The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-07-18
POTTER INVESTIGATION.
BUTLER HEAVING BRICKS AT
HAYES OVER KELLOGG'S
SHOULDER.
The Story the Louisiana Governor Tells of Pack.
ards Mlshaps-And Also His FanCllul
Ideas on IntlmidatiOn--And How
He Counts the Votes that
We're Not Cast.

persons whom they claim ought to have peen re-
turned.
Atthe request of General Butler the witness
gave q detailed statement as to the composition OF
the respective Houses of Legislature, and after re-
citing the law of Louisiana at considerable length,
stated that Governor Packard was legally inaug
urated on the Sth of January, 1877 at which time
there was Republican quorum In both houses
General Butler produced tables compiled from
the Returning Board figures which showed that
after the Board had thrown out sufficient Demo-
cratic parishes to elect the General Assembly, 1t
was found that there were still two Hayes Elec'
tors defeated, whereupon, the Returning Board
threw out parishes and precincts until they had
succeeded in securing majority of Hayes cleo
tors Witness stated that assuming the figures to
be correct findings of the Returning Board 1t left
the General Assembly Republican in both
branches, and still left two Hayes electors In the
minority.
By Mr. Butler-Whereupon the Board proceed
ed to give the screw another twist2
Witness-That is not my testimony.
Q,-How much on the returns as returned by
the Returning Board did the lowest Hayes eec'
tor run behind Packard A.-These sebles show
q majority for Governor Of 40l, while the two Re
publican Electors, Levsee aud Joseph, were In
the minority
A recess was here taken.
ADMISSION AND HOW THE VOTE WAS MANIPULATED.
After recess, the examination of the witness
was continued: He said the Tilden electors had
amaiority, believe on the face Of the returns Of
votes cast in the different parishes originally, and
30 did Nichols
By Mr.. Buter-Dld you telegraph to Florida
any statement as to how the State had gone at
any time before the 9Th of December. Al tele.
graphed two or three times, perhaps, that 1t had
gone favoraby
Q.-From what source did you obtain such in
formation2 A-From my knowledge Of the re.
suit of the election indicated by returns from diff
ferent parishes of the notorious fact that in GER
tain parishes there was degree Of terrorism that
believed would show the absence of a fair elec
tion and Justify the returning board In throwing
out the vote. Ny opinion was In relation to the
general result only. telegraphed to friends IN
Florida to that effect and also to Chandler of the
National Republican Committee. l happened
recently to come upon one of my kilograms to
Chandler, dated the 7th of November, In which
predCated my belief that we really carried the
State, Judging from the returns as they came in
from close parishes and from parishes where
they had before been Democratic, and where we
were then polling larger vote than since recon
structiOn.
The witness produced the telegram referred to
addressed to Zach Chandler, and dated NoYem-
ber 6th which states terrorism existed IN certain
parishes and that the colored people were pre-
vented from voting on account OF intimidation,
&c.
The witness-That was the kind Of dispatch l
sent. Chandler asked me II believed we had
carried the State2 said did and sent him this
dispatch.
The Returning Board in all cases where the
parish was not disputed would announce 80
many for Hayes electors and so many for Tilden
electors, but where there were charges Of irregu-
larity, those parishes would be set aside for
further action. The parishes that were laid
aside were seventeen IN number where there was
more or less intimidation claimed to the best Of
my knowledge and belief l think returns from
unquestioned parishes would give majority to
the Republican ticket throughout.
In seventeen OF the parishes where there was
more or less intimidation and In five Of which,
namely East and West Feliciana 0uachta.-
Morehouse and Eastern Baton Rouge where Re.
publicans were thoroughly terrororized, the col
ored registration was 27269 and white registra-
ton 20960, giving the colored majority Of regis
tered voters of $500. The vote in these seventeen
parishes as cast on the face of the returns which
there was no dispute about was 10970 Republl-
cans only, and 81 1913 Democrats that is, these sew.
enteen parishes, with colored majority Of near
ly 1000, gave Democratic majority OF 1O,l58 that
Is the basis Of intimidation. In the forty parish
es where we all agreed there was no intimidation
and the election was fair and Peaceable, the col
ored registration In 1876, which was about the
same as previous years, was S7999 and white reg
istratlon 72034, showing Coored majority of 15,.
965. These forty parishes returned the following
vote Republican, 65, 900; Democratic 59,392, Civ
ing Republican majority of 6000 aud upwards.
These are undoubted statistics compiled by me
from Official papers.
Q.-HOW did you ascertain in registration
whether man was Democrat or Republican :
Ave ascertained it only from the fact that
different officers kept tally Of colored people
registering and Of white people registering, and
we assumed that the colored people voted the Re-
publican ticket and the white people the Demo.
cratic ticket and the result showed the fact in all
these forty parishes not only in 1876 but for the
previous two years.
Q-You assumed by the same reasoning that all
men who voted the Demoegatic ticket were
white and all men who voted the Republican
ticket were black2 A.-NOt exactly that but
we calculated from that basis with this modfca-
ton that we got as many white voters to vote the
Republican ticket as they got eOlored men to vote
the Democratic ticket We judged of the present
by the past because we had tested 1t in quite a
number Of elections East and West Feltciana
was the most Thoroughly Republican parishes in
the State The registration of 1886 in West FeliC-
lana shows about 800 white voters and 22l3 col.
ored. You must bear In mind there was q new
registration made in 1874 and another in 1876,
WhiC was the registration Of 1874 corrected and
amended. The registration of 1876 in East and
West Felictana was substantially the same as in
1874 with the proper corrections made.
Q-The duty Of a supervisor of election was to
correct the list OF 1874? Ayes, sir.
Q.-Therefore, there were about the same mum.
Der registered In East Feliciana parish whe ther
Anderson did or did not 90 there and act as sJl-
pervisor2 Ayes, SIR, about the same.
Q.-What then had intimidation 10 do with al
tering the registration in 1857 Al do not
think 1t had so much to do with altering registra-
ton. 1t had probably had not much to do with
1t except that now c0l0red men would not come
forward and register, The bulldozers never affect
ed registration.
INAUGURATION OF NICHoLIs's GOVERNMENT
The witness next referred to the Inauguration
OF the Nichols government and related at length
events connected with the seizlng by force OF the
Court building and the breaking up of the court
and the subsequent appointment Of judges by
GOV. Nichols as their successors.
Q.-Do you know of any ground Of legal right
or form Of law, or constitutional provision by
which Nichols and his people were anything ex-
cept an organized mob? Al know of no reason
why Packard and his government was not the le-
gal state government of Louisiana and the Pack
ard legislature and the Supreme Court the legal
and undou0ted supreme Court Of the State Of
Louisiana.
Q.-Do you not know that after the McVeagh
Commission had disposed of the Packard Legisla.
ture, Packard threatened to appeal 10 the su
preme COurt2 Ayes, sir; he would have sub
mitted his claims If he could, but Nichols had
thrust 1t out
Q.-After Packard had threatened to appeal to
the Supreme Court to determine the legality of
his election, did not President Hayes destroy the
quorHm of that Court by appointing Mr.. King
collector? The fact Of his appointing him
Collector, and his taking the oath Of office did not
destroy the Court on the ground that the taking
Of one office Is q virtual and legal surrender Of
the other.
Q.-Then what Nichols did by force President
Hayes confirmed By appointing him COlleetor9--