Year: 1877




Q voting were guarded by tho creatures
c ofthe federal and State administrations
i superintendepts, commissioners, deputy
J. marshals, and soldiers, and all Of these
!. with one voice said the elections were
d poacoablc and free Indeed, ii is liter.
Z ally impossible that any intimidation
5 or violence could have been practisod.
8 No sensible person ever gave credit TO
/ it for moment. Notwithstanding
!, much mental anxiety about the result,
1 various reasons combined to make the


election IN Louisiana probably the most
!. quiet and undisturbed in the union.
t Tho charge Of actual intimidation at
, tho polls having been exploded almost
, as soon as it was made, another was
} tried which stood little longer. The
, intimidation, il was said, occurred, not
at the election, but at other times and
elsewhere, somebody unnamed and un-
known had hrcathcd out threatenings
and slaughter 50 violent that many
thousands absented themselves. This
was vague enough TO excite supersti-


tious beliefin the existence Of "bull-
dozer" whom nobody had ever seen


except as the goblin is seen which the


emagination bodies forth from the even.


ing mist But it vanished into thin air


when the truth appeared that this was


the largest vote ever given in Louisi-
ana, larger in proportion to the whole
/ population than the average Of all the


States OF the union.


Lastly, they fell back on the naked


fact that q considerable number of me-
groes had voted the Democrutie ticket,
and insisted that this was in itself a
sufficient evidence of intimidation.
1 They built this theory on the assump.
ton that no negro could ever be NOV.
ed against carpet.bagger except by


bis personal fears, and that all appeals


to his other passions, or to his reason
and conscience, must necessarily be IN


vain. In fact and in truth, large
percentage of the African population


were from the beginning very strongly


impressed against the strangers who


had como into the State TO rob the ma
tivcs. Most OF them were very stupid,


but many had sense enough to see that
this would come to no good They
had one cause of complaint which in
fuenced them strongly. Much Of the
lponderous taxation under which the
people suffered had been imposed on
the prctcnco OF schools for the elevation
of the negro: when the fund came into
the hands of carpet.bag officers, they
stole il of course and lett the negro TO
his aboriginal ignorance. The negroes,
not liking this kind OF elevation, became
excited and in some places large bod
les of them together broke away from
the carpet baggers. Their revolt was
perfectly natural and il would have
been universal If their stupidity had
/ been only little less dense Yet itisper
sistently asserted in effect that the car.
| pet bagger owns the negro by title
so incontestable that the vote of the
latter is never withheld from the for
mor except because OF bullduzing
whereby the white Democrat ought to
lose not only the vote given him by
the negro, but his own vote in the bar
gain. This preposterous view pervades
all the discussion on that side, inso-
much that the foremost Republicans of
the country have thought themselves
making an argument for disiranchse-
ment Of Democrats by merely showing
that the vote for the carpet bag candi.
dates fell below the aggregate number
Of black electors in a particular parish,
or was less than that given at some
former election. hrr


Ono curious case of buIldozing is
given by Mr.. Morrison's committee.
The negroes OF East Feliciana fell away
in large numbers from the carpet bag
gers, and so many expressed their in
tention to vote on the other side that
considerable majority for the Demo
cratic candidates was plainly forcseen.
The chiefs of the carpet-baggers at
New Orleans, being Informed Of this,
instructed the local leaders of the par.
ish not TO vote no ticket was put
forth on their part; not single Re-
publican vote was cast even by the
parish officers. This was done on pur-
pose TO lay the groundwork for charge
of intimidation. East Feielana was
declared a bulldozcd parish and the
people in it were disfranchised.


Even five assume thorighteousness
Of the principle embodied in tho Lou.
isiana election law, that one man may
be disfranchised because another hasin-
timidated third, there was no show
Of ground upon which the Democratic
majority could be questioned. The mi
nority therefor left the case to the re.
turning board, in full confidence that
it was corrupt enough to act as desired
without evidence, against law, and in
defiance of the known TRUTH -r


The personnel OF tho board justified
the faith ofthe carpot-baggors and their
allies, IF the evidence concerning its


members be rightly reported by the
investigation committee they were
marked out by the history of their pre-
vious lives, noted and signed to do any
deed Of shame which might be required
at their hands. Wells was custom
house officer at New Orleans, and one
Of the worst oftbat bad lot; o adcfaulter
to the State Of long standing without
character for integrity rveracity and
for thirty years regarded as unworthy
10 be trusted Anderson's character
for honesty was equally bad ho had
earned II in part by aiding while he
was Senator 10 putup n fraudulent
job upon the State, and taking tho in.
iquitous proceeds to himself OF the
two mulattocs, one was allowed to cs.
cape punishment, and promptly taken
into the board. Tho other was too ig.
norant TO know his duty, but his ties.
timony showed such indifference to the
obligations of an oath that he was
deemed as safe Tor the earpet.baggcrs
as either Of his colleagues


They comprehendcd the situation,
saw the difficulty of the work before
them, and resolved to make it pay in
something better than mere promises
OF recognition" however generous and
ample" Wells, who was their spokes.
man in private as in public, wrote in
strict confidence TO q carpet.bag Sena-
tor, then at Washington, a letter which,
being condensed into plain English,
means this; There's millions in it.
Sec our friends and act promptly. Buy
us Immediately or we will scll ont to
the other side Talk freely 10 the
gentleman who presents this; he knows
the moves" To the bearer Of tho let