The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1879-03-14

Report Of the Democratic Members or the
Committee.

Ia n Substance Of the majority report Of the
sa,.sr im.os.'kae,ms xomsni,tss' ~ present
Ihe report sets forth what IL was proper for
Congress 20 Investigate and what not, and
the difficulty ~ conducting an Investigation
Into conspirhciesw which have been successful
~ carried out while the successful party re-
mains In power: IL admits that confessions OF
on-pifatOrs who have become dissatisfied
are worth little. but points 10 the fact, not
generally understood. that about the essen
tial features Of the election and canvass in
FLORIDA ana Louisiana there Is no sub-tan-
tisl dispute before the committee, the Repub-
Leans having called no witnesses Ia florida
and few IN Louisiana, except a. 10 the con-
duct OF visiting statesmen and Incidental
ly about intimidation. IL di-nisses entirely
the testimony of Anderson. Jcnks. Mrs.
jerks, Weber. and that class Of witnesses.
ana deals with the case upon general and
controlling facts alone.
The report g. divided into three parts. the
nrst 81 which refers 20 Florida, the second TO
Louisiana, and the third 10 the forged Elec-
toral certificate. beginning with Florida. II
cites the Law directing Presidential Electors
10 be appointed by votes cast and the
Canvassing Board TO canvass the votes cast.
and claims that the Tilden Electors, having
received a majority Of the votes east I'm this
state. were thereby necessarily entitled to be
declared elected. and that the Canvassing
Board, By rejecting without warrant OF law d
portion 81 thn votes 80 as To show "A majority
for Hayes, ~nninwtuiiy counted mlcn out. IL
states that the canvnssrrs delayed their an
nO~unccMert until the morning 81 the day the
Electors were 70 meet and vote. so that al
NJ tNk " y AIAFtNHNty tNNNn u " NDt
Hayes Electors. no decision could be had un-
III the Hayes Electors had met that same day
At noon and voted. tn. report then recites
the Judgment 81 the supreme Court, which
subsequently, decided that the Hayes Electors
we're not elected nor entitled ~ cast the vote
Of the state aud that the Tiiden Electors
were, and also the judgment ~ the Court in
action brought By Drew, the Democratic can
didate for Governor, 10 obtain "A rccnnvass,
where the Court directed a rrcanvasr and de-
clded that the canyaS4er3 in refusing 20 count
the votes cast, had deirAuued Drew and un-
lawfully seated stearns. The Legisturc OF
the state thrrenpon directed a rccnnvass of
the electoral vote in accordance with this de-
ciTion Of the supreme Court, the Judges of
which were Republicans. and the recanvass
showed the Tiidcn Electors chosen. Tie
Governor then issued MS certificate 20 the
Tilden Electors as true Electors, hut the Elec-
toral Commission refused 70 consider the
Judgment Of the Court, the action Of the
Legislature and the certificate given by the
Governor in favor Of the 1ilden Electors, and
held that it could not take notice Of any ac-
ton by the state after the 9th OF December.
in regard % Louisiana, the report begins
with a reference TO the anomalous power
possessed by the Returning Board, which IL
saw never before existed elsewhere. Under
II Electors and returning officers held tho
grO-rtst power over the receiving and count
Ing OF votes. Under prctext that the color
line divided the political parties, they had
used this power 70 fraudulently count tine
State for Republicans. and had been exposed
by the Republican committee 81 the Forty
third Congress-, which had reported that the
whites aud blacks Of the state being equal.
and some of the blacks and all the whites
having voted for the Democrats in 1874, the
State had necessarily been carried by them,
counted for the Republicans. Here
upon the Republicans set about a false
census, ia which they made Il appear that
there were 1900 more black voters In the
State than white, and as Illustrating the
fraudulent nature of this census report, the
report refers ~ the fact that while this census
reported but $1,000 cOlored men, women and
children IN New Orleans, IL made out OF them
nearly s5.s 2 colorcd voters. IL then instances
the fraudulent registration that was based
upon this fraudulent census, whereby II was
made 10 appear that registered Republican
voters exceeded white voters in the state
more than p. 900, while actually there were no
more. and the refusal Of the authorities to
correct this false registration In cases where
is falsencss was pointed out. Not
withstanding this organized band. says
The report, when the, elections we're
over the Democrats had a majority as
returned by Republican election officers OF
some 1900, the vote p0lled being the largest
ever polled fnthe state, and larger In proper
ton 20 population than that OF other states.
The Republican officers made returns Of the
vote accordingly and declared that the cleo
ton WAS perfectly peaceful and fair. The
Republicans. IN order 70 overcome the major
ity. then ursurpcd powers not given 20 them.
N support oithls the report recites the hnd.
Ing 81 the H0ar. Wheeler ard Frye Commit
tee, that the Returning Board had no power
20 discard votes where protests, as required
BY law. hal not accompanied the returns. AZ
an instance ~ which. at this election. not
- rA-Tf ~@N '4E "Ttt ~
cided 20 discard the necessary number Of
Democratic votes, As q prctext for this
usurpation. they obtained protests from GER
tain parishes which they picked out. as par
ishes in which 20 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 intimidation. and argues that
II wa impossible Tor Democrats 10 gain any
thing by IL, because the Returning Board had
been created on purpose 70 nentralize any
such action by throwing out votes in local.
ties where IL should prevail.
As 10 the conspiracy In East Felfcfana Par
ish. the report states the whole vote Of the
parish at previous elections OF both sides had
not exceeded $500. The Republicans pur-
posely withheld casting any votes az all and
subsequently made the claim that they had
been intimidntcd and could not vote. and the
Returning Board on this pretcxt. purposely
prcarranged, excluded the voteof the parish.
The report then refers 10 supplementary pa
perS obtained from Anderson and Don Weber,
both Of whom We're known by Republicans TO
be for sale. showing that after these super
visors had made return that there was no
violence IN their parishes, they were induced
e make supplementary protests and that
reward. In other parishes where officers had
seen and certified 10 "A perfectly fair election,
Kellogg r Dy r pacor, ,ss ssa @aes ~ IKE g .aI,e pro rw
the Returning Board, having got possession
OF such unlawful protests, proceeded 20 take
evidence, United states officers and money
being used to bring ignorant negroes from
the Interior fields into a great city. where
they were herdcd together, taken before
officials and had afidavits written down for
them, 20 which. upon making their marks.
they received their fees and were sent home.
The proce-s Of manufacturing these afidavits
Is set forth TO show how negroes were I'm
posed ON, and how worthless the afidavits
were.
The report states that the Returning hoard
would never have SO outraged the people but
for their encouragement from visiting
statesmen and the support which they and
the troops gave them. Then follow details Of
how some OF the visitors were deceived by
local managers and in~nDccntly ~ Oncrated
in frauds 81 the Returning Board, while 9th
ers did not. IL refers very brieny 70 the bar
gain by which Hayes. who had 5000 votes less
than Packs I'd. got counted i'm, while Packard