USA > Louisiana > Louisiana; comprising sketches of counties, towns, events, institutions, and persons, Volume I > Part 46
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Spanish institutions, habits, and customs were gradually intro- duced into the conquered province, superseding those of the Eng- lish, and as many of the English fled during the war, large grants of land reverted to the government and were granted anew by the Spanish. Spanish governors ruled the Feliciana district until the West Florida Revolution (q. v.) in 1810, when Gov. Claiborne took possession of it in the name of the United States, pursuant to an order from President Madison.
An act creating the parish was passed in 1807, but as the terri- tory did not then belong to the United States another act was passed in 1811 establishing the parish of East Baton Rouge. It has an area of 451 square miles and lies in the fertile Mississippi valley, about 100 miles above New Orleans. The parish is bounded on the north by East Feliciana parish: on the east by St. Helena and Livingston parishes: on the south by Ascension parish, and the Mississippi river forms its entire western boundary. From 1810 to the War of 1812, the commerce of the parish did not increase in proportion to the population, which was something less than 1,000 in 1810. The Mississippi river drains the western portion of the parish, and such streams as the Amite, Manchac, Bayou Foun- tain, and other minor water courses, afford sufficient drainage to its entire surface. The formation along the Mississippi river is alluvial, subject to inundation by the river, very fertile. with a heavy loamy soil, and about one-third of this is under cultivation. The remainder of the parish is undulating or rolling and hilly. breaking into highlands and bluffs, with level stretches along the river and creek bottoms. Much of the original forest has been cleared away, but the parish still has a good supply of timber, principally cypress, oak, gum, poplar, magnolia and beech, with a dense undergrowth in many places. On the uplands the soil is as varied as the timber, ranging from a thin sandy clay to a rich loam, but when scientifically farmed is capable of yielding profit- able crops. Excellent pasturage for stock is to be had throughout the year, and the live stock industry is one of considerable magni- tude. Nearly all the staple crops are cultivated successfully, cotton. sugar-cane, and corn. yielding well on the rich bottom lands. New Orleans is the principal market. The facilities for shipping and transportation are unsurpassed. The Mississippi river affords easy and cheap communication with New Orleans: the Yazoo & Mis- sissippi Valley R. R. runs direct to Memphis and New Orleans, traversing the parish north and south ; the Texas & Pacific R. R. furnishes an outlet to the west. and the line of the Louisiana Rail- way & Navigation company runs directly to Shreveport and New Orleans. In 1810 East and West Baton Rouge were given as Baton Rouge, and the combined population was 1,463, which was credited to East Baton Rouge alone. The growth of the parish was rapid, as the population of East Baton Rouge alone had in- creased to 8,138 by 1840, and since that time there has been a steady increase each decade, until in 1900 it was the 6th most populous parish in the state. The city of Baton Rouge is the largest in the
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parish. Some of the other important towns and villages are Baker, Burtville, Manchac, Port Hudson, Baywood, Stony Point and Zachary. The following statistics are taken from the U. S. census for 1900: number of farms, 2,477 ; acreage, 198,253 ; acres improved, 100,152; value of farm land exclusive of buildings, $1,675,270; value of farm buildings, $634,670; value of live stock, $584,635; value of all products not fed to live stock, $1,265,470; number of manufac- tories, 58; capital invested, $991,049; wages paid, $127,741 ; cost of materials used, $482.867 ; total value of products, $866,912. The population in 1900 consisted of 10,552 whites, 20,578 colored, a total of 31,153, an increase of 5,231 over the year 1890. The estimated population for 1908 was 36,000.
