New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-27
THE COMMITTEE AND OUR CONGRESSMAN.
The Picavae has the following to sa

LID OOMM44 LID AMI VON oONAA"o0'A1A'AS'
The Picayme has the following to say
in regard to the congressional investigat-
ing committee, now daily expected here:
We regard these formal congressional in
Guiries into local irregularities in States as
covert assertions of the right of Congress
to interpose its authority as remedy, while
our State and local governments are COM
petent for all that may arise within Their
respective spheres. These congressional in
QUESTIONS are wrong in theory, useless in
effect, and dangerous as precedents. Out OF
the often exercised function of inquiry may
readily and rapidly grow the assumption of
power to control. These peripatetic COM
the dignity and threatening to the political
independence of States.
While we freely admit the correctness Of
the positions here assumed, the attention
of our contemporary is called to the fact
that the committee is charged with an in
vestigation which comes legitimately with
in the scope Of congressional authority.
An attempt has been made to overthrow a
constitutional State government by violent
means, and it is justly charged that the
plot originated and was sustained by the
officials representing the federal govern
ment 1t is in every way desirable that
the individual responsibility of these Off
Gals should be defined and fixed, in order
that such an example may be made of
them as will deter a repetition of such
outrageous interference by government
officers in local affairs for all future time.
But there is another circumstance which
seems to measurably justify congressional
investigation into Louisiana matters at
this time. 1t is the generally accepted
theory that States representation on the
floors of Congress is sufficient to explain
her needs and her difficulties ; that her
members should be well enough posted
upon local affairs to instruct their cowork-
ers for the general veal upon the right
and wrong of whatever difficulties arise.
In this respect our delegates seem to
have proven an utter failure. 1rresolute
and wavering in action, unreliable and
recommendations of relief measures, our
information leads to the conviction that
they added to the confusion and ignorance
which seemed to permeate all Washington
officialdom in regard to transporting events
and their causes here. The Senators, it is
true, seem to have been the least befogged
General West acted cautiously and pru-
IDENTIFY, and only upon we'll authenticated
facts; but his efforts were neutraliZed by
the prevalent belief at the White House
that he particularly represented an element
that is not 'for Grant > and he was OPP
posed by Kellogg, who seems to have been
possessed with the sole desire of crushing
the State government at any cost and by
any means. General Sheldon appears to
have been utterly at sea, and does his
honesty and intelligence the discredit of
saying that he recognizes ''the glaring
fact that there is some great wrong
without having had the energy or
patriotism to find out who ''may be in
the right or wrong" and actively en-
gaging in suppressing, not only the wrong,
but the wrong-doers. 1t is but just to
state that Representative Morey was here
during the troubles, preparing his report
on the Mississippi levees, and was in full
sympathy with the State government
against the revolutionists, Republican and
Democratic. On the whole, the people of
Louisiana can not avoid the conviction
that the action of the House in sending
committee of its members, at an expense
(the Picdyuns estimates) of sixty thousand
dollars, to New Orleans, for the purpose
of informing our representatives and the
remainder of the world abroad what is
going on here, is, to draw it the mildest,
setting but poor estimate upon the worth
and reliability of these same represent
atives. Yet we rejoice in the fact that the
committee is coming, and believe that it
will tend, in various ways, to prevent the
necessity for similar visitations in the fu-
ture.
THE STATE HOUSE.
IL IL r