The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-24
KELLY'S FORGERIES.
mrs LETTER TO CHAIRMAN POTTER.

EA-tOYs HOBT' y. WlOKLIfFE.
He testified as follows:
To Mr.. Blackburn reside In West Feliciana
for forty years. I have been elected Senator
three times and have filed the Office Of Gov
ernor Of the State | held these offices before
the war. During the last presidential election
was an elector on the Democratic ticket for
the State at large. felt the importance OF the
election and confined my canvass to the Sixth
Congressional District We proceeded with the
organization Of Democratic clubs In the parish
of West Feiciana, and in all the wards one or
more Democratic clubs were formed. can not
say how many speeches / made but my arRu-
ments were addressed particularly to the col
ored people. / spoke Of the effects of bad gov
eminent; took a survey of the condition of af-
fairs ] told them that they and we all were get
ting poorer and poorer every day.
compared the government as 1t was and as
1t had been, and explained to limited extent
the principle and theory Of government. |
spoke about the schools. told them how the
school funds were being badly managed and
their children we're growing up In Ignorance. l
assured them that II there was % change of gov
ernment told them that il the DEMOCRATIC
would never act with It again. but would act
With them to put in their men. All this in
fldeneed them considerably. There were twelve
hundred votes cast. and do not think there are
four hundred white men. The vote polled was
the largest ever polled In the parish. / found
the eolored members Of the Democratic clubs as
Jealous as Che white men. ii not more jealous.
Q.-Were there any efforts made to secure the
vote of the colored men other than you have
described?
A.-None, sir.
Q.--Do you know of any intimidation being
used to compel colored men to vote the Demo-
cratic ticket. or to prevent their voting at oil?
.Q.-Do you know D. A. Weber, who was super
visor Of the parish
| Q.-Please state whether or not you ever had
| any conversation with him about the election or
| heard him make any statement regarding Its
ASOn the evening Of the election Major Bas-
comb, who commanded the troops, went to the
had gone. and Weber said it was peaceable and
quiet. Major BascoI1b asked him If he needed
any assistance and Weber said he did not, that
| conversation with him regarding the protest.
| did not know he had filed one until 1t was
opened before the Returning Board. attended
| the sessions OF the board. | addressed q polite
| communication to the Returning Board, claim
ing the right as an eleetor to be present at the
sosd9ns OF the boaE Ea ws sd
| ecutive session was called. and was requested
to leave. / was told that could be present when
| contested parishes were under consideration
/ Q.-Do you know anything Of parties who
| made affidavitS for the Returning Board after
warts denying the truth OF statements OF the
| A.-Yes, sir; julius Green. Tom Dalton. Cor
nelius Smith, and other witnesses / do not
now recollect. told me they had not made the
O.~How many polls were rejected?
| Al cannot recollect without referring to the
| report: there were enough, however, to change
| the result 400 or 500 votes. There were no Re.
publican polls thrown out.
| There was no CROSS examination OIL Witness
| COL. s. j. POWELL
was next called
! TO Mr.. Blackburn-During the election Of
| 1876 lived In West Feltciana.
| OIL will ask you to state in your own way
all you know about the conduct of the cam
| paign In your parlsh2
Al was the representative of the parish In
| the State Central Committee, and began the
| North, and when came back found that the
| executive committee had established clu bs and
that daily they were, getting. new members e
dress meetings. and invariably found present
| at them more oolored men than white men, tina
| is In the country clubs in the town clubs there
were more whites. I found disposition among
| the white people to unite and work together
| previously they had been divided into Conserva
tiyes, Liberal Republicans, Democrats and the
i found that the colored people were not sc
| faithful to their party as they had been; tina
gusted with them. and when the campaign
fully opened. Gov. Wickliffe and myself ant
others addressed the o IVA ana endSa
! the school question, how they were called upor
to pay heavy tax for their schools. and how
/
for other purposes. We endangered to show
| how their interests were identified with ours
that capital and labor were dependent on eact
| other.
| I found that the colored men had the erro
neous impression that throughout the UniteC
States the proportion of whites to colored were
where four or five colored men 70 one white
We corrected this impression and endeavoret
to make them understand how foolish It wa wa
| against the whites. These addresses made
great Impression on them. There was gen
era break IN the color lne leaders mlnis
Joined our party.
! Odd the colored men join the Democrat
clubs of their own free wfll2
Al never attended TO the details of the or
ganization Of any club but the one formed
but have never heard anything tothe contrary
do not know of any man being Improperly IN
fuenced. I remember the publication OF tn
affidavits made In the Custom House a montl
or so after the election. | never heard any on
afidavlts, but have heard that such denial
were made. I know E. L. Weber. After tn
election came to this city and on the eDeaiin
through the ro'unda of this hotel, when u.
Weber called me- He said: I have done some
fiIed nv returns without protest" expresse
myself pleased to hear it, and that is ali IN
conversation ever had with him on the sub
TO Mr.. Cox-It has not been the. policy of tn
: Democratic party to discourage schools Tor COZ
ored people. l do not know that the parry n ~
anything to do with them. At the time OF tn
shooting at Green and the killing Of Mitchell
investigation OF the murder Of Mitchell. "
did not have control Of the judiciary; ~ D 0ai
came to me and told me there were TWO pen
sons, not living in our parish. who had as aske
him to resign, and he asked my advice. IheI
was an organization in our parish have bee
told, that was formed for the purpose OF putin
a stop to the stealing of seed cotton at nlgh
l know that they burned some houses. IN
houses burned belonged to white people; q
colored mans house was burned. Gilbert Ca
ter was charged with belonging to an organ
cation having for its object the murder OF viii
people. 90
TO Mr.. Blackburn-Col Powers. a Republical
was at the head of the regulators.
w. W. Leake, sworn:
To Mr. Blackburn live in West Felician
and have resided there forty five years. Neyt
having before been politician. but belfevin
- that success at the election of 1875 was matt'
Of life and death. l determined to- go into II
- canvass. I had two points on which four
the colored men most easily impressed. III
first was the question of education; gay
them statistics of what 1t cost to run the schoo
before the war and the cost SINCE: called the