The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-03
THE POTTER COMMITTEE.
sHERmAN's IMPUDENr DEMAND FOR
MORE WITNESSES.
paorFls0n'S Reply-Why sherman Cannot
ne Allowed sis Hundred witnesses to
PrnYn Intimidation in the RellcInnna.
washington Post. june 2S.l

washington FO6t. june 2SI
At the close Of yesterdays proceedings Of
Che Potter committee, Mr.. Morrison filed for
future consideration OF the committee a pro-
Rposed reply to the letter OF Secretary Sher-
man, referred to him by the chairman, as fol-
lows: .,.
ration, etc, to acknowledge the receipt of
vDtIr letter. In which you ask to have sub
pDnaed from Louisiana 100 witnesses, who
rs appears from your letter, you expect to
give material testimony touching the free
dom Of election aud intimidation OF voters In
nil of East Feieana and parts of West Fell
Ciana parishes In that State; and In respect Of
which election you regard yourself accused,
In the resolution under which this committees
Is acting, Of inducing certain election officers
10 falslfy the returns.
With your request TO have these witnesses
Bubppnasd, you furnish statement of the
matter about which they are expected TO tes-
&ify, with reference to records Of Congress"
where their former testimony, touching the
same matter Is to be found. These records
of Congress. you inform the committee, au.
thorize you to state that the combined result
of the testimony Of said witnesses wil be,
that In said parishes 100 persons have been at
some time threatened, driven from home,
burned out, wounded Or shot at, whipped,
killed. hung, or expelled from Office and that
there was In said parishes and adjoining
parishes, before and ut the time of said cleo
lion, and at the times and places OF registra-
ti0n, such a system Of intimidation that the
large ItDDnDllCHn tnaIOIlGleS WnlCn UUUpUTBu
Ut previous elections were thereby converted
into large Democratic majoritles.
In reply, | am directed to say that the rec
Ords OF Congress, to which you refer, and
other records of Congress with which you are
doubtless familiar, authorize the statement
that the former testimony OF said witnesses
has been c0ntradicted by witnesses as nuner-
Gus, as Intelligent and whose testimony Is at
least as well entitled to belief.
1T Ia needless 10 add that should these 100
witnesses again repeat their former testi-
Hnony, 900 other witnesses, ut least as credible
as they, will be ready again to contradict them.
Seven committees, or subcommittee of Con-
gress, have investigated this question of in
ttmidation In Louisiana, and have heard the
testimony of twenty times one hundred wit
nesses; but no committee has ever agreed as
20 the fact Of the existence or non-existenee Of
Of such Intimidation. You and your political
associates OF the Visiting Committee" wit
messed certain proceedings of the Returning
Board" which were based on alleged intimi-
datlon, and by which proceedings said Re-
turning Board reversed the decision of the
people made by their ballots actually cast,
and then you, with all your associates, made
haste to bear witness TO the justice of Its con-
illusions.
The gentlemen (rnost OF them, until re-
gently, your political associates), with whom
you refused To join In an effort to secure fair
count OF the votes, but who were permitted to
witness, presumably, all of the proceedings
of the Returning Board witnessed by you,
were as prompt to declare its proceedings
partial aud unfair, and its conclusions en-
Titled to no respect whatever. In view of this
disagreement aud uncertainty as to the actual
fact this committee will not feel itself justi-
He'd In condemning or accusing any election
officer who has In good faith, under the laws
pf Louisiana, done any act based on iutimida-
tion by such officer believed to exist, even
though the committee may believe such act
did wrongfully and unlawfully annul and re-
verse the legally expressed will of the people
oil that State and OF all the States. Neither
will this committee, In view Of all the facts,
enter again upon any inquiry as TO the exist
Gnce or non-exstenCe of Intimidation in any
OF said parishes, to be lnterDosed in excuse of
The false and fraudulent canvass and return
81 votes by State, county, parish or precinct
Officers" or In excuse OF any person who may
have Ia any way contributed to the results OF
such false and fraudulent canvass and return
Of votesinan
Bef fo,,,sAs contamination Of the acts alleged
70 ~ yadulent YOU and your political assoc
Ci4 met at New Orleans; among others, the
FsFS Lyu1en Frumbull, John M. Palmer, and
George w. Julian until recently all your po-
lttical associatesl, who asked you and your
associates to join them In the exercise of such
anfluence as you together might possess In be-
half OF such canvass of the votes of that
State as by its fairness should command the
respect and acquieScence Of the people of all
parties. This you refused to do because, as
you alleged, being strangers in that State, |
you had no right to control or influence any
OF tfS officers as to the manner In which they |
shall perform duties imposed upon them by
its laws, aud because by attempting SO TO in
iiuence them, you then further alleged you
s'should be condemned by the people of every
State in the Union" In view of such refusal
to join In the exercise of any influence over
The officers OF Louisiana, even to secure fair
count OF the votes legally cast and OF your
alleged reasons therefor, IL is TO this commit
Tee matter Of regret that the repetition of
The former testimony of these witnesses, or
any inquiry as to the intimidation
the wrongful act of others, Is deemed
by you necessary to vindcate you from the
accusation of having interfered with or exer-
cised any influence or control over the officers
of that State, for which by your own state
ments you should be condemned by the peo-
pie Of every State In the Union
Whatever OF accusation Is made against YOU
in the resolutions of the House of Representa-
lives, under which this committee is acting,
rests, so far as any testimony yet heard
shows, upon the statement and allegation
that to Influence and control d. A. Weber and
James f. Anderson In their official acts, you
made them verbal promises and wrotea letter
TO them, giving them assurances and prom |
Uses of reward. II the committee correctly
understood your statement before it, you de-
MED writing such letter and making such |
promises. However material the evidence of
the witnesses you ask to have summoned
may be to the fact of the number of persons
killed, threatened, driven from Office or other
wise intimidated, as you assure the commit
tee 1t is 1t can in no way effect you personally
III the committee has correctly understood
you to deny the allegation that you wrote the
letter and gave these promises and assur-
ances; for such allegation will be neither es-
tablished nor disproved by evidence of the
number OF men killed in the Feliciana par
ishes whether killed because they had stolen
the property of others or because others
sought to steal their votes. The committee
is therefore constrained for the present re-
specially to decline compliance with your
request to have subpnnaed as witnesses the
several persons named by you all of whom
have testified once, some OF them twice, and
others three times on the same subject, and
their testimony Is preserved and now accessi-
bile to all, In the records of Congress"
The Coming Election.
Lake Charles Echol
An alarming indifference to the approach