Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-08-23
THE POTTER COMMITTEE
still at Work on the Presidential Frauds
Major L. A. Burke, on the Wit
ness-Stand, Continues his Tes-
timOny Concerning the MAN.
agement OF
The Louisiana Election, so as TO Give the
state 70 Nichols, and the Presidency
to Mr.. Hayes-Burke Played the
Cards, You Know.

New YORK, August 22.-Major E. A
! Burke continued his testimony before the
! Potter committee to-day. He said that the
| census of 1875 for New Orleans was fraudu-
/ lent, and in the interests of the Republican
/ party, by increasing the negro vote twenty
| five thousand, and that the State was carried
! for Nichols by nine thousand majority, and
] for llden by about eight thousand majority.
/ Witness SAID universal pains were taken 10y
| the Democrats to prevent the intimidation of
/ voters; all of that came from the Republican
/ side.
Question-What was the course of the
/ board IN regard to er pdrte affidavits? Ans.
| They first decided not to receive any such.
| bat afterward changed their opinion and re-
/ ceived &c pdrte afidavits from the Republican
side of the house, and then again, when the
! Democratic sffidayIts were sent in, they
/ changed their ruling again and refused to re-
! celve them; Il was after the tweniy-third of
| November before we had any opportunity to
receive protests; when we handed In large
! bundles of eT pdrte afidavits, the board re-
| fused 10 receive them and said the witnesses
| should be present, and on producing a large
| number of witnesses, the board only exam
| ined few of them; this put the Democrats
| to great trouble, owing to the distance of
| some Of the parishes; the total vote of the
! State of louisiana In 1876 was 16l l49 or
nearly ninety per cent. of the registered vot-
ing population; he saw Anderson on Sunday
morning In restaurant; wit
ness was with Mr. Gathers, and
Sherman and Stoughton were sitting; wit
ness spoke to Anderson, but did not see An
! derson speaking to Sherman and Stoughton;
Anderson told me he had signed something
IN the nature OF protest. but that he was
under the influence of liquor when he signed
| it, and could prove that Anderson told him
that In consideration for what he had done
| for the Republican party they had promised
him naval office; In an interview with An
derson about the sixteenth of November he
told witness that he was IN possession of
documentary and other evidence that would
prove conspiracy by the Republican party to
throw out FIVE buldozed parishes-East Fe-
liciana, Ouachlta, Moorehouse, Richlaud
and East Baton Rouge; he further said that
he could secure US the parish of East Fee
liciana, but that he was poor, and if he did
so he would probably be thrown into prison
on trumped up charges; be agreed If we
paid him four thousand dollars then and ff
teen hundred dollars after the count was de-
clared; his proposition was considered and
| accepted, as we did not think there was any
more wrong in procuring evidence to show
the Republican frauds and rascality; the
proposition would have been carried out but
for the fact that we had no money.
Here Mr.. Stenger took the witness in
hand; he had interviews with many other
sides those mentioned in the Wormley con-
ference.
Ques-Name them. Aus.-Well, among
them were Wasleigh, Howe, Fry, West,
| Cameron, and several others.
Witness, continuing: 1t was also commu
nicated to Governor Nichols, that there was
a determination to exact two Republican
United States senators from the Nichols
legislature in consideration for the yielding
up of the State. This was what chiefly
brought him to Washington. 1t was learned
that leading Republicans close to the admin
| istratlon in power came to the conclusion that
bayonet rule could not be maintained in
| Louisiana, and that they were willing to
abandon Packard if they could strengthen
their power IN the United Stes senate. These
! facts were communicated to witness. On his
arrival in Washington he had an interview
with Secretary-of War Cameron on the Louis
lana matters, and as to how the Nichols gov
eminent might be allowed to maintain itself.
That interview took place about the sixth
and ninth of February. 1t was at private
house. Cameron appeared to be impressed
that the Nichols government should prevail,
as he appeared to be fully aware of the con-
dltion OF things. The difficulties in the way
were touched upon, such as decreasing the
power of the Republican party in the United
States senate, and that they would, as party
| question, oppose any action in louisiana that
would lessen their power In the senate.