The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1878-08-28

THE LOUISIANA BARGAIN.
Major Burke Tesdaes Before the Potter
Committee 90 the Manner An W hfeh
Hayes Was Induced 60 Recognise

Major Burke Testffes Before the Potter
COmmfttee the Manner An W hfeh
Hayes Was Induced 60 Recognise
Nichols.
New YORK, Aug 20.-The Potter commit
tee resumed its investigation this morning.
Major E. A. Burke was the first witness.
He SAID II was charged with the registra-
ton and election matter in 1876, In New Or
leans, as chairman of central commission
and registration bureau. L think we knew
the result of the election in Louisiana about
the 10Th of November. The returns were
all in except those of st. Martins which has
about 2,oO0 votes" General Butler did all
the questioning of the witness Witness
said the vote for the highest Tlden elector
4 was SO, $50, and the lowest Hayes elector re-
ceiyed 1920, difference of S,619. Witness
could not give the vote for Nichols exactly,
but he had a majority of 1900 votes. The
returning board threw out some 10000 votes
to count in Hayes. SIN the campaign of
1874" said the witness I'VE were cheated
out of the election results by this same re-
turning board of 1876. There was no change
in their action of principles. They were as
, arbitrary and unjust in 1876 as in 1874. Our
apprehensions were increased by kilograms
passing from leading republicans all over
the country to these leaders in louisiana,
and showed us that they would sustain their
men in any action they took. louisiana
men got Respondent after the election, and
about gave it up, but when these kilograms
commenced and visitors arrived their spirits
were aroused, and they never seemed to
. falter from that out. The Inauguration OF
Governor Nichols took place before some
so, 900 persons, aud the senate and assembly
were at once organized. They took posses
sion of everything except some small space
filled and occupied by Packard" Witness
said he religiously and sincerely believes
that Hayes and Packard were defeated and
Tilden and Nichols elected, and that was
the opinion of every honest man there. II
went TO Washington" said the witness, ION
. the 18th of January, agent for Governor
Nichols to secure the non-intervention BY
government troops with the state govern
ment We felt we had the moral and ma
terial force of the people of Louisiana
sufficient to establish ourselves. We never
attempted to have a collision with the
United States troops. We were determined
TO protect the interests of our state against
any source whatever, and If armed attacks
had been made on the Nichols govern
ment, they would have been repelled. We
had
BECOME SICK AND TIRED
of the state of things. Cheated out of two
elections and plundered, we determined not
to stand it longer, and would have forced a
military government in preference to stand
ing such things General Grant modified his
ideas after my visit to Washington. | was
in Washington for the purpose of getting
the troops not TO interfere, and got an order
to that effect on the afternoon of the I'd OF
March,"
Q.-You got that order on that day, when
General Grants term expired at II O'Clock
. that night Now, did you not know that
Hayes called on Grant that same day at IL
o'clock in the morning? A.-No, sir; did
not hear of ii. Did not know of any con-
ference between Hayes and Grant. A tele-
gram on the LIST of March, 1877, from Grant
TO Packard, in which he states that
he does not believe public opinion
will sustain any action by the United States
government in Louisiana, and that troops
a would be only used to protect the peace, the
witness admitted TO be correct. The witness
said that we in Louisiana were not In favor
of an electoral commission. We understood,
through crude and logical reasoning taat IL
Hayes was recognized that Packard would
also have to be recognized. The witness saw
nothing in Hayes letter of acceptance about
the state going two ways. Here another tel
egram from Grant to General Anger, dated
the 14th of January, 1877, was read, in which,
while deprecating interference on the part
eminent, yet said that the Packard govern
ment should be recognized, as the electoral
commission had declared them elected.
When the hope of seating Tilden, whom we
knew to De elected passed away or the 10th
of February, we were ready to confer with
Hayes and see what he meant doing for
Louisiana Among some OF the prom
ises made to Senator Matthews
were the suppression of crime,
the education of whites and blacks, the pro-
motion of friendly relations between both
and equal civil and political rights. The ed
'ucation question of black and white together
was not discussed between Senator Matthews
and myself Nothing was said between
Matthews and myself about the returning
board The witness said there was not one
word OF these guarantees that were not com
pulsory and embodied in the laws OF the
United States and the state of louisiana
Q-Now was this all you offered to put in
the Hayes and Packard government? A.
We offered these for the Nichols govern
ment. The witness said we
DID NOT AcQUIEscE
in not opposing the count when we found
the republicans were determined to go on
with the count
Odd you and your party friends agree
to stop opposition to the counting in of
HAYES. Ave certainly did, sir. We
were assured by Presidedt Grant that after
the count was completed the troops would
be Withdrawn. I said to Matthews that
while we were assured that President Grants
assurance of President Hayes policy were
we'll intended, yet we wanted these assur-
ances from such men as Garfield, Morton
aud others, whom they regarded more than
HAYES He said he could not answer for
them, and I said, then We will place your
party in such position that they must
speak. meant thereby our people would
Join the filibusters and prevent Louisiana
and South Carolina from being counted
for HAYES The witness said there
were but two phases Of negotiations
lin this thing-the Cameron and Matthews
phases. He made the same proposition OF
agreement to Cameron as he did to Mat
thews on the 18th of February; also 10
Foster and other leading members OF the
republican party.
Q-After the resolution passed on the
17th of February, by congress deciding not
to interfere with the Louisiana count was
there any hope for a republican adminis-
.tration? A.-No, sir, except some arrange.