Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-08-16
The Potter Committee.
JOHN A. LErE OF NEW ORLEANS
TESTIFIES.

New YORK, August ID. The first witness to e
day IN the Potter nvestis alton was John A. Letc
Of the n o. Times.
He said: When Anderson called on me after
coming from East Felciana, he told me he had
carried out the programme, as well understood by
Anderson, Kellogg aud myself The programme
was to keep the colored reps. from voting. Each
man had progrime of hi, own.
1t was thought best to exclude the colored rep.
vote 4 that the returning board could throw out
the whole dem. of the parish II necessary.
The rep. party there was demorazed aud wOnld
he beaten.
Anderson went back to East Feliciana and a
peaceabie election was held. He told me be dill
not mean 10 make any protest until he found out
"wheie the land lay"
Kellogg urged me to do what | could to get
Anderson to make "A rJtest, the attention of the
county being couctntIated on La. Kellogg said
vt was highly important to get y protest out of
Anderson before Ii.deu's emissales arrived and
bought him up
Anderson and agreed that the rep. party was
deiea' ed, and were sorry for HAYES aud glad
Packard was beaten. We agreed however that.
though beaten, the reps would get in.
10 an interview with Kellogg he said that
matter what Anderson would do he would count
the state 10 for Hayes. We agreed to kellogg's
plan to count IN Hayes.
| knew very well Sherman aud the visiting
statesmen had come there inspecting. | knew
they after Andersons pro est, so that after
committing himself he could not go over to dems
without perjuring himself.
There was glorious prospect for Anderson.
and knew he knew he could get nything he de-
manded for his protest, which would cause the
vote of East FeliCians for Iilden to be thrown
out. | think even without Anderson's protest
they would have thrown out the vote Kellogg
then wanted me to manufacture aft iavits, but
refused
Anderson told me he had had a q interview with
Sherman, and Sherman promised him everything.
Anderson was delighted and SAID his fortune was
made, aud he was glad he made his protest He
said he was promised the naval office, but never
got it,
told Kellogg that West who running for
senator promise letter 10 the attorney gener-
ais department, and | supported him.
Kellogg and con -idered the count Of the votes
| fini.hed before II was begun. They had hold on
Anderson in his protest, as II he had opened mis-
| mouth for the dems. they could prove his sworn
| protest and have IN up Tor PERJURY. Anderson
| and knew this and kept quiet.
| knew it would be up hill work to expose any
! frauds. Budoz=rs were numerous aud would
shoot whre man or black to get office. Butler,
| AudeIson's clerk, Is one Of these.
They and theil acts were perfect God sends to
the rep. party. The trouble with the rep. party
was that II did net have an office tor every buil-
dOzers. Bulldozers were the tercest people whe q
| they got office.
| Q-Do you know anything about leaving certain
| names Oft the ballots IN the election?
| A-Yes We knew 10 1876 that the state was
lost 10 he rep. party, so Mel 0gg anu Packard SOLD
| Gre Mt out in the Cincinnati convention, and he
| could get no more troops. Warmout admitted
that the state was lost BY . 900 votes He figured
| il up that Hayes would be eleced without La. by
\ a close squeeze.
| Yarmouth told me confldenhally La. carpet
sggers are a better class of men than those who
! denouuce them, and that the visiting statesmen
who are down here are lot of old frauds and
came down here to steal the state and will steal
1t too. The statesmen were either there to buy up
! the vote Of the STATE or to prevent il from being
| bought up by dems
| wanted to get Mr. Nash in congress so that he
We uld be a freud of mine. | told him he would
never get counted in unless he secured Ande rsou
/ Anderson told me be had told Kellogg that he
would count IN Nash, and that Kellogg told him
to make cut cases Of utim idai ion in several par
shts.
! They made out charges of intimidation az ainst
rep voters ia several parishes, among them Liv
ugston parish, where there were no republican
d voters.
Here Butler took the witness in hand for cross
examination.
/ Q-Ysu have a bad memory tor dates
! A-Yes, very.
Q-What tune did the visiting statesmen, rep.
side, visit New Orleans
Felicana.
Witness went on to testify that Anderson never
showed him copy of the protest of East Felici-
ana. He simply told him that had made it. Mr..
Sherman was the only one of the statesmen wit
ness remembered. Others he did not think
amounted to anything.