New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-21

The programme of the President for
| pushing his reelection progresses steadily
| under the iron pressure of his public pow
ers; and fawning sycophants, who are fat
tening upon his fees. are actively cursin g
every one who threatens the duration OF
their livings.
Under the heading of Purchase OF
State by the Crown" we last week related
how General Grant had violated the princi-
pies of the civil service law, by sending
hordes of his minions to the capital OF this
State to corrupt the expression of the New
York Legislature in the selection OF a
Speaker; and, bad as the picture was, we
did not expect to see it supplemented, dur
ing the same week. by a still holder wick
edness at New Orleans.
In New York the capture of the Legisla-
ture was obtained by vulgar bribery and
promises of place Ia system which, under
the coarse practices of party politics, had
been for long time in vOgue); but in Lou
isana, which the war had debilitated into
a conquered province, the Presidential can
didate played the holder hand of military
intervention. 1t was necessary there to
sweep away the entire Legislature and its
official head, in order to secure Repub-
lican delegation to the next National Con-
vention: so Mr.. Grant, with the high hand
which is common with royal pOtentates,
placed his troops and a revenue cutter at
the command of his CustomhOuse Collector
and ordered the Senate to be dissolved
that the wheels of the hostile majority
might stop and spurious Legislature be in
augurated in its place. The plot was
cunningly conceived. Six of the Grant
Senators beld places in the CustomhOuse
on the Tweed-Tammany plan, and cOnse-
quently were administration slaves. These
creatures were privately placed under the
orders of Casey, General Grants brother
in-law. who, as the collector of the port of
New Orleans, was their natural commander;
and by his directions they suddenly with
drew from the Senate, so that the highest
branch Of the State government could not
form quorum. In order. however, to
make this disgraceful act effective, it was
necessary they should place themselves
beyond the power of the State, and to this
end they were directed to rendezvous at the
CustomhOuse Immediately upon their flight,
that they might be embarked upon a gov
eminent revenue cutter, under the flag OF
which no State process could be served.
AS part of this performance, the Grant
conspirators, obeying the lead of Carter, an
ex-Confederate, who was Speaker OF the
House, had Warmoth, the lawful Governor
of the State, arrested, along with eighteen
Representatives and four Senators, who
were antiGrant Republicans, upon process
issued by the United States Courts. Having
abled, and at the same time Overawed by
the United States military forces which had
threateningly been moved down from their
barracks to the CustOmhOuse, Carter, the
tool OF the administration, attempted the
coup d'etat of organizing spurious Legis-
lature, to push the regular body out of
power. The calculation of the conspirators
was, that they could maintain this fictitious
state of things long enough to appoint
4 mt InIn <1,4
ton. and then adjourn. WarmOth, however,
though tied hand and foot by the villains
who had stolen in upon him in the night,
exhibited innate strength enough to burst
his bonds, and by a bold appeal to the
country. in the form Of a Geographic letter
to the President, so alarmed the parties at
headquarters, that the government were
obliged to disavow the acts of Casey and of
Carter, and withdraw the revenue cutter
from the use of their adherents. This inter
ventiOn gave WarmOth and his party a
breathing time to rally: and the result was,
that they reOrganized the Legislature, while
tie spurious party under Carter were driven
to tavern without any pretensiOns to a
quorum. The state of the affair, therefore,
as itstands to-day, represents two bodies,
each claiming to be the regular Legislature
OF the State of Louisiana. One of these
has the Governor at its head, and sits at the
is necessary to quorum; the other holds
its sessions at tavern with fifteen men,
bers less. The first of these bodies is in
favor of the One-terln principle, and is OPP
posed to the reelection of Grant; the other
is under the direction of the CustOmhOuse.
and in favor of Ulysses being President for
life. The former has tie votes and the
sanction of the people of the State, while
the latter is supported by troops and Cat
ling guns and the secret authority of the
President. The last act of the performance
was the shooting on Tuesday last of Mr..
Wheyland, Representative of the regular
House. by one of the myrmidOns of the adj
ministration, and from this dramatic point
We are now awaiting what may follow.
We need not wait. however, for any add-
tional developments to bring us to the
further side of the conclusion arrived at, on
our observation of the Presidents perform
ance in this State, at the beginning of last
week. What he did with us, in swarming
Albany with his retainers in the interest OF
his reelection. he has more than repeated
at New Orleans, for the political subjuga
ton of Louisiana. In both cases the object
was the same. While In the first he only
betrayed the functions attaching to the civil
power, he tried in the last to dOminecr the
by casting in the sword. The
pregnant lesson of these incidents is not to
be dlsregarded. They multiply the warn
ing against the danger of leaving Presi |
dent subject to the terