The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-08-23
THE FRAUD INQUEST.

The FRAUD lNVUEol.
BURKEs TESTIMONY CONTANUED-THE
FRAUDULENT CENSUS.
Anaerg0n's Rewari-His Offer to Sell Out
warEninlng over the Louisiana sem
atorsrlips-W. E. Horne ON the stand.
NEW York, Aug. 22-There was an in
cregsed attendance at the Potter committee
to-day. Mr.. Anderson, the famous witness
from East FeliCiana, was present. Gen. But"
m. Major Burke again took the stand: He
yras connected for a long time with politics IN
Louisiana. At the time of the election Ia
1876 the affairs Of the State were IN tle hahus
norted to be D census made In 1875 by the
State government under the Republican party.
This census was utterly incorrect, ana the
Legislature refused to base It's appott.onmene
on It. The census gave Irauuuiehe iheIotss0
OF fully $500 colored voters.
ne slbmitted a lot of STATISTICS, showing
tho ~, rishes in which the fraudulent census
existed IhrGufa shG wn9ly nbor Rd added Dc tic to
for fe instance fifteen pcling places in the third
ward. and as the certlncates OF reglsIraLio,n On
were issued one man could vote I'M, ID Inc e wnoe Res
fifteen places. The registrars were all he-
n,,hlicans. Those who offered to prove the
frauds were laughed at ,,,.s,.,, o,,
Meesrs. Hewitt Rice and Thompson En-
tered at this point and had conference "llh
0AtS ST aior Rmrke. continuing. said: There were
several thousand white votes, thrown OUT OUT
witness recollected but one instance ID Whicn
adavts in regard to riots ana tuinti thi en,o ,ae
9In in the proper way by law, and this was
protested by d Republican from the parish OF
S1oncordia. The Returning Board took :, no
notice OF it and counted the whole vote OF the
parish for the KePR11l,GhaRe eanddas was
found with his hand in one OF the baho1 ooAeS'
and then some trouble followed; aao -
Witness gave description OF the ENG m1ae e,;{ o.
collecting returns daVs hne befre the Repub
licans ascertaned their full vote lnucaCen =.
majority for Nichols over Packard OF nearly
o0Oj. and for the Tilden electors naIorlCy "
some 1900 The Democratic party, ne sala'
gained the support of many colored Kepub-
iieans through persuasion and other meth
ods. The intimidation OF voters oil came
from the Republican side
The Returning Board consisted OF four Ne re.
nubIicans and one vacancy. Laughter
Protests against the construction Of the
board we're unheeded, Witness, saw Ander:
son in a restaurant, When onerllaH ,ado,an, snI
said he had signed something IN Ine llaIult
OF q protest, but was under the lnlluence o o
liquor at the time. He could prove that t IA An n
he had done for tho Republican party, thes
had promised him the naval ONCE.
BURKE, In his further testimony, said at
subseuuent interview with Anderson, the latte
said that he could place the Democrats IN pos
session of documentary and other evidence
q Republican conspiracy 70 'hIo" @ ouD VI. h
five bulldozed parishes. he was poor, ~
said, and would be- liable to arrest ana prose
cutjon Of various sorts IL he Went Dack on Tn
Republlcans; if, however, the Democrat
maid him $4,000. when the documentary evl
dence was placed in their possession, ant
another $1,000 when the election was com
Dleted, he would give the information ne mao
After consultation the Democratic commit
Tee decided that there would be no mora
wrong In such expenditure, and declded 70 &C
csb AEaerso o and it the rpn2 onay o1' nGaso wa
that they did not have the necessary money
Burke was then questioned by Stenger |
regard to the Cameron interview. re sal
there was determination on CnS aro ~ o,is .is
Iatl1re two United States senators as the pl1C
of yielding up the State government: WI
ness went to Washington chiefly in referenc
to this, as the Republicans near to the admir-
istration had concluded that bayonet ruI
could no longer be maintained In Louisiana
and were willing to abandon Packard, an
wished to use him (witness) to strengthen III
waning Republican power in Washington.
The interview with J. Donald Cameron wa
held in Washington about the ninth OF Fet
ruary, 1877. Cameron was fully lmpresse
with tho conviction that the Nichols govern
ment should prevail aud was thoroughly cor
versant with Louisiana affairs. The dli1icu
ties arising from decrease OF Republ1ca
power in the Senate. and other similar point
were touched upon, and Cameron was u!
willing that any course should be pursued i
Louisiana which would decrease their poWe
The interview was indefinite In this respec
that while United States Senators should b
exacted from us, our government was above
to prevail. Ihere was no dellnlCe arrange
ment made.
Witness had no authority to make detinit
arrangement and the consideration of th
point was deferred, and Columbus Delan
went to Columbus O., to consult in referenc
to the matter. The whole subject was lett l
allegiance.
In the preparation of our memorial to Cor
gress and the consultation with those on tn
other side there never were any discussion
whatever on the subject Of the count, an
Cameron knew perfectly we'll that we we1
doing everything in our power to secure tn
election of Hayes
Witness was unable to give the details {
the interview. Cameron simply lmpreSSe
him with his desire to secure the two Sent
tors, and with the additional idea that II the
could be yielded up that would clear the wa
to the recognition of the Nichols admins
5ration.
Witness also had an interview with Senate
West, who was anxious to find out his pros
poets OF election as one OF the Senators wit
ness was informed by Representative Gibso
that Senator Sherman was acting with Cam
eron There were two sets of Republicans il
Washington-one set at the WOrmley confer
ence interested in the seating Of Hayes, an
the other Cameron and his friends, VIII
wanted two United States Republican Sena
tors as we'll. He believed that Gibson Op
posed the surrender of the two Senators.
When President Grant issued the order TO
the withdrawal Of the troops, and it was abou
to be telegraphed to New Orleans, Secretar,
Cameron went to the telegraph office ant
stopped it, Gibson interceded to allow it t.
go, but Cameron said, he'd bed-d If he would
II such orders were to be sent concerning tn
troops, they should be sent through him
since he was Secretary of War. He also saIt
he had played him a trick in the matter of th
Senatorship. Witness said he had no doub
that II he entered into the arrangements pro