corruption that
have stained the civil service in the South,
and of the urgent need of reform there,
may have influenced his choice. He may
have wished to learn how the facts in Lou.
isiana impressed men of every shade of Re-
publicanism. Without further preface, let
4 me say that went to New Orleans; that,
during Q stay Of nearly three weeks there,
| l enioyed opportunities to learn the facts
necessary to pass 3 fair judgment upon the
proceedings Of the Returning Board Of the
State; that improved those opportunities
to the utmost of my ability, aided by an
extensive previous acquaintance with resi-
dents belonging to each party, and that
do not doubt that it is right and lawful to
4 L.. II. &c =. r..
Hayes and Wheeler. In my opinion,
the Returning Board of Louisiana could
not have permitted the vote of their
State to stand for the Democratic electors,
as it apparently did on the face of the re-
turns, without violating the statute, by vir-
tue of which they held office, and sanction
ing q mass of intimida alton and fraud dis
graceful to republican institutions. OF the
Intellectual acuteness of my colleagues,
whose names are attached to the report
which has been presented through Senator
Sherman to the President, / need not speak,
for it lie we'll known to the country, but
can testify to their fairness in investigation.
do not believe that impartial men could
come to any other conclusion upon the
proofs, and l deeply regret that the delega-
ton of gentlemen belonging to the Demo
cratic party, who were present bv re-
quest Of the chairman of the Demo
cratic National Committee, neither saw
fit to Join with us in o common examination
Of those proofs with view to reach
common conclusion, nor to submit their
testimony to the President and the eOun-
try together with ours, so that the people
might compare any conflicting evidence
The high character of the Democratic dele
gates, and tina manly expressions of indig
nation to which some of them gave vent
concerning certain instances Of brutal VIC
lence which were brought to their atten
ton, confirm me in the belief that com
mon conclusion would have been possible il
deplOrable Influences had not prevailed
upon them to hold themselves apart from
US. Until l was compelled to believe other
wise by their own c0nfession-and 1t is
worthy of your attention that they long
withheld their report from the public-l
was not altogether without hope that even
on their own partial and imperfect investi
gatiOn they might determine that the way
Of Justice Is to frankly approve the adjudi
cation of the vote of Louisiana to the Re
publican presidential candidates. Thu
briefly stating the result to which 1 wa
compelled by my observations in Louisiana
let me review to you, with equal brevity
the processes by which l was forced to it.
1t ia needless to discuss in this connection
the question OF universal suffrage. Speak
ing for myself alone, / deplOre the exten
sion Of suffrage to uneducated men, whit
or black, North or South. l regard 1t a
the most fruitful source of misgOvernment
both in the Northerucities and in the South
ern States. believe that one of Presiden
Grants best claims to honor consists in hi
persistent recommendations to limit it BY
educational qualifications. But it exists ii
Louisiana, and exists lawfully. The law o
Louisiana gives suffrage to men of al
Glasses and cOlOrs, and all degrees o
intelligence. The question We had to con
slider did not relate to the policy o
, this law, but solely to the distractions
which men of one class and color threw II
the way of the free exercise of suffrage b.
I men of another class and color. The regis
tration lists of the State show that tn
voting population two years ago was di
yided between the whites and the blacks II
the proportion Of76 1913 to 90,7Sl, and in tn
: wear 1876 to g., 1896 to 1880. But on tn'
face of the returns of the November cleo
ton the Democratic electoral ticket Rp
. peared to have received 81 326 votes, an
s the Republican electoral ticket only 1902
I votes. In view of the notorious tact tina
I heretofore, in Louisiana, whenever an
I wherever there has been q fair Opportunlt
: for q free expression Of their choice, Tn
3 blacks always have voted the Repubhca
D national ticket with substantial unanimlty
q these returns were suspicious on thel
Q face. Fortunately for justice, they were nc
Z final Previous experience had provided
8 safeguard. They we're made to boar
: which was created by q statute in 1870 wit
/, extraordinary powers that we're increase
b by another statute two years later. 81
q sumo that these statutes confer on tnl
= board supreme authority to canvass 81
: votes cast throughout the entire State, an
/, not only authorize, but direct 1t, II col
: WINGED that riot, tumult, acts OF Ylolenc
y intimidation, armed disturbance, bribery
Y or corrupt influences have prevented vobel