East Carroll Parish, established by an act of the legislature, March 27, 1877, when Carroll parish was abolished, and from its territory East and West Carroll parishes were created (See Carroll Parish), is located on the Mississippi river in the northeastern part of the state. It is bounded on the north by the State of Arkansas; on the east by Mississippi, from which it is separated by the Missis- sippi river ; on the south by Madison parish, and on the west by W'est Carroll parish, from which it is separated by Bayou Macon. It has an area of 395 square miles, and originally was covered with forests in which the principal trees were cypress, magnolia, cotton- wood, gum, elin, hickory, willow and locust. East Carroll parish is drained by the Mississippi river along the eastern, and by Bayou Macon along the western boundary, while the Tensas river and its branches drain the central portion. The soil is varied, that nearest the river is of a light, loamy quality, and that farther back from the river of a black clay known as "buckshot" soil, on which rice grows especially well, and a large part of the parish is devoted to its culture. The rich alluvial soil of the river bottoms produces fine cotton, which is the great export crop, and corn is grown to some extent. Horticulture has never been extensively practiced. but the rich soil and climate both tend to produce fruits and nuts of an excellent quality and large quantities. Since the railroad was built through the parish, alfalfa and vegetables have fast encroached upon the staple products, as the markets of north and south have been brought within reach of the farmers. Lumbering is an im- portant industry, the large cypress swamps furnishing an excel- lent supply of that timber. One division of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern R. R. enters the parish at the northern boundary and runs southeast to Lake Providence, thence directly south into Madison parish, furnishing an outlet north and south for the export products, and cheap shipping is provided by water on the Mississippi river, which flows along the entire eastern boundary. Lake Providence is the parish seat. Other towns and villages are Alsatia, Atherton, Brunett, Benham, Henderson. Stam- boul and -Transylvania. The following statistics are taken from the U. S. census for 1900: number of farms, 2.917 ; acreage, 107.087 : acres improved, 61,835 ; value of land and improvements exclusive of buildings, $1,388,630; value of farm buildings, $377,600; value
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of live stock, $299,833; value of all products not fed to live stock, $1,011,792; number of manufacturing establishments, 41; capital invested, $246,717; wages paid, $17,066; cost of materials used, $32,352; total value of products, $98,262. The population of the parish in 1900 was 959 whites, 10.412 colored, a total of 11,373, a decrease of 989 during the preceding decade.
East Feliciana Parish was established in 1824, and was created out of the eastern part of Feliciana parish (q. v.). It is located in the southeastern part of the state on the Mississippi border, and has an area of 454 square miles. The parish is bounded on the north by Mississippi; on the east by St. Helena parish; on the south by East Baton Rouge parish, and on the west by West Feliciana parish. The Amite river, which waters the eastern part of the parish, received its name from the French in commemoration of their kindly treatment by the Indians when they first explored this section of the country. The western portion of the parish is watered by the Comite river and such streams as Pretty, Redwood, Thompson's, Beaver, Sandy, and Black creeks, all of which furnish a natural water supply for the central and southern sections. The first actual settler in the parish is supposed to have been Leonard Hornsby, who came from South Carolina by water in 1803, and after exploring the country settled at the fork of Beaver creek and the Amite river. He brought not only his family but a black- smith, shoemaker, carpenter, wagon maker and wheelwright, which made a considerable settlement. His nearest neighbor was a Georgian named Barrow, who had a cabin a mile below the head waters of Hepsiba creek. Daniel Eads soon followed Barrow and built the first grist mill in that part of the parish. He in turn was followed by Elisha Anders and Maj. Doughty. Beaver creek was settled up by the McAdams, Morgan, Rentz and Gerard families. About 1804 and 1805, Lewis Perkins headed a colony among whom were the Winter, McNeely, Dunn and Scott families, James Kent, Jack Booker, and Ezra Courtney, the pioneer preacher of the parish, who succeeded in having a church built in 1812, which was not only the first church in the parish but also one of the first Protes- tant churches in that section of Louisiana. From 1805 to the war of 1812, settlers came in great numbers from the older states, and when the parish was created in 1824 it had a population of over 5,000. The governor appointed Thomas Scott the first parish judge and Jamees Scott, Jr., sheriff. In Feb., 1825, the state legislature authorized the parish judge to hold an election on the first Mon- - day in March, and the 2 days following, after giving 7 days' notice, "for the purpose of choosing 5 persons as commissioners, whose duty it shall be to establish the site for the permanent seat of justice." The result of the election was a site cast of the Comite river at a point near where Clinton now stands. The commis- sioners being influenced in their choice by the clear, pure spring water found there. East Feliciana parish is noted for its many churches. The first church was organized and built at Hepsiba in 1812, the next, of which any record remains, was the Baptist
