The New York herald., 1879-03-03

4
| The republican officers made returns of the vote
accordingly. aud declared that the election was per-
| to overcome this majority. usrrped powers not
given to them In support Of this the report cites
the finding Of the Hosr. Wheeler and Fry Com
| mittee that the Returning Board had
| power to discard votes where protests.
required by law. had not accompanied the
returns. no instance of which existed at this cleo
ton. Notwithstanding this the Returning Board de-
cided 10 discard the necessary number OF democratic
votes As prceyt for this usurpstion they obtained
| protests from certain parishes. which they picked
out as the parishes in which TO pretend intimidation
had taken place These parishes were all largely of
negro population, which the democrats had fairly
carried
The report then deals with the question of intimi
dation and argues that it impossible for the
demo to gain anything by it because the Re-
turning Board had been created on purpose to men,
tralize any such action by throwing out votes in
localities where it should prevail II recites the out
rageous conduct of the same Returning Board in
an, respect tn IN ts4 ana now i1s acton ma neeen zen
stances where they had counted in officials without
color of riaht--men whom tho Congressional commit
tee had caused 20 be turned out and their places
given to democrats the democrats knowing that not
only they could gain nothing by intimidation but
that they could only hope for some show of justice
by avoiding anything which might be made a pre-
tense for alleging it.
The report then rccites the efforts that were made
throughout the State TO the democrats to concate
the black VOTE showing by the evidence of repubii-
can witnessesas well as by the testimony OF gentle
men of character, like Governor Whitfield. how the
planters combined with the negroes to get mp clubs
OF both colors and referred to the promises and as
theltres &C., far otrunning the repub ublcans.
The leaders having toined the democrats the whole
mass OF the negroes came in and became quite en-
thusiatic supporters. aud thus the vote in some of
the socal!ed budozed parishes was the very largest
cast.
THE FErIcIANA PARISHES
As to the conspiracy in East Felicana parish the
report states that after the democrats had concatcd
the negroes there, Kellogg wanted Anderson, who
was the supervisor. to have election. and Ander-
son fraudrleaty ran away with that view to furnish
an excuse for throwing tho parish out
because
the supervisor of registration. absenting himsef
on. election day. notwithstanding the other officer
held the election and made return of the vote
The democrats in East Feciana. knowing that they
had captured the negro VOTE hired Anderson to so
back aud hold the election. The republicans then
hi upon new plan aud directed their friends in tho
parish not 70 vote as to pretend intimidation and
their followers not to come sto the polls,
fused to permit any tickets to be printed or
their own vote entirely. Eighteen hundred reg
stered votes cast. and 450 more which Ander-
son had prevented from being registered. made
about two thousand three hundred votes cast, all
| democratic but not republican would vote,
though urged to DO The whole vote of the parish
at previous elections both sides, had not exceeded
| two Thousand Ave hundred. The republicans. who
| purposey withheld casting any vote at all. subse-
quently made claim that they had been intmidascd
and could not vote and the Returning Board on this
prctex purposciy prcarranged excluded the vote of
the parish.
papers obtained from Anderson and Dan Weber, both
| of whom were known by the republicans TO be for
|
| that there violence in their parishes they
We're induced to make supplementary protests. and
that they both confessed they did this becase OF re-
ward In other parishes. where officers had aeen and
! certified to perfectly fair election. Kellogg by
pressure exacted like false protests.
| MANUFACTURING TESTIMONY.
The report then goes on to state how the Return
ing Board. having got possession of such unlawful
| protests proceed to take evidence. United States
| officers and money being used to bring ignorant
negroes from the interior fields into great city.
where they were herdcd together. taken before
| officials written
| to which. upon making their marks, they
received their fees and were sent home. Inc
| set forth TO show how the negroes were imposed
upon and how worthless the ahidavits were. As
Board was in considering evidence. it points
out that in East Fcciana only twenty-six
could be collected The disturbances to which they
! testified had arisen from cotton seed and other
whss hsa been by eung repDS
licans. had nothing 10 do with politics. and
although this and the fact that the election
posey refused TO vote shown by 12QO witnesses.
and although fourfths of the negroes IN tho parish
actually aid vote with the democrats, the Returning
| Board threw ont the whole vote.
The report points out great many other IN
stances of what il styles the fraudulent outrageous
and desperate character OF the Returning Board and
shows the iinpossbilty of their considering the tes
timony before them. as they had more than could be
read by man reading ten hours day for two weeks
when they went into consultation. nnd how the
next day their intended decision was known. and
/
nected with them being travesty on justice. and
| showing how absolutely abandoned and unscrupu
ACTION OF THE VISITING STATESMEN.
The report states that the Returning Board would
never have so outraged the people but for their
couragcment from the visiting statesmen aud the
support which they and the troops gave them. Then
follow details how some OF the visitors deceived
by local managers and innocently cooperatcd in the
frauds of the Returning Board. while Others did not
1t refers very briefly to the alleged bargain by which
Hayes, who had 1900 votes less than Packard, got
Mr. Sherans offer to prove intimidation. but points
out that whenever the committee offered to receive
it the evidence not produced and they were met
by some sham excuse for not producing 1t; how
they had examined many of the witnesses that were
every instance recanted. and explained how they
TO make their false affidavit in the first place
aud how such statements as they made before tho
Returning Board were totally uufoundcd.
THE SHERMAN LETTER.
II then refers to the sherman letter. in regard to
which il simply states the facts they stand, show
ing that the letter actually written and largely
influenced political action in Louisiana. whoever
signed it, and drawing attention to the attempt in
tho interest of Mr.. Sherman by Mrs jerks, whose
husband and brother employees of the Treasury
Departmcnt.to to induce the committee to produce
Tho Florida portion Of the report is followed by
list OF all the persons connected with the election
there who have been appointed TO Office. and tho
Louisiana portion by still longer list Of the persons
in that state appointed to office.
FORGED ELECTORAL CERTIFICATE.
The third part OF the report deals with the forged
Electoral certificate II states that the Vice Prcsi-
don't having refused the hrSt ccrtncatc. the
cans secretly manufactured another antcdatng
it, and madc 1t in paper and printing to
resemble the one previously made. Now,
having very little time to prepare it. and it
being impossible 10 get oil the electors to Ner-
Orleans to sign il within that time it became neccs
sity to forge the signatures of two abscntccs that
thus there put TO the tripcatc papers IL forged
signatures. which were attached December
90, in small upper room in the state
building then in charge of H. Conquest Clarke. How
thc making Of this second certificate concealed
until it was produced before Congress-; when
il referred to the Electoral Commis-
zion It not read. but . ordered to be
printed. and the printer changed and
the Electoral Commission were served with two
printed copies of the forged certificate, perfect in
foru, and no copy Of tho genuine but detective
tfcato; how, after the commission had decided the
record of the commission was changed so
that the forged certificate copies OF which
were really before the commission, was
suppressed aud the record made to show IL the
genuine defective certificate had been considered
and passed upon. This was not accident but