American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-02-03
Was Grant In the Louisiana COnspir.
acy!

THE Administration journals eulogiz,
the conduct of Gen. Grant in regard tC
the Louisiana difficulties, and think hin
worthy Of the highest praise because Ii,
has thus far relraincd from proclaimnl
martial law in that State But we thinl
well-informed and impartial observers o.
the extraordinary and alarming occur
rences in New Orleans will bestow severe
censure, rather than any degree of ap
prOval, upon the course of the President
The mere fact that intelligent citizens
here in the North should for Il moment
debate the propriety of proclamation o.
martial law by the President, in the chic
Southern city of the Union, on the reques
of its Mayor, for no other reason than thai
the Presidents oilicc-holdors had foment
ed Il riot in that city, and were using tho
Federal power to subvert the State Gov
eminent while ii was successfully dealing
with the rioters, proves how loosely somC
of our people have learned to construt
the Constitution, and how ready they arc
to bestow arbitrary authority upon one
who has patronage to reward supple serv
itors, 1t marks the wide departure from
the paths of the Fathers that members OF
Congress and managers of leading jour
mails talk as lightly of the subverSlon of a
State Government by the bayOnCts of the
regular army, as they would of the sum.
moning of squad of police to stop fist
fight in liquor saloon.
And worse than this, in the Louisiana
case-if worse be possible--it was pro
posed by the conspirators to bring the
State Government into suhserviency to a
military dictatorship by a perversion of
the Ku.KluX law, an act which, to speak
mildly, is replete with provisions of doubt
full constitutionaity aud this, too, be-
cause these conspirators and their master
in the White House suspected that the
chief men in the State Government were
hostile, not to the National Government,
but to Gen. Grants denomination to the
Presidency!
Many of the supporters of the Admin
istration, either directly or implicitly, adj
NIT that there was conspiracy to stir up
such condition of affairs in Louisiana
as would serve to excuse the intervention
of the military arm, and compel the alb
dication of Warmoth and his friends; but
they vehemently insist that Gen, Grant
was not party to the plot and did not
approve of it.
Not SO fast, gentlemen. The active
agents in this conspiracy are Casey, the
L
Packard, the Marshal of the District; and
Carter, the recent Speaker Of the Louisi
ana House of Representatives. The two
former are the very men who, in August
last, devised the plan by which they drove
from the Republican State Convention,
with marshals' batons, infantry bayoncts,
and Calling guns, large body of the
regular delegates, because they were sus-
pected of hostility to Grants renomna-
ton. Then, as now, Carter was the con
vcnient tool of Casey and Packard.
A strong remonstrance against this
outrage was then made to Grant bv
the most influential members of the
Republican party of Louisiana. They de-
manded the removal of Casey and Pack
ard and assured Grant that on the as.
sembling Of the Legislature Garter would
be voted out Of the Speakers chain. Did
Grant remove or even rcbuke Casey and
Packard? Not al all, they had served
him too well for that. lie kept them in
power and gave them renewed assurances
of his confidence, for he wanted to use
them IN consummatingt the plans initiated
in August.
Early in December, in a conversation
with a State Senator, whose vote in the
choice Of a Lieutenant Governor he was
TYING TO influence Ii, f"cEora distinctly
'ofeshadoWeu Inc events winch nave since
occurred, ana among other things, SAID
mat marital law would be declared soon
after me assembling OF the Legislature;
NOW, casey ana Packard have conferred
Win Grant ms past fall about affairs in
Ho'lSlaha-CaSey repeatedly, Is there
aimpleton so Dig as to believe that Casey
ana Packard, under the inspiration OF
nose conferences, nave gone counter to
Grant $ wishes while pushing Carter for
ward TO preaK up the lower House OF the
LEGISLATURE by running OIL to tavern