New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1872-11-21

/
Jackson's death happened in strange coin
cidence with this horoscope prediction made
years before but the coincidence was, be.
lieve, merely fOrtuitous, and l mention il
| here only to show what mysterious "givings
out" We sometimes experience in life.
From the National Republican and Citizens GuHdl
The Wisdom of the Enforcement,
Act indicated.
| The act of Congress known as the Enforce.
ment Act of February 90, 1871, with its
amendment of June 10, 1872, has been Sc.
verely censured by Democratic journals and
| Democratic speakers. 1t has been cited as
an evidence of the centralizing tendencies
and intentions of the Republican party and
| a studied attempt was made to excite the
| public prejudice against its application. The
Fusion campaign orators in Louisiana, Re-
| publicans of the WarmOth stripe, Democrats
| and Reformers, all constantly denounced it
as an unconstitutional, unwarranted, and
dangerous measure, and studiously sought to
make it edious to the people of this State.
They said that Gen. Grant was to execute
the law in such manner as to intimidate, or
at all events, influence the voters with the
object Of securing his own reelection, and
that such was the design of the authors of the
measure. They said that the act was clearly
violative of the rights of the States and was
intended as step towards the perpetuation
of Gen. Grants tenure of the Presidential
office. All manner of evil was predicted to
come from this law. The people were told
that it authorized the interference and dicta-
ton of Federal officers in the registration of
voters and their supervision of the elections
to such an extent as to destroy all freedom
of choice, and that the law would surely be
applied in such way as to Cypress good
citizens and to turn the election into q
mockery.
But what has been the experience of the
people of Louisiana in connection with the
workings of this law so far? What have we
seen done in this State and city in spite of
this "monstrous " act of legislation What
citizen has been forced to vote contrary to
his own will? Who has been oppressed I'M
der the provisions of this law? Who has
been inundated? What State law or State
right has been infringed, much less annulled
or taken away? We ask the unprejudiced
and fair-minded citizens of Louisiana to say
if this act of Congress which was pronounced
to be so unconstitutional, so unwarranted,
and so dangerous a measure, has not been
up to this time administered with the utmost
caution and fOrbearance, and only for the
purpose OF securing to every citizen his right
to vote and to have his vote counted? We
challenge any man to say where, when, and
on what occasion this law has been misap-
piled or strained to favor one political party
over the other? The law was designed by
its authors to prevent frauds in the registra-
ton of voters and in the counting of their
votes to prevent intimidation of the voters,
and to secure a perfectly fair and free cleo
ton. These objects have been kept steadily
in view by those charged with the execution
of the law in this State, and if they have
committed any fault it has not been in favor
of strict or harsh execution of it, although
such policy was abundantly justified by
facts and circumstances known to everybody,
and by the boasts and threats of the State
officers charged with supervising the process
of registration and election, and making
return of the votes cast thereat. The cha
racter and the provisions of the registration,
election, and other laws of the State of
Louisiana, administered as they were then,
and are now, by an INSCRIPTIONS Executive,
furnished sufficient reasons for the enactment
Of this law Of Congress. Without check
similar to this, there would have been no
limit to his misconduct. Audacious to an
extreme, regardless of the rights of the citi-
zens and the Constitution and laws of the
country, and utterly unprincipled, he would
have carried the election, no matter what
tic Nole aSaihoI Iic tiChcI TIC WAS support
ing. Backed, as he was, by some Of the
most influential men of the State, he would
have stopped at nothing to accomplish his
purpose. 1t was this consideration which he
offered to the Democratic leaders. 1t was
the justification they offered for entering into
a coalition with Governor WarmOth. They
avowed it publicly that they were going to
carry the State anyhow, and when they once
had it they intended to keep it. How? BY
means of the very laws which they had so
bitterly and justly denounced. They said
that frauds had been committed against them
in previous elections, and sauce for the
goose was sauce FOR the gander." Reform,
said they, was very good thing to talk
about, but they were going in for success,
and meant to accomplish it at all hazards.
So far as the frauds are concerned they
have kept their word. Evidences multiply
every hour of the systematic tamperings with
the ballot boxes and miscounting of their con-
tents by Gov. Warmoth's appointees. From
almost every parish in the State comes testi-
mony, and from the most respectable and
trustworthy sources, of the misconduct and
unlawful practices of the State Supervisors.
In parishes where the majority was unques-
tionably and largely Republican, returns come
of character to be accounted for in no other
way than by inferring the grossest unfairness.
the ballots would be miscounted by Super
visor Blanchard, that citizens of the highest
standing in New Orleans, some of whom had
denounced in most unmeasured terms this en-
forcement act of Congress, have been very
willing to avail themselves of its provisions,
and are now acting as Deputy Marshals of
the United States and supervisors of the
counting of the ballots.
The law, then is, and has been, used only
for the protection Of the citizen and the right
eous objects which it was designed to effect.
Its propriety, necessity, and wisdom have
adopted and carried out, the people of LOUISE
ana, for four years longer, would have been
bound, hand and foot, to the man who has ex-
ercised more dictatOrial authority than any
American Governor ever attempted to exer-
else, and who has done more to centralizc the