LOUISIANA. 



Committee, and Governor Kellogg, Messrs. 

 Durell, Casey, Sypher, and Morey, addressed a 

 telegram to Attorney-General "Williams, say- 

 ing: 



We have authentic information that systematic 

 violence and intimidation will be practised toward 

 Republican voters on the day of election at three or 

 four points in this State, and we earnestly request 

 that General Emory be instructed to send troops to 

 Franklin, St. Mary's Parish, Napoleonville, As- 

 sumption Parish, and Moreauville, Avoyelles Parish. 

 Governor Kellogg will furnish transportation to 

 those points without cost to the Government. 



On December 9th Governor Kellogg tele- 

 graphed President Grant : 



Information reaches me that the "White League 

 purpose making an attack upon the State-House, 

 especially that portion occupied by the Treasurer or 

 the State. The organization is very numerous and 

 well armed, and the State forces now available are 

 not sufficient to resist successfully any movement 

 they may make. With a view of preventing such 

 an attempt, and the bloodshed which would be 

 likely to result, should an insurgent body gain pos- 

 session of the State-House, in dispersing them. I re- 

 spectfully request that a detachment of United 

 States troops be stationed in that portion of the St. 

 Louis Hotel which is not used for any of the State 

 offices, where they will be readily available to pre- 

 vent any such insurrectionary movement as that 

 contemplated. 



Ex-Governor "Wells, President of the State 

 Returning Board, telegraphed the President 

 December 10th : 



The members of the board are being publicly and 

 privately threatened with violence, and an attack 

 upon the State-House, which is likely to result in 

 bloodshed, is also threatened. By request of the 

 board, I respectfully ask that a detachment of troops 

 be stationed in the State-House so that the delibera- 

 tions and final action of the board may be free from 

 intimidation and violence. 



The United States Commissioner for Shreve- 

 port, A. B. Levisa, gives a full statement of 

 the condition of affairs in North Louisiana, re- 

 ferring to an alleged scheme to expel from the 

 country the Republican leaders, and then to 

 frighten the negroes into acquiescence with 

 their wishes; and charging that the whites 

 were driving the freedmen from their homes, 

 naked and penniless, to endure the severities 

 of the winter as best they might. The ne- 

 groes were cheated of their rights, and had 

 no redress with the mixed juries of the local 

 courts. 



Next follows a telegram from Mr. "Wiltz to 

 the President, informing him of his election as 

 Speaker of the House, and protesting against 

 armed interference with the Legislature. Gen- 

 eral Sheridan sends to the War Department 

 for its information a letter from Major Merrill, 

 dated Shreveport, December 30th. He gives 

 the facts as to the probabilities of violence 

 there, and says : 



The three Republican members declared elected 

 to the Legislature by the Returning Board, who have 

 gone to New Orleans to take their seats, beyond 

 doubt could not safely return here now. Outside of 

 the officers named above, there is no one left to do 

 violence upon. The leading Radicals have left ; the 

 worrying and harassing of the negroes go on with 



little intermission, but lately no acts of violence to 

 their person have come to my knowledge. Such acts 

 now are confined to plundering them with or without 

 some show of legal form, and driving them from 

 their homes to seek places to live elsewhere. The 

 conflict for offices, whether conducted by peaceable 

 legal means, or violence, will stop what little legal 

 check now exists upon crime and wrong-doing, and 

 will greatly aggravate the condition of things, which 

 is already serious enough. But I do not apprehend 

 that it will result in extended disorder at present, 

 because there is nothing left to work upon except 

 the commoner orders, and partly because the leading 

 White-Leaguers have gone to New Orleans. 



The documents conclude with extracts from 

 Louisiana newspapers, showing the platform 

 of the White League and the intentions of the 

 organization, the following serving as a speci- 

 men: 



The lines must be drawn at once, before our op- 

 ponents are thoroughly organized. or by this 

 means we will prevent many milk-and-cider follow- 

 ers from falling into the enemy's ranks. While the 

 White Man's party guarantees the negro all his pres- 

 ent rights, they do not intend that white carpet-bag- 

 gers and renegades shall be permitted to organize 

 and prepare the negroes for the coming campaign. 

 Without the assistance of these villains the negroes 

 are totally incapable of effectually organizing them- 

 selves, and, unless they are previously excited and 

 drilled, one-half of them will not come to the polls, 

 and a large percentage of the remainder will vote 

 the White Man's ticket. 



On the 15th of January the special Congres- 

 sional Committee which had visited New Or- 

 leans in the latter part of December, to inves- 

 tigate the condition of affairs in Louisiana, 

 reported to Congress. (This report is given 

 in full under the title PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.) 



While the statements contained in it were 

 accepted as conclusive by a large class, they 

 were sharply criticised by some Senators in ' 

 Washington. Among these were Senator Mor- 

 ton, who declared that the committee's oppor- 

 tunities had been too limited to enable them 

 to ascertain the truth, and asserted that the 

 committee's report to the effect that the White 

 League was a peaceable political organiza- 

 tion, and that there had been no intimidation 

 of Republican voters, was specially erroneous. 

 He also declared that the statement had been 

 made in New Orleans to at least one member 

 of the committee, that a conspiracy existed on 

 the part of the Conservatives to revolutionize 

 the State government on the 4th of January ; 

 that the object of Wiltz was to organize the 

 House, and to connect it with the McEnery 

 Senate ; that the Legislature thus organized 

 was to recognize the McEnery State govern- 

 ment ; and that about 20,000 fighting men were 

 ready to respond to the call of McEnery in case 

 their services were needed. 



Immediately after the report above referred 

 to had been submitted to Congress, another 

 committee, comprising Representatives George 

 F. Hoar (who had been a member of the first 

 committee), Frye, and Wheeler, was appointed, 

 and at once proceeded to New Orleans to in- 

 vestigate further the condition of affairs in 

 Louisiana. 



