The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-08-07

ON
before us indicated no change in this
proportion in favor of the colored voters.
Yet the registration Of colored voters ex-
ceeded by 1000 the total number OF COLI
ored adult males returned by the census
while the registration Of white voters
was 10000.
2, The whole number of voters regis
tered Was 167,604. OF these lac, ,523 vo'
ted. This is q. larger proportion OF reg
istered voters than usually vote In any
of the Northern States. In an agrlcul'
tural State, thinly settled, where long
journeys had often to be made to reach
the polls, it is unreasonable to suppose
that greater proportion of the register
ed blacks would have voluntarily turned
out to sustain agovernment under which
the prosperity of the State, and their
wages and the value of their shares OF
production has steadily declined, than
usually vote at elections.
8 In 1875, when the vote throughout
all the States was seriously Affected
against the Republican party, change
resulting largely from the financial dis
tress of the people, and which should,
therefore, naturally have been even lar
ger in Louisiana than elsewhere.
4, 1t became the interest of the Con-
servatiyes, at least at the State election,
not to intimidate, but to acquire by ev-
cry fair means, the colored vote. Parties
who were alleged to have threatened
blacks, even with refusal of employment
were subject to prompt arrest.
It was known that pretexts would be
sought to deprive the Conservatives OF
the result if they prevailed in the cleo
ton. 1t was therefore their interest to
avoid giving any such pretexts. Accord
ingly they determined everywhere to CO.
operate with and conCiliate the blacks.
They voted down the propositions or
suggestions which were made in the ear
ly part of the campaign, for refusal to
employ those colored voters who would
not cooperate with them, and generally
sought, by combining with the cOlored
voters, to carry the election. .r
Local combinations against the Kellogg
candidates were made in many parishes
by men of all parties and colors In sew
eral parishes union ticket of Colored
Conservative voters was voted for and
elected. An intelligent Colored witness
testified that he "desired better govern.
ment," and to that end was willing to
Swallow the white men, if the white
men would swallow the colored." These
causes and feelings naturally united to
swell the Conservative vote in such To-
calities exactly as indicated by the re-
turns. ......... ...-,........,...
5. The entire want Of any direct evil
denCe to show any general intimidation
Of the Colored voters.
Of course in 80 large State it would
be impossible there should be no instan-
Ces of refusal to employ nor of intimida'
ton. Such occur in every State. But
the evidence certainly indicates no gem
eral intimidation of colored voters, and
that such intimidation as did exist in the
State was rather in the interest of the
Republicans than of the Conservatives.
The United States Marshals, whose chief
was chairman of the Republican State
Committee, armed in some cases by
blank warrants, made constant arrests
before the elections and not afterward,
The oversight of the elections and of the
returns was with Gov, Kellogg's officials.
Their count and return did show twenty
nine majority of members of the Lower
House elected by the Conservatives
without any protest whatever, except in
three parishes, although it was their
province and duty to protest in any case
where violence or intimidation or fraud
existed.
Indeed, the direct evidence as to the
election of 1874, as we'll as the circum.
stances, clearly indicate peaceable and
fair election. In fact after the visit OF
the first committee, and the revisit of
the special committee, the Kellogg party
with all their machinery for collecting
evidence, were unable to produce in the
entire State more than half dozen per-
sons to testify to any thing impeaching
the freedom and fairness of the late elec'
tions who were not offiCe-holders, or
connected with Office holders. m di G
Against such facts it seems to us idle
to assume that the disturbances 30 viv-
idly pictured by the minority, could have
kept up throughout the State such feel
ing of intimidation as would justify the
assumption that but for that feeling the
State would have gone Republican. All
experience shows that the result of the
election of 1874 in Louisiana as returned
to the Returning Board was natural, and
to be only accounted for by the reasons
we have given. .I.
We hold, therefore, that in Nov. 1874,
the people of the State of Louisiana did
fairly have free, peaceable and full reg
istration and election, in which clear
Conservative majority was elected to the
Lower House of Representatives, Of
which majority the Conservatives were
deprived by the unjust, illegal and arbi-
trary action of the Returning Board.
To the resolutions reported to the
House from the committee as to the &C.
ton of the Returning Board we are all
agreed.
We understand the committee to be
unanimous in finding the TACT that the
action of the Returning Board has de
feated the will of the people as expressed
by them at the polls on Nov. 3, 1874 t
The people then elected to the Lower
House of their Legislature majority of
Conservative members A portion of
the members thus elected were refused
their certificates. This is an act of in
Justice to the individuals, of gravest dan
ger to the State and free government,
and ought to be Immediately corrected
by any power competent to correct it.
The resolution recommending the rec.
opnition of Gov, kellogg is based upon
general information, and not upon evil
dence. On this point no testimony was
taken, either by the committee or any
part of it. Kellogg may or may not have
been elected in 1872, but there is no evil
dence to show the fact, or If there be, it
has neither been sought nor found by
this committee. ...,
Messrs. Foster and Phelps think that
the popular belief, taking both Conserva-
tive and Radical circles, incline on the
whole to justify Kellogg and Penns