The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-08-22
MORE TESTIMONY,

The Louisiana Politicians a set
OF Villains. The Visiting
Statesmen Ditto. Why there |
We're no Republican Votes In
East Feliciana "a Radical
Trick.
John A. Lect, of New Orleans, con.
tinued his examination before the
Potter Committee in New York on
the 18th. He said: When Ander-
son called on me, after coming from
East Feliciana, he told me he had car
ried out the programme, well under
stood between Kellogg, Anderson and
myself; the programme was to keep
colored Republicans from voting
each man had a aprogramme of his own
it was thought best to exclude the col.
ored Republican votes. 60 that the re-
turning board could throw out the
whole Democratic vote of the parish
if necessary; the Republican party
was demoralized there, aud would
have been beaten; Anderson went
back to East Feliciana, and q peacea-
BILE election was held Mr.. Anderson
told me ne did not mean 10 make any
protest till he found "where the land
lays" Mr.. Kellogg urged me to do
what could to get Mr.. Anderson to
make protest; the attention of the
whole country was being concentrate
ed on Louisiana, and Mr.. Kellogg said
it was highly important to get pro-
test from Anderson before some of
Tiiden's emissaries arrived there and
brought him up; advised Anderson
not to make protest Anderson and
1 agreed that the Republican party
was defeated, and we were sorry tor
Hayes, but glad that Packard was
beaten, the Republicans would get in );
in an interview with Kellogg he said
that no matter what Anderson would
do, he would count the State for
Hayes; we agreed to KellOgg's plan
to count in Hayes; know well that
Sherman and the visiting Statesmen
had come down to steal the State; /
knew that they were after AndersOn's
protest, SO that after committing him
self he could not 60 over to the Dem
Ocrats without perjuring himself;
here was glorious prospect for An
dersOn, and knew he could get any.
thing no wanted for his protest, which
would cause the vote East Feliciana
for Tilden to be thrown out; / think
that even without Anderson's protest
they would have thrown out the vote.
They would manufacture lot Of aiif
davits, "just for moral appearances,
you know" Kellogg wanted me to
manufacture affidavits, but refused.
l never did wrong in my life, and sac
riticed many opportunities to keep
within the dictates of my conscience.
[Great laughter. thought by work.
ing Ande,s son could get enough evil
dence out of him to expose the whole
thing and make sensation and my for
tune. l cannot say what l would
haye done if some one had offered me
one hundred THOUSAND dollars to keep
quiet, aud the high moral statesmen
had come pressing around TO keep
my mouth shut. Laughter.] When
Anderson told me he had signed y
protest and got no money for it,
told him the visiting statesmen and
Kellogg would leave him in the mud.
l told him if he held off with his pro-
test he could get documents from
those statesmen that would make
them his slaves for tho remainder of
their political lives. About this time
Anderson began jumping around and
threatening to whip Pitkin, kellogg
and every one else. Kellogg aud
others called on me one day, and said
"Come, old fellow, want to intro
duce you to the visiting statesmen."
The Statesmen admired the hall in the
Naval Office, and then they edged to-
ward the 'tafidavit mails." 1 told
Kellogg l would not 60 to see such q
lot OF old frauds. I was afraid If /
met them they might get something
out of me. Ny desk in the custom
house was sort of political Mecca
for all Louisiana statesmen. Ander.
son told me he and Weber had an in.
terview with Sherman, and that Sher.
man had promised, them everything.
1 told Anderson he was an unmitigat.
ed lunatic to believe in anything but
written contract. He said he was
promised the Naval Office, and told
him he would never get it, and he
hasn'. Laughter Another day he
called ON me. and said: ave got it."
l replied: "What have you got, more
taffy ?" He said: "No, cir; I've got
them fixed." He pulled out q letter
and said it was from John Sherman,
and was letter giving him the Naval
Office. He showed me John Sher-
mans name at the foot of the letter,
but refused to let me see the remain
Darrall and Kellogg about that letter.
eral one and nou-committal. Kellogg
and considered the count Of votes
finished before it was begun. Laugh
ter spoke with Darrall about the
Sherman letter, aud he said it gave no
grip to Anderson on the statesmen.
They had q. hold on him, however, in
his protest, as if he had opened his
mouth for the Democratic they could
produce his sworn protest and have
him up for perjury. The g bulldOZers"
were plentiful. aud would shoot
W white man or black man 10 get an
Office. +. Z. Butler, Anders0n's clerk,
was one of these. had q difficulty
with q man in Vermillion parish. and
tried to kill him, but did not succeed.
He is dead now, however. WarmOth
admitted that the State woald be lost
by 25,QOO votes. Warmoth said to me
coDtidentially ''These visiting states
men are q lot of frauds, and havecOme
here to steal the State, aud they will
steal it, too"
After some further testimony of q
like character, witness was cross ex
amined by General Butler. He said
he was intimately acquainted with all
the politicians of LOuisiana, and in his
Judgment they were the most complete
set of rascals he ever met that Csssa-
nave, of the returning board, was the
hOnestest of the lot.
Witness was then questioned as to
his standard of honesty. and becOming
q little nettled at the manner of
questioning, said he proposed answer
ing when, where and how he chose.
Witness then submitted copy of his
paper in which he published his pre-
dicti0n that the election of 1876 would
turn on Louisiana. Several extracts
from the paper were read to the COM
mittee. Several letters of Anderson's
to witness were placed In evidence,
after being read, but only showed
terms of intimacy between them.
Witness complained that he was not
allowed to make full statement of