Year: 1877

both sides, that there are about 1000


white republicans and there NAV be
possibly half that number of negroes


who are democrats by association


with their old masters and from tics


of affection and who may have voted
the democratic ticket voluntarily


but think that general statement OF
it is unfortunately true. The macs OF
the negroes, the great body, nine-
tcnths of them and more than that
proportion instinctiyely vote the re.
publican ticket, and there are good
reasons for it.


There is another unfortunate thing


do not want to arraign the people
OF Louisiana; but here is their own


registration aud il shows this unfor.
tunatc condition of affairs, which


may probably explain something of
the charges of perjury. It happens
that there are in the State of Louisi-
ana 3S4,027 negroes who can neither


read or write. 1t happens that there
are l5O,759 white people who cannot


read or write. That seems to be
most appalling, that only one-tcnth


of the negroes of Louisiana can read


or write, and only little more than
onc-half of the whites can read and
write! That is rather staggering
fact to a person accustomed to com.
munity where everybody can read
and write; and have no doubt that
the condition of society in Louisiana
is largely TO be attributed to the sad
fact that education has not yet grown
into life upon the population there,
either white or black. +,
These are the sober facts; you have
got to deal with these facts \ and in
dealing with them you will see that
what l state to the Senator from Del
aware is true, that while in the first
instance the Governor and the officers
ofthe State ought to be called upon
to explain these outrages, and the
failure to punish the perpetrators,
yet that failure has been sufficiently
accounted for, not so fully as / would
like TO have it done; but / think I
could show the Senator himself by
the Official papers I have, if had the
time to go into them at length, pref
ty full explanation of the inability of
the Governor, by reason of the state
Of society in certain parishes there,
to enforce the law and punish Offend
ers.


WHO COMMITS THESE CRIMES?


Mr.. President, the honorable Sena-
tor from Delaware seems anxious to
force on his collateral question dis
cussion of the responsibility for the
crimes committed in Louisiana. / am
glad We have advanced one step in
this debate and that these crimes are
no longer denied. The honorable
Senator from Delaware has stated
the nature and character of these Of
fenses as strongly as could. Indeed.
when l made the statement in nv
way, no stronger than he did in his,
! was generally supposed to be un-
duly heated and excited. Now we
have in the outset an admission that
there is state of society in Louisi-
ana which is shocking to humanity
and disgraceful to the civilization of
our age, state of society involving
murder and all the crimes prohibited
by any law, and that without the
possibility of punishment. Here we
have the sad fact acknowledged.
Who commits these crimes? We
shall come to the question of punish
ment hereafter, but who commits
these crimes; in whose name are
they committed for what purpose
arc they committed 1t will be i'm
possible for gentlemen to go back Of
the sober fact that these crimes are
committed for political purposes.
notwithstanding the half shade of |
expression of my honorable friend |
from Kentucky mfr. Stevenson] who |
went down to New Orleans, he can
not escape the fact that they are for
political purposes; that they are
mainly committed by white men to !
obtain political power; and that the
reason why they cannot be punished |
is because they are above the law.