, 1872-12-16


TO the Editor Of The Chicago Tribune:
SIR: The question at issue in tho Louisiana
quarrel has deeper significance than the sue
cess or defeat OF the Warmoth or Kellogg party,
and partizanship must be blind indeed not to
see that the very existence OF the State Govern
ments is inperilled by the pretensions set up BY
the President that he has right to decide upon
contested elections in the States, and determine
who are and who are not chosen as State officers.
What are the facts in the case2 No one dis
putes that tho Greeley Electoral and the Nc
Emery State tickets had the most votes But
the plea is that, If those who ware not allowed
to register had been registered, and had voted,
as it is claimed they would, for tho
Administration ticket, it would have been
elected And afhdavits are produced
to show this fact. But these afli-
davits are er.parte; they may be false OF for
Gcrics, and the pretended atlantis may not bo
legal voters, nor even have Cd existence. And
this spurious Legislature, composed Of mem
bers whom nobody pretends were ever
elected, declared elected without even q canvass
OF the votes by those declaring them elected
proceed to impeach the legal Governor, whom
all parties recognized as Governor Of the State,
reyolutioniZe the State Government, abolish
State Courts, install new of6cers and then call
upon the President to approve their work and
sustain this high-handed usurpation.
Nor is this all. The United States District
Judge, Dur7el1, himself said to be m aspirant
for the United States Senate. and suppGant
to this spurious Legislature for votes to elect
hiu,-was invoked to decide upon tho election,
to say who should be- the Board of
Canvassers,-to restrain Governor War
moth from discharging Tho duties
IS T. -Cs L. ~,11+1r+ 31f4
and BY his order, surrounded md flled tic State
House with Federal troops, and prohibited the
members Of the Legislature from assembling in
their Own hall, unless they promised feal;y TO
State Courts were open to decide all these ques-
tions, end had decided them. Nay, it was be-
cause the State Court decided against them, or
thet it YRS beheved it would, that the revolu-
tionists appealed to the United States District
Court. Judge Durrell had no more ju1iediction
in this case than Judge Blodgott world have If
Governor Koerner should ask him to decide that
he was elected Governor instead of Governor
Oglesby. It WAS sheer usurpation, and such an
state that / % I'm amazed thst the - press w
not not protest. r against GAIN u it. - And '" i the be
President has, " the kilograms assert, given
his official sanction to theae uau-pations, and
ordered the army to uphold them, he has COM
mitted the greatest blunder Of his life. For, il
this precedent is sustained, any United States
District Judge, in my State, may overturn the
State Government at his pleasure, aud make the
5udicial, Executive, and army the instrumentsto
Wa1moth may be q scoundrel, and thousands
Of voters may have been refused registration,
and thus have been deprived Of the right Of
voting but, these facts being granted, tho
remedy is in the State authorities, the Courts,
end the people. The contingency provided BY
the Constitution for Federal interpretation had not
arisen, and the interference Of the United States
authorities, Courts or Presidcat.-is without
warrant Of low, md subyersl1e Of all State gov
ernments. It was an invasion IF the State By
tho Federal authorities to decide questions per-
tanning wholly to the State authorities. It is
Imperialism Of the bc1dest type. And the fact
that SO little outcry has been made against it
shows now far we have already drif.eu toward
e Central Government and the abolition of State
authority.
This is not the first unwarrantable interfer-
ence Of Federal officers with the legislation ard
politics of Louisiana. Collector Casey-so the
Congressional Investigating Committee reported
used a United States vessel TO carry away enough
OF its .,nonbers beyond the reach OF the Ser
geant-at-Arlns to prevent the assembling OF O
quorum. And yet the President retains this
ploycd to control and oyerawoa State Nominating
Convention, and have now again been employed
to determine the political complexion Of the
Legislature. What shall the end Of these things
be: Are the States to be Me1icanized, and our
President to play the role Of Santa Anna?
This matter should be- settled wholly irrespec-
tive OF parties o. partisan feeling. Better that
both sets of claimants for the Legislature aud
State Offices in Louisiana should be buried in the
Gulf of Mexico, tlan that the State authority
should be unlawfully trcdden unlerfoot by the
Federal Goyernnent. And, if this usurpation
il sustained, the United States Government is
changed from Republic Of States to Central
lied imperialism. 8. NJ. BooTu.