Year: 1876

| On the thirty-frst of August the cntile plar
! Of the campaign was adopted unanimously


A copy OF the minutes of the committee


was introduced and filed as part Of the testi-
mony. The circular to Supervisor Baudreau1
has been heretofore published: it is the one
that ordered that supervisor to see that full
| Republican vote was polled, and that his


recognition by the party would be dependent
on his observance OF that duty.


The question of permitting the witness to
testify IN regard to the general conduct of the
campaign was discussed at considerable
length. Tho chairman thought the testi-
mony at pFeSfslt should simply be confined to
a rebuttal ef the circular issued by him.
The qnestisn as to the general conduct of


the campaign having been finally admitted,


witness said it had teen the universal custom
of the committee. to urge upon the members


of the party the supreme impor-


tance of preserving the peace at the sacrifice


of everything bat self-defense; was satisfied


that III a fair, free and peaceable election they


could carry 6ie State; knew nothing of the


conduct of the campaign In 0uachita except


from hearssY and the registration of the


State; thought 1t was conducted in very un-


far manner; 1t was conducted by Hon.


Michael Hahn chlef-superyisor, who was a


Republican; the supervisors were appointed


by Kellogg or Antoine, when acting as gov


ernor; they were Republicans, as far as wit


ness knew; in many cases they were residents


Of other parishes; had requested Lieutenant


Governor Antoine to let us have a fair repre-


sentation in the registration; Antoine said


he had appointed some Democrats, but de-


clined to accede to the request


of the witness; when the letter asking for


a division of the registration was handed Mr..


Antoine, he said he saw the justice of it, but


would have to submit it to the committee,


and afterward wrote a letter declining to do


so. Witness promised to furnish copies of


the entire correspondence, which Will be in


corporated in the report to Senator Howe.


The Democratic committees of the State or


ganized central committee, whose duty it


was to conduct the campaign on the principles


announced by the convention; no specific in


structions were given by the convention; prom


inent Democrats from the interior of the


State frequently visited the headquarters of
the State committee; some few parishes sent
no representatives to the State convention;
representatives from nearly every parish vis-
tied the committee, and we urged upon them
the line Of conduct adopted and published
during the campaign IN the newspapers; we
urged upon them the importance of peace
full election, aside from the humanitarian
principle involved, as a matter of policy;
knew that statements had been made of
lawlessness heretofore in the country par
ishes and used against US; had no
special apprehension or information that any
acts of violence would be committed; appre-
hended that in the heated canvass collisions
might occur, and was under the impression
that it was the desire of the Republican party
to brlrg about such collision; thought the
election of the Democratic ticket, if elected,
would be counted out by the returning board
unless the National Democratic ticket was
successful; every disturbance that occurred,
no matter whether personal or otherwise, was
charged by the Republican press to the DEM
ocratic party, and we were anxious that there
should be no pretext fer using any acts of
violence; charges have been made heretofore
of acts Of violence and polls thrown out by the
returning board in consequence; there had
been three considerable rots in the State
since he had lived in New Orleans, namely:
In 1866 and in September, 1874, in New Or
leans, and in Colfax in 1873, which were at
tended by loss of life; could not give the
number killed in them; they were mostly Re-
publicans In the one of 1866, and In the others
were Of both parties; could not state positive
ly, but thought that the number of colored
men killed was largely in excess; knew this
only from published reports; the State gov
eminent for the past eight years has been
very bad, having wrung heavy taxation from
the people. conferred no benefits on the peo-
ple,' and, SO far as his personal observation
extended, it had not the confidence of the
peopl either white or black; the State tax
upon sle dollar valuation is fourteen mills;
prior to the present system it was two per
cent; lands were reported being assessed at
more than their market value in New Or
leans; his property was assessed at $4,000;
the State tax on it was $116 and the city tax
SIG; the city tax is determined by the city
council, which is now Democratic; his proper
ty, if sold at auction, would not bring ovsr
5000; would be willing to take $500,
what he gave for it.


Witness was interrogated at great length
In reference to the subject of taxation and the
of the Judiciary of the State un-
der the Republican regime and lis objections
to the latter system as adopted and the un-
usual powers conferred upon the governor.


Unless we had a Democratic national ad-
it would be impossible to have
Democratic State administration; we elected
a Democratic State government, but the re-
turning board reversed that order; this Is a
matter of fact; in common with eminent
counsel, | think the law creating the return
ing board is unconstitutional, but it confers
the power upon the returning board, under
certain contingencies, to reject votes; no
tribunal in the State has the power to decide
the unconstitutionality of the returning
board as Created that if there was change
of the national administration the national
government will see that the State has a re-
publican form of government, or at least one
fairly elected by the people; thought that
the supreme court had decided that It had no
power to go behind the acts of the returning
board in one or two instances;
could not state what process would
be necessary In order to have
the supreme court of the State pass upon the
constitutionality of the law creating the re-
turning board; he thought the board had
violated the law creating it In throwing out
three polls in Concordia; the boxes were sent
for and counted by the board; In the case of
East Baton Rouge, where the supervisor also
rejected the polls, the board refused to do so,
and in other instances; this action made a
difference of about nine hundred in poll two;
in the eleventh ward over FIVE hundred votes
were thrown out by the supervisor on the
ground of intimidation, insufficient of itself,
and the board had refused to go behind his
rejection; knew that large number of votes
had been thrown out by the board on grounds
Of intimidation, thus making Republican
majority.


The witness was asked, and detailed the
operation of the sewing-machine circulars
used by the Republicans in reference to reg
all of which has been heretofore
published, and said that the effect of the
wholesale issuance of warrants had the effect
of keeping many from the polls; in one case,
Mr.. Clover, registrar of East Baton Rouge,
who was member of the Mississippi legis-
lature last year, and not a legal voter in the
State; had seen certificate of the auditor
of Mississippi that Clover had drawn pay as
clerk of the board of equalization up to last
December; but Clover had said he came to
the State last August.


The witness was asked if large number
of warrants for fraudulent registration against
colored men had been sworn out by Demo
Gratis before the Republicans had the war
rants issued for the Democrats, and he re-
Piled that if such was the case, it was with
out his knowledge.


Witness was asked by Senator Oglesby in
reference to the organization of rifle clubs In
Ouachita, and stated that he knewnothing of
them until after the election, and that the in
structiOns issued by the committee early in
the campaign were not carried out in the IN
terror of the State.


To Mr.. Wadleigh-Was in the United
States army from l845 to 1855, when l left
it and settled here; was In the Confederate