Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-03-15
THE NEW ORLEANS MAS.
SACRE.
Official Report of the Congress
ional Committee.
Conclusions and Recommends
tions of the Com mittee.
The Condition of Affairs i'm Louis
lana and the Remedy.

Under the Constitution of 1861 these
men claimed to be restored to political
rights and to- vote at the polls; and so it
came TO pass that substantially all govern
mental authority. most of the offices of the
State, end all legislative and municipal pow
have been conferred upon returned reb-
els" and are now controlled by them.
This is eminently true IN the city of New
Orleans, where known and distinguished
rebels, and only such as they, occupy the
chief places of trust and power. The
Mayor, confessedly bold and bad man,
who was also Mayor during the rebellion.
and marked for violent and bitter hatred of
the Government of the Union, and of men
who loved the Government, both white and
black, of Southern or of Northern birth. is
now Mayor of the city by the choice ofthe
people OF New Orleans. The High Sher-
iff. General Hays, was an active officer in
the rebellion. He was in service at the
time of the surrender, in April, 1865. All
the appointees of the Mayor, the whole
conStabulary and police force, with almost
no exception, arc composed OF men who
have rendered efficient service toward the
overthrow ofthe Government ofthe Union.
To have been rebel is q recommendation
for Office. To have supported the Union
cause, and especially to have fought III the
| Union army. is known disqualification.
Preservation of friends of the Union has
beel carried into the public schools; teach
ers, male and female. have been removed
where the teaching Of the children was a
training in Union ways. Where Union
songs have been taught the children, and
national airs sung within the schools, the
teachers have paid the penalty for the Of
fence by loss of place and employment.
!
The bitter hostility ON the part of the
controlling portion of the population
against citizens known and distinguished
for their friendship toward the Union and
their love of its free institutions, is other
wise manifested in the general tone of the
press, in business and social life, in theatre
and church, in courts of law, in the home
and on the street. The presence of the
military power of the United States and
the Freedmen's Bureau, sustained by mill
tary arm, measurably protect the property
and persons of Union men. If they were
withdrawn, no safety would be found ex-
cept in fight. There are at this moment
many men, not of Northern birth alone,
but of native Southern origin, who are ex-
lies from Louisiana. They have been
driven from home by threat of assassina-
ton, and BIZ well-grounded apprehension
that neither family nor home were safe
within that State if they remained. Some
have sold their estates, ard removed with
no intent to return; some have left their
home in the hope that better days might
come when return would not invite ohio
guy. ostracism or violence. But ii Is very
certain. and fair examination of the mass
of evidence taken upon this point by the
committee will demonstrate that while 1t
NAV be true that social consideration and
success in business may be secured by
those who are content TO live and speak so
as not 10 offend the prejudices of rebels re-
| turned from the army, or those who. with
out courage TO fight when Federal armies
invested their homes, now atone for want
of bravery by defiant anathcmas against
Northern men and Yankee rule, yet that
the earnest Union man. known as SUCH
whether he may have been in the early
days of the rebellion led aside for awhile
from his allegiance, or may have consist
emily, and at all times, held TO the true ma
tional faith. is deemed an enemy in fact by
the leaders who control, and the masses
who blindly follow them. And thus re-
VI,
tack ANNOYANCE and risk of injury TO prop
erty and person as the presence of military
power makes il safe to attempt or impose.
OF course there are many men, and among
those in high social and political position.
who cannot perceive at all the existence of
such condition of things. Some of them
are Northern men in commercial business.
They claim to be Union men and to speak
freely their private opinions, and they tes-
tify, so far as they caa Judge. here exists
general feeling ofpeace and content among
the people, which only requires immedi- !
ate restoration of the State. withdrawal of
the army, and entire n0n-interference by
the General Government. to bring the 1
State back TO its normal condition of 10y
atty and love toward the Union. But 4
those alone who have been compelled by \
their own experience to bear the burden of
rebel hate can estimate its weight. We !
cannot without extending this report be- I
yond proper limits, refer in detail 10 the |
specific evidence taken upon the part of
those who have been made TO suffer as Tn
ion men and friends of our Government.
and of those who from their position, pur-
suits and opportunities have testified to
facts within their knowledge tending 10
show the peaceful condition of Union men,
known and marked as such in Louisiana,
or that taken from witnesses produced by
a Committee of Citizens, who testify to
the good order and kindly feeling and 10y
al sentiment prevailing among the people
of the State. Nor have we arrived at the
Judgment we have formed from Opinions"
on either side; but from opinions
with and resting upon facts
within the knowledge of the witnesses ex-
amined- There have been more than nine
ty witnesses examined who speak of the
condition of affairs in Louisiana, and of
sentiment towards and treatment of I'm
ion men, known to be such in the COM
munity where they live. OF these forty
seven were called at the request Of the
Committee of Citizens" who desired to
the character of their city, and to
the loyalty of the State. On the
part ofthese witnesses there was gener
al expression of satisfaction with the poll
CIV of the President. 1t was stated by most {
Of them that the fact of being Union men,
was no hindrance to success in business.
Jacob Barker said that ''men of every par {
" and description patronize my bank; {
10 not think there is any difference" Mr.. +;
W intzberger, Deputy Sheriff, who also
claimed to be a "Union man." who had
been ''under all circumstances loyal TO the
and had been in office sun |
Ter all administrations, Wings, Democrats
and Know Nothings," had never suffered
Inconvenience: mOlestation or violence
because Of his being "Union man." The
opinion was given by most of these wit I
lessess that it would be safe and judicious {
10 withdraw the military forces and the
Freedmen's Bureau, and to admit Repre-
'entatives to seats Congress. We have ex- I
AHMED with care, and have weighed the !
proofs on either side. We have come to
he clear conclusions which we believe TO '
DC accurate and just.