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church of Clinton, organized in Jan., 1836. The Methodist Episco- pal church of Clinton has been in existence for more than 65 years, and the Presbyterians and Catholics both have churches in the parish. Some of the most prominent educational institutions of the parish are the Clinton Female academy, the Feliciana Female institute and Silliman Female college. Clinton, the parish seat, and Jackson are the largest towns in the parish. Other important towns and villages are Ethel, Blairstown, Lindsay, Norwood, Felix- ville, Slaughter and Wilson. The formation of the parish is chiefly bluff land and pine hills, with rich creek and river bottoms of alluvial deposit, but no swamp land of any extent. The soil is that common to most of the upland and western long leaf pine regions, being a light, easily worked sandy soil, with a strong clay subsoil that makes it quite retentive, and when cleared is very fertile. Cotton is the staple, though corn, oats, hay, peas, sweet and Irish potatoes, sorghum, sugar-cane, tobacco and many kinds of grasses are raised. Such fruits as apples, pears, peaches, figs, plums, grapes, and all the smaller varieties are raised in abundance. Originally the parish was covered with a heavy growth of timber, such as pine, white and pink oak, beech, poplar, hickory, walnut, sycamore, etc. Lumbering has been an important industry for years, and nearly all of the original forests have been cut off. Good pasturage for stock can be obtained nearly the entire year, and as the lands have been cleared the live stock industry and dairying has increased. Large numbers of fine blooded cattle and horses are bred, while sheep and hogs thrive remarkably well. The Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R. traverses the western part of the parish north and south : a branch line of this system runs from Ethel to Clinton, a second from Slaughter northwest into West Feliciana parish, and the Jackson R. R. runs from Jackson to McManus, where it connects with the Yazoo & Mississippi Valley R. R. The markets of New Orleans and Memphis are thus brought within easy reach of the farmers of the parish. The following data are taken from the U. S. census for 1900: number of farms, 2,395; acreage, 187,245; acres improved, 96,127; value of land and im- . provements exclusive of buildings, $1,070,900; value of farm build- ings, $519,110; value of live stock, $438,355; value of all products not fed to live stock. $1,099,982; number of manufacturing estab- lishments, 53; capital invested, $95,014; wages paid, $19,923; cost of materials used, $44,443; total value of products, $103,968. The population of the parish in 1900 was 5,570 whites, 14,871 colored, a total of 20,413, an increase of 2,540 since the year 1890. The estimated population for 1908 was over 22,000.
East Pendleton, a post-village in the western part of Sabine parish, is on the Sabine river, about 15 miles southwest of Many,. the parish seat. It is a landing on the river and a shipping point for lumber. In 1900 it had a population of 50.
East Point, a village of Red River parish, is situated on the Red river and the line of the Louisiana Railway & Navigation company, about 12 miles northwest of Coushatta, the parish seat. It is the
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shipping point for a large agricultural district, and in 1900 had a population of 110. It has a money order postoffice, express office, and telegraph and telephone facilities.
Ebenezer, a post-hamlet in the southeastern part of Acadia parish, is about 5 miles southeast of Crowley, the parish seat.
Echevarria, Don Santiago Jose de, Bishop of Cuba, was the first dignitary of the Catholic church to exercise episcopal authority over Louisiana. Soon after the beginning of the Spanish domina- tion the province was attached to his diocese, and in July, 1772, he sent five Spanish Capuchins-Fathers Cirilo de Barcelona, Fran- cisco, Angel, Luis and Aleman-to New Orleans. The first named was charged with the duty of making an investigation into the state of religion and affairs of the church, and report to the bishop. Father Cirilo was not prudent in his course. He became involved in a controversy with Father Dagobert, in whose behalf Gov. Unzaga wrote a lettter to Bishop Echevarria. (See also Catholic Church.)
Echo (R. R. name Bijou), a post-village and station in the eastern part of Rapides parish, is on the Louisiana Railway & Navigation company's line, about 18 miles southeast of Alexandria, the parish seat. The population in 1900 was 67.
Eddy, a money order post-village in the western part of Vernon parish, is situated on Sandy creek about 2 miles east of the Sabine river, 12 miles southwest of Orangeville, the nearest railroad sta- tion, and 15 miles west of Leesville, the parish seat.
Eden, a money order post-hamlet, is situated on Trout creek, in the western part of Catahoula parish, and about 4 miles southwest of Trout, the nearest railroad station. It has a telegraph station, and in 1900 had a population of 53.
