740 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



acquire a part of the negro vote. With that view it 

 was sought iu many quarters to propitiate them. 



The frequent arrests by the United States marshals 

 for intimidation or threats of non-employment, and 

 the apprehension that was felt that the Keturning 

 Board would count out their men if an excuse for 

 such a course were offered, all combined, especially 

 after September 14th, to put the Conservatives on 

 their good behavior, and the result was, that in No- 

 vember, 1874, the people of the State of Louisiana did 

 fairly have a free, peaceable, and full registration and 

 election, in which a clear Conservative inaiority was 

 elected to the Lower House of the Legislature, of 

 which majority the Conservatives were deprived by 

 the unjust, illegal, and arbitrary action of the Keturn- 

 ing Board. That there were turbulent spirits cannot 

 be denied. Those returned to office by the Keturn- 

 ing Board, in violation of the wishes of the people ? 

 are especially odious. In one instance the editor of 

 the Snreveport News, in anticipation of the frustra- 

 tion by the Returning Board of the will of the people, 

 openly declared that the onlv remedy was " to kill 

 the usurpers," and declared this to be the sentiment 

 of the Conservatives of his section of the State; but, 

 beyond a newspaper editor or two, no declaration even 

 of "that sort was brought to our own notice, although 

 it was admitted on all hands that the white people of 

 the whole State felt greatly outraged by the action 

 of the Keturning Board. Indeed, it is conceded by 

 all parties that the Kellogg government is only up- 

 held by the Federal military. Withdraw the military, 

 and that government will go down. This was true 

 before the 4th of January, as well as now. Governor 

 Kellogg says this is owing to the doubt that Congress 

 has permitted about the legality of his government. 

 The Conservatives say that this is not only because , 

 his government is illegal, but because it has been 

 abusive and corrupt. 



In this connection we refer to the White League 

 mentioned hi the message of the President. In the 

 last campaign in Louisiana the opposition was com- 

 posed or various elements Democrats, Reformers, 

 dissatisfied Republicans, Liberal Republicans, old 

 Whigs and in order to induce the cooperation of all, 

 some of whom refused to unite with an organization 

 called Democrats, they took the name of " The 

 People's party," called in some localities " The Con- 

 servative party," in others "The White Man's party," 

 in others ''The White League;" and had ordinary 

 political clubs under these names throughout the 

 rural districts, which were ordinary political clubs, 

 and nothing more neither secret, nor armed, nor 

 otherwise different from usual political organizations. 

 These must not, however, be confounded, from the 

 similarity of names, with the " White League of the 

 City of New Orleans." That league is an organiza- 

 tion comprised of different clubs, numbering in all be- 

 tween 2,500 and 2,800 the members of which have pro- 

 vided arms for themselves, and with or without arms 

 engage in military drill. They have no uniform, and 

 the arms are the property of the individuals ana not 

 of the organizations. They comprise a large number 

 of reputable citizens, and of property-holders in New 

 Orleans. Their purpose they declare to be .simply 

 protection, a necessity occasioned by the existence of 

 leagues among the blacks, of the hostility with which 

 the Kellogg government arrayed the black against 

 the white race, of the want of security to peaceable 

 citizens and their families, which existed for those rea- 

 sons, and because also of the peculiar formation of the 

 police brigade. On the other hand, the Republicans 

 assert that this is an armed body of volunteers exist- 

 ing for the purpose of intimidating the blacks and 

 overthrowing the Kellogg government. That it had 

 any considerable relations outside of the city of New 

 Orleans, or that it was intended in any way to inter- 

 fere with the rights of the colored citizens, did not 

 appear ; nor, on the other hand, did it appear that 

 tnere was any extensive secret league among the blacks 

 of any kind. That the White League would readily 



cooperate in any feasible scheme for o^rthrowing 

 the Kellogg government, your committee do not 

 doubt ; so will substantially all the white citizens of 

 Louisiana. Such organizations may be dangerous 

 and are very rarely to be justified. The affair of 

 September 14th is an illustration of this. The mem- 

 bers of the White League had purchased arms. The 

 police had seized these arms without process of law. 

 taking them forcibly from the merchants who had 

 sold and from the members who had bought them. 

 A consignment of arms was to arrive by the steamer 

 Mississippi. The members of the League were called 

 put, on the morning of the 14th, to go and take them 

 in a body. The police undertook to seize the arms. 

 The two bodies came into collision on the wharf, and 

 several persons were killed and wounded. There 

 were then hardly any Federal troops in New Orleans, 

 and the disintegration of the Kellogg party was 

 such that before night Penn and his associates had 

 only to take possession of the Executive offices without 

 a struggle. The movement was everywhere quietly 

 accepted by the whites throughout the State until 

 the Federal Government interfered, when Penn and 

 his associates at once surrendered. If Louisiana was 

 a country by itself, McEnery and his associates would 

 at once be installed in power, but the Conservatives 

 of Louisiana do not propose to fight the Federal 

 Government. They submit, not because they want 

 to, but because they must ; not because they proclaim 

 any enmity against the flag, not because free labor 

 has not been found practicable, not because of any 

 hostility to the colored people because they are 

 colored, but because they regard themselves as de- 

 frauded out of the election of 1872 ; and yet more, 

 out of the last election, and because they think their 

 State government has been to the last degree de- 

 structive and corrupt. Indeed, in our judgment, the 

 substantial citizens of the State will submit to any 

 fair determination of the question of the late election, 

 or to any thing by which they can secure a firm and 

 good government. What they seek is peace and an 

 opportunity for prosperity. To that end they will 

 support any form of government that will afford them 

 just protection ; in their distress they have got be- 

 yond any mere question of political party. 



After your committee had announced their inten- 

 tion not to investigate the election of 1872, they re- 

 ceived a letter from Governor Kellogg, expressing a 

 desire that they should investigate that subject; latei 

 they received a letter from McEnery and Penn and 

 associates, proposing to submit their claims to the 

 State offices, to the committee as arbitrators. In 

 view of the assurance that a like submission was de- 

 sired on the part of Messrs. Kellogg and Antoine and 

 their associates, the committee addressed a letter to 

 each of these gentlemen, desiring to know explicitly 

 whether each one would submit to the determination 

 of the committee, and if they found he was not duly 

 elected he would resign his office, or all claim to the 

 office, and would not enter upon it during the term 

 for which he claimed to have been elected. To this com- 

 munication they received a reply from Mr. McEnery 

 and those associated with him, assenting to the sub- 

 mission ; and in the course of his examination before 

 the committee, Governor Kellogg expressed the same 

 intention, and his opinion that those associated with 

 him ought to consent to the arrangement. His for- 

 mal reply has been received since our return, and we 

 see by the public press that Mr. Antoine has expressed^ 

 his willingness to accede to the arrangement. 



As to the proceedings on the 4th of January, about 

 which the committee desired a statement, we now 

 add that your sub-committee, on the invitation of 

 the Democratic Conservative Committee of the State 

 of Louisiana, visited the hall of the House of Repre- 

 sentatives, and witnessed the convening of the Loui- 

 siana House of Representatives, Mr. Potter refusing 

 to go inside the bar, remained outside, while Messrs. 

 Foster and Phelps were seated inside and near to the 

 Speaker's chair. Mr. Potter remained only until 



