New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-07-06
4 REMARKABLE CASE,

liie, and what, with the damaging eiect5 Of
lGeedmen's bureaus and the pernicious influ-
ence of congressional Legislation the struggle
has been hard indeed. But heretofore we
have not had to complain Of more than the
natural and legitimate results of the oppres-
siye and restrictive system which has been
imposed on US. In some places and particu-
larly in Louisiana, since the exodus of the
Rev. Conway, the officers of the bureau have
1 tried to accommodate their action to the real
necessities of the case, and have thus, to some
extent, mitigated the injurious consequences of
a false method. But now, we find that an at
tempt has been made to nullify the salutary
provisions Of the labor law OF the State,
by invoking the provisions of that extra
ordinary piece OF legislation known as
the civil rights bill The particular case
appears to BE as foll6ws In Concorlia
parish, near Eidalia. two gentlemen named
Gonnor have been engaged in planting, and
had emploged a number of negroes, with
whom they had made contracts, which were
ratified by The agent Of the bureau for Madi-
son parish. 1t appears that eighteen Of these
negroes were entioed away by a certain Mr..
John lockwood and Mr., Ba1ringer who
We're working a neighboring place This act
was violation of the labor law of
the State, and for its perpetration that
| law imposes a penalty. The officers OF
the freedmen's bureau sustained the Messrs.
Connor, and Gen. Baird ordered his subordi-
nate in Concordia parish, Major Brown, to
assist those gentlemen IN recovering their en-
ployes, and directed him not to interfere if
the perpetrators Of the ofense LIQUID be pro
secuted under the State law. Subsequently,,
Mr.. Lockwood was arrested on the complaint
Of the Messrs, Connor, and was examined
before Justices Geo. w. Green and James
Norman. On the evidence given, Mr. Lock
wood was held to answer before the district
court, and required to give $500 bond in each
case. Major Brown, of the freedmen's bureau,
thereupon returned the negroes to the Messrs.
Connor MIR, Lockwood gave the required
bail and was released He then came to New
Orleans q sued out warrant before United
/ States Commissioner Shannon, and on this
warrant Justices Norman and Green were ar
rested and brought to this city, and have
been arraigned for examination before the
commissioner.
Now what is peculiar about the matter, is.
that even under the most forced construction
Of that latitudinoas piece Of Legislation known
as the civil rights bill, it cannot be made to
bear on any point inyolvedin this case The
warrant charges the accused with deprivino
John Lockwood Of a right secured to him by
the civil rights bill, and 'of subiecting him to
a different penalty than is provided by the
laws of the United States for the citizens there-
Of. But Mr.. Lockwood was not deprived of
any right secured to him by the civil rights
bill, unless indeed Mr. Commissioner Shan
non thinks that the bill in question confers
on him the right of violating State law with
impunity. If the State law had Disseminated
against Mr. Lockwood on account of color or
class, and had inflicted on him penalty diff
ferent from that imposed on other persons
accused of the same offense then the civil
rights bill might be invoked by him at a later
stage Of the proceedings is to say when
such penalty should be inflicted on him. But
the State law does not discriminate for or
against any person. It simply Furnishes the
offense of enticing employees and apprentices 1
away from their employers. It is true that
5heiaw of the United States imposes no pun
shment for such an ofense and therein "a {,
hferent penalty is inflicted than is provided ID
'y the laws of the United States for the Gift Il
ems thereof But neither do those laws ?
'unish murder, or larceny, or robbery, or II
orgery, committed within State Jurisdictions k
Does Mr. Commissioner Shannon thence slD- q
ose that the precious civil rights bill is "a
etoed Whenever Recorder Ahern holds man IL
Q answer for a crime before the First District o1
ourt, or sends yagrant to the workhouse a
ne all Of our committing magistrates and g
riminal judges to be arrested on Commits
loner Shannons warrant, because they have IL
imposed on prisoners brought before them ol
enalties different g from those provided by o
be laws of the United States for the citizens le
lereott" Are We to have a general "jail de- az
very as one Of the effects Of the civil rights al
i'll 81
1t is stated that Mr.. Shannon announced D
bat in his opinion the State law is unconsti- "
ltionai. We are not told why; but per- al
APPS at afsture time we shall be enlipbt- al
ned on this point. Let us grant the propo- d
ton, however, and IN what manner wonld va
le case Of Messrs. Norman and Green be af- OF
eted by it? How would the fact of the a
aconstitutionality of a State law show that su
]. lockwood had lost or been deprived of u
y Of the precious rights secured to him by Ii
e civil rights bill? . IN
OF course, after the issuing Of such war OF
MT, IT is impossible to predict what course the nu
Sc will take before the commissioner but ca
can scarcely imagine that the final result
II correspond with the beginning. If people !,
10 violate the State laws can do so with i'm IN
unity and if magistrates who enforce the IN,
ate laws are to be punished for enforcing
en- we might as well dissolve our society at Iof
ace or else call in radical directory to
ke charge Of our affairs to govern the State INC
minister the city, and conduct our private Oh
airs for US Otherwise We may all be sent
prison for violating the civil rights Bill tba
A HORRIBLE CONSPIRACY. for
The Washington correspondent of the Phil thl
alphia Press, John W. Fornev bos disooy .