Edgard, the parish seat of St. John the Baptist parish, is located in the western part of the parish on the line of the Texas & Pacific R. R., and a short distance west of the Mississippi river. Although it reported a population of only 250 in 1900, it is the most im- portant town in the parish. It has two sugar mills, several general stores, a newspaper, a money order postoffice, and being admirably located for shipping purposes it is the trading center for a rich agricultural district.
Edgerly, a village in the southwestern part of Calcasieu parish. is a station on the Southern Pacific R. R., about 15 miles west of Lake Charles, the parish seat. It is the supply and shipping point for the southwestern part of the parish, has a money order post- office, express office. telegraph station, telephone facilities, and a population of about 80.
Education .- (See School System, State University, State Normal School, Freedmen, Higher Education of. and Colleges.)
Effie, a post-hamlet in the northwestern part of Avoyelles parish, is about 4 miles from the western boundary, 8 miles southeast of Kees, the nearest railroad station, and about the same distance northwest of Marksville, the parish seat.
Egan, a post-village and station in the southwestern part of
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Acadia parish, is on a branch of the Southern Pacific R. R., 4 miles north of Midland, and about 8 miles northwest of Crowley, the parish seat. It has an express office, telegraph and telephone facili- ties, and is a shipping point of some consequence.
Eggbend, a post-hamlet in the western part of Avoyelles parish, is situated on the Red river, about 2 miles northeast of Echo, the nearest railroad station, and 8 miles west of Marksville, the parish seat. Its population in 1900 was 35.
Elam, Joseph B., lawyer and member of Congress, was born in Hempstead county. Ark., June 12, 1821, and went with his parents to Natchitoches. La., in 1826. Here he studied law, was admitted to the bar in Oct., 1843, and began practice at Alexandria, La. For 2 years he served in the state legislature from Sabine parish ; moved to De Soto parish in 1851; was elected a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1861, and signed the ordinance of secession ; during the Civil war he served two terms in the state legislature, one as speaker ; was reelected in 1865, and served until the passage of the reconstruction legislation by Congress. He was elected to the 45th, and reelected to the 46th Congress as a Demo- crat. After leaving Congress he resumed the practice of law until his death on July 4, 1885.
Elba, a post-village of St. Landry parish, is situated in the north- eastern part near the eastern boundary and on the Texas & Pacific R. R., about 3 miles north of Melville.
Election Laws .- (See Constitution of 1898 for provisions regard- ing suffrage.)
Electoral Commission .- Immediately after the presidential elec- tion of 1876 disputes arose in four states over the correctness of the returns. In these disputes 20 electoral votes were involved. to-wit: 4 from Florida, 8 from Louisiana, 1 from Oregon, and 7 from South Carolina. At that time the electoral college consisted of 369 votes, 185 of which were necessary to elect. Samuel J. Tilden, the Democratic candidate for president, had a plurality of 250,935 of the popular vote over Rutherford B. Hayes, the Repub- lican candidate, and a clear popular majority of 167,037 over all his opponents. Of the undisputed electoral votes he had 184, only one more being necessary to secure his election, while Hayes, in order to be elected, would have to obtain the entire vote of the four contested states. In Florida, the supreme court, which was Democratic, issued an order that the returning board should declare the result as it appeared on the face of the returns, but the board met before the decree of the court could be promulgated, threw out enough votes to show that the Republican electors had a majority, and announced the result. The secretary of state certi- fied the election of the Tilden ticket. A similar state of affairs existed in South Carolina, where two sets of certificates were issued. In Oregon the Republicans carried the state, but one of the electoral candidates was a Federal officeholder and therefore not eligible. The governor of that state certified to the election of 2 Republicans and 1 Democrat. In Louisiana there were two
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state governments, one headed by William P. Kellogg, governor de facto, and the other by John McEnery, governor de jure, and each administration claimed the authority to certify to the electoral vote.
On Dec. 6, 1876, the electors holding Kellogg certificates met at the state-house to cast their votes. Two of them, O. H. Brewster and A. B. Levissee, were Federal officeholders at the time of the election, but they resigned their positions and were chosen by the other electors "to fill vacancies." Mr. Levissee said he had been offered $100.000 to cast his vote for Tilden and Hendricks, but declined to give the name of the person or persons offering the bribe. The votes were cast for Hayes and Wheeler. On the same day the electors holding certificates from Gov. McEnery met in the hall of the house of representatives and cast their votes for Tilden and Hendricks. The Republicans-John Sherman, E. W. Stoughton, Eugene Hale, James A. Garfield and others-who had been sent to New Orleans to witness the proceedings of the return- ing board, submitted a report on Dec. 6 defending the course pur- sued by the returning officers, and the controversy was carried into Congress.
