Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-06-30

Rehabilitate the Bloody Shirt Instead---
Morrison Exposes the Dishonesty of the
Proposition. with Telling References to
His Dishonest Conduct While Watching
the Count.
Morrison to Sherman.
WASHINGTON, June 2s.-The following is
draft of the letter prepared by Mr.. Morrison, of
the Potter committee, in answer to Secretary
Sherman requesting to have subp9naed from
Louisiana one hundred witnesses expected to
give material testimony touching the freedom
of election and the murder and intimidation
of voters in all Of East and parts of West Fee
licisna parishes Mr.. Morrison says, in the
course of the reply: The records of Congress
to which you refer, and other records of Con-
gress with which you doubtless familiar
authorize the statement that the testimony
of said witnesses is contradicted by
witnesses as numerous, as Intelligent,
and whose testimony is at least as well emit
tied to belief. 1t is needless to add that should
these one hundred witnesses again repeat their
former testimony FIVE hundred other witnesses
at least rs credible al they will be ready again
to contradict them. Seven committees or sub
committees Of Congress, have investigated this
hundred witnesses, but no committee has ever
agreed as to the fact of the existence or nom
existence of such intimidation. You and your
political associates of the visiting committee,
witnessed certain proceedings of the returning
board where based on alleged intimidation, and
by which proceedings said returning board re.
versed the decision of the people made sby
their ballots actually cast, and then you, with
all your associates, made haste to bear witness
to the justice of it's conclusions.
The gentlemen, most of them until recently
your political associates, with whom you
fused to join in an effort to secure a fair
count, but who were permitted to witness pre-
sumably all of the proceedings of the return
ing board witnessed by you, were as prompt to
declare its proceedings partial and unfair, and
! It's conclusions entitled to no respect whatever.
In view of this disagreement and uncertainty
| as to the actual fact, this committee will rot
feel itself justified in condemning or accusing
any election officer who had, in good faith.
! under the laws of Louisiana, done any act
based Intimidation by such officer
believed to exist, even though the committee
nay believe such act did wrongfully and I'm
| lawfully annul and reverse the legally OK
pressed will OF the people of that State and of
all the States. Neither will this committee, in
view of all the facts, enter again upon any in
quiry as to the existence or non-existence of
intimidation in any of said parishes: to be ia
terposed because of the false and fraudulent
| Y,
parish, or precinct officers, or in excuse of any
person who may have in any way contribussa
| to the results of such false and fraudulent can
vass and return of votes.
! Before the consu1amatien of the acts alleged
to be fraudulent, you and your political assO-
ciates met at New Orleans, among others, Hon.
Lyman Trumbull, John l.. Palmer, George W.
Julien, until recently your political associates
who asked you and Your associates to join
them in the exercise of such influence as you
together might possess IN behalf of such can
vass of votes of that State. by its fairness
of the people of all parties. This you refused
to do because, as you alleged, being strangers
in that State, you had no rig.t to control or
influence any of it's officers to the manner
in which they should perform the duties i'm
posed upon them by its laws, and because by
attempting 80 to influence them, you then
further alleged, you would be condemned by
the people OF every State in the Union.
In view of such refusal to join in the exer-
else of any influence over the officers Of Louis
lana to secure fair count of votes legally cast,
! and IF your alleged reasons therefor, it is to
this committee matter of regret that the rep
etition Of the former testimony of these wit
nesses, any inquiry to intimidation OF
voters, or other inquiry involving wrongful acts
Of Others, is deemed by you necessary to vindi-
cate you from the accusation of being inter
fered with, or exercised any influence or con-
by your own statement you should be con-
demned by the people of every State in the
Union.
The reply concludes thus ''Whatever OF
accusation is made against you in the reseln-
tions of the House Of Representatives ulH!el
which this committee is acting rests, so far as
any testimony yet heard shows, upon the sta e.
ment and allegation tlat to e.
INFLUENCE AND CONTROL.
D. A. Weber and James T.. Anderson in theil
Official acts. you made them verbal promises
and wrote - letter to them giving then sss;,1-
ances and promises Of reward. If the commit.
tee correctly understood your statement before
it you denied writing such letter and max
ing such promises. However material the Ell
dence of the witnesses you asked to have sum
1nored may be to show the fact that u number
of persons were killed, threatened, driven
from office, or otherwise intimidated, as you
assure the committee, it can in way affect
you personally. If the committee has correctly
understood you to deny the allegation that you
wrote the letter and gave these promises and
assurances, such allegation will be neither es-
tablished or disployed by evidence OF the mum.
Der of men killed in the Feliciana parishes
whether killed because they had stolen the
property Of others, or because others sought to
steal their votes. The committee are therefore
constrained for the present to respectfully de
cline compliance With your request to have
subpenaed witnesses the several persons
named by you, all of whom have testified once
J some of them twice, and others three times on
the same subject, and their testimony is pre-
served and now accessible to all in the record
of Congress.