The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-08-21

Stevenson, Matthews and Sherman the situa-
ton of the white people in the state was
desperate. We had been defeated by the
returning board in 1872, and again in 1874,
and we were afraid of being defeated again
in 1876, and the people were beginning to
think the election was utterly useless. We
consider the election fair and just one, and
we polled every white vote available, but we
feared being counted out by the returning
board We all believed that the returning
board would not dare to have done what
moral support of visiting statesmen. These
apprehensions about the returning board
were what led me to visit Hayes. We
wanted to know what action he would take
if elected. He knew well that was talking
for the democracy. 1 understood Hayes to
mean by fairness and justice that the return
ing board cheating should cease, and that as
1 told him we had clear majority of over
1000 in the state the Nichols government
would be recognized. There was no deter
mination to resist the establishment of
Hayes in the federal government. We were
more interested in finding out what would
be done if the democratic state of Louisiana
was thrown out and Hayes counted in. 1
did not hear of any forged electoral certifi-
Gates of Louisiana. In a conversation with
Foster he said it was strange that the repub-
lica vote was cast in East Feliciana. In my
conversation with Senator Conkling told
him that | thought Governor Hayes was a
very fair man, and that be told me that be
L - Ill IT..sA IL -
or not at all. | detailed to the senator all
my conversation with Hayes. Conkling
replied: II am opposed to all this sort of
thing. If Hayes is elected he should get In
without any concessions to Louisiana, and il
he is not elected he should not get In at all"
In conversation with several gentlemen l
remarked that the crookedness of the re-
turning board in Louisiana was so bad and
glarIng that even the republicans had to
disavow allconnection with it. This applied
to previous elections We understood the
military would be withdrawn after the 4th
of March and they would be let down easily,
bat they would be let down."
General ButIer-Who did you mean by
'they." Answer-The Packard government.
There was committee appointed to go down
to Louisiana, and we all knew very well that
they were intended simply to let the Pack
ard government down easily. 1t looked bet
ter, you know. This ended Roberts testi-
mony.
THE NEXT WITNESS
was John +. Steele, who is a reporter on the
New Orleans Times He testified that ABOUT
1872 he was engaged in getting up facts and
evidence in support of the kellogg govern
ment to lay before congress. Other people
made the affidavits ana the witness compiled
them. There were endless commissions and
the committee and calls for more evidence
from Senator Morton. We alleged that the
democrats, with Warmoth, had swindled US
republicans. All the best offices had been
traded off to the returning board in 1872 to
get them to count in kellogg. The witness
was to get the best Office not traded off al
ready, and picked out the office of harbor
master. Never went near the Office except
to draw pay. Was constantly associated
with kellogg. Lost confidence In Governor
Kellogg when was removed. l then got a
position in the state senate as clerk. Kel.
logg's excuse for all his failings was that he
was tied up and embarrassed, and could not
do what he wanted with his patronage. He
was situated just as Hayes is now
with the returning board OF 1876.
The witness believed Anderson was
Oh both. The witness stated that he
was afterwards made tax collector in a small
town, which he traded off for "a seat in the
state convention that nominated Packard in
1876 The witness was opposed to Packard,
and Kellogg wanted him to spring the NOM
lnation of Williamson. kellogg pretended
to support Packard before the convention,
but he never intended him to be nominated.
ROBERTS RECALLED.
Here Mr.. Roberts was recalled, and Gen
eral Butler said When did you first hear of
the appointment of the McVeagh commits
sion? Answer-About the Goth of Febru-
airy, l think. L was speaking with several
mo- ritz NJ ~
question of letting down the Packard peo-
pie easily came up. Then the commission
of republicans on it was suggested. Major
Vining and others said it was a capital idea.
TIE Idea was that commission, sanctioned
by the president and secretary of state,
would make the republicans in Louisiana
yield and give the state to the Nichols gov
eminent. 1t was well understood that COM
missioners were under official Instructions
Question by General Butler-Then you
looked on the commission coming down
there as farce? A.-Well, not exactly.
Q.-But no matter what the evidence and
state of facts were, the commission had come
to a predetermined conclusion? Ayes,
sir, we understood so.
OFT was predetermined that one govern
ment was TO be let down easy? A.-Thats
it, exactly.
Q.-Then one democrat was put on the
commission to give it the appearance of fair
ness? Ayes, we wanted a cool, collected
man on the commission who would let us
know what they were doing
The witness said he supposed the president
or secretary of state was aware of the objects
and instructions of the commission; that
the fairness and justice of our case was given
out, and the letting down OF the Packard
government, the Nichols government hav-
ing majority Of votes.
Q-Then on your own showing; on evil
dence that Nichols was elected and Packard
was not and on the decision of the commits.
sion, should it not have been decided by
them also that Tilden was elected and Hayes
was not? Alphabetically as Tilden got
nearly the same majority as Nichols The
witness understood that after Hayes inau-
guration this commission would be sent
down to back up the Packard government.
The witness said: ave were well pre-
pared for trouble. We had determined that
come what might we would have no collision
with United States troops. 1t was deter
mined not to recognize the government at
all. There is no doubt in the minds of the
people of Louisiana that neither kellogg nor
Packard was elected governor, although
Kellogg served four years. We had deter