The Opelousas courier., 1872-09-28
Radical Conspiracy to Seize tlle
State Governments.

| We had hoped that the story about a des.
perate railroad race between Gov. Warmotb
and Lieut.. Gov. Pinchback, eminently dis
| creditable to the State in SO far as it nigh,
contain anything besides the fancitul ingred
| tents of all untimely joke, would have little OF
no substance for consideration and concern
But we are compelled to abandon this hope i'll
the face of circumstances and incidents OF
such nature as to leave no doubt that a con
spiracy was recently concocted for practical
ly subverting the State Government in the
interest of the Radical election campaign
This conspiracy originated in a dispatch from
Marshal Packard to the Republican commit
tee, urging them to send Lieut. Gov. Pinch
back Immediately to the State for service OF
the utmost Importance to the party.
One of the first acts i'll the revolutionary
programme was to be the signing OF the reg
istration and election bills passed by the late
Legislature Those bills, it is said, were
placed in waiting for Lieut.. Gov. Pmchback
on the jackson Railroad at the first station
this side OF the Mississippi boundry. E&ecu
tive appointm ents We're next to follow, i'll or
der that the new laws might be administered
in strict keeping with the intent OF the con
spiracy. 1t is even suspected that SO high
handed measure was meditated as the CON
vocation of q convenient quorum of the now
extinct Legislature, for the impeachment aud
instant suspension of the Governor, and
for the removal of every official or legal OBJ
staele to the acquisition of complete control
U
all its branches.
We DO not wish to indulge in the language
of passion regarding this monstrous and ne
farious scheme. We prefer to speak with
deliberation and calmness. 1t is i"eli to avoid
intiamnlatory speech at such juhctafe as
the present. But the occasion suggest ? le"
reflections which had better be plainly SUI
nitted. What have the people of Louisiana
done, how have they sunk low, that they
should be subjected to the shame, and humil-
iatIon, and sickening peril OF having Lieu
tenant Governor who, in the first place, by an
arrangement with the official partisans of Pres
ident Grant, leaves his post and quits the
State on q canvassing tour, and, ill the second
place, at the instance of the same official par
tisans, rushes back from a remote extremity
of the Uni0n to sieze the State Executive
office, in the temporary absence of the Gov
ernor for the purpose of reversing all it's de-
cisiOn, appointments, and dispositions bear
ing upon the coming State and Presidential
electionsf That such q thing is within legal
possibility is hardly credible. That it could
be seriously thought of and undertaken as
possible IN practice were disgrace enough.
Does Lieut., Gov. Pinchbaek, does Marshal
Packard, does Collector Casey suppose that
our condition is already assimilated politically
and socially to the condition of some wretch
ed community in San Domingo, Central Amer
led or South America, where the only author
ity is the latest coup detdt tempered with a
liberal sprinklin of assassiations and military
executions Let them be sure that they do
not overrate the patience of this people, and
anderrate the intelligence and spirit OF the
American people at large, who are hardly
prepared to see civilization, as we'll as free
institutions, sacrificed to remorseless partisan
bigotry, intolerance, and greed, in tile fairest
portion of the country.
We take pleasure in according to Gov. War
moth the credit which he deserves for the
promptitnde, energy, and skill which he dis
rhI.t n
late the public on his signal success.
Eaz NJ o. pienAupe