The constitution of the United States makes it the duty of Con- gress to canvass the electoral votes, but as the lower house was Democratic by a large majority and the senate was Republican, no agreement could be reached. It was contended that the house alone had the right to canvass the votes, but in this proposition the senate refused to concur. and on Dec. 7 Mr. McCrary of Iowa offered a resolution providing for the appointment of a joint com- mittee of 5 members of the house and like number from the senate, "to prepare and report without delay, such a measure, either legis- lative or constitutional, as may in their judgment be best calcu- lated to accomplish the desired end." This resolution was referred to the committee on judiciary, which reported it back on the 14th with a recommendation that the committee be increased to seven members of each house, in which form it was adopted without debate. On the 18th it was adopted by the senate. The house members of the committee were; Payne of Ohio, Hewitt of New York, Springer of Illinois, McCrary of Iowa, Hunton of Virginia, Hoar of Massachusetts, and Willard of Michigan. The senators on the Committee were: Edmunds of Vermont, Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, Conkling of New York, Morton of Indiana, Thurman of Ohio, Ransom of North Carolina, and Bayard of Delaware.
On Jan. 13, 1877. the committee, through Mr. Edmunds, sub- mitted a bill "to provide for and regulate the counting of the votes for president and vice-president, and decision of questions arising thereon, for the term commencing March 4, A. D. 1877." The report of the committee was signed by all the members except Mr. Morton, who, in the course of a long speech explaining the reason for his non-concurrence, said: "I regard this bill, Mr. President, as a compromise. It will take its place alongside of the com- promise of 1820, and the compromise of 1850. * I believe
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that Rutherford B. Hayes has been elected president of the United States; that he has been elected under forms of law and according to' law, and that he is elected in the hearts of the people; and I believe that if he is counted in, as eighteen presidents were suc- cessively counted in from the beginning of this government, he would be inaugurated, and there would be no violence and no revolution. * * The constitution of the United States con- fers upon the states the power to appoint electors in such a way as the legislatures of the states may prescribe. This is the absolute right of each state. * *
* Should Congress assume to deter- mine who have been appointed so far as to go behind the action of the officers of the state appointed by the laws of the state for that purpose, Congress would absorb to itself the entire power, would become a grand returning board, without limit and without restraint. The very moment we undertake to go behind the deter- mination of the officers of the state as to the result of a state elec- tion, and to count and determine the result for ourselves, that moment we establish a revolution which ultimately will be the end of presidential elections." This was sound doctrine, but Morton was subsequently accused of offering opposition to the bill for the purpose of securing its passage in the house of representatives, the theory being that the Democrats in that body would favor any measure that the senator from Indiana opposed. The bill passed both houses and was approved by the president on Jan. 29.
The commission created by the bill was composed of 5 senators, 5 representatives, and 5 justices of the U. S. supreme court. Sec- tion 2 named the justices from the Ist, 3rd, 8th and 9th circuits, who were to meet "on the Tuesday next preceding the first Thurs- day in February, or as soon thereafter as may be, * * * and select in such manner as a majority of them shall deem fit, another of the associate justices of said court, which 5 persons shall be members of said commission ; and the person longest in commission of said 5 justices shall be the president of the commission." The justices from the 1st, 3rd, 8th, and 9th circuits were respectively Nathan Clifford, Samuel J. Miller, Stephen J. Field and William Strong. They met at the appointed time and selected Joseph P. Bradley, of the 5th circuit, as the fifth member of the court to serve on the commission. Of these justices 3 were Republicans and 2 were Democrats. Clifford was from Mainc, Miller from Iowa, Field from California, Strong from Pennsylvania, and Brad- ley from New Jersey. Concerning the appointment of these mem- bers of the judiciary, Senator Morton said in his speech: "The judges are taken, not because they are judges, not because they are members of the supreme court, but because they are men of eminent character who happen to occupy that position. Four of them are chosen by circuits. The senator from Vermont (Ed- munds) hardly did himself justice on Saturday, when he argued that they were chosen by circuits on account of geographical dis- tribution. They were chosen by circuits, as I understand it, not because of geographical distribution, but because of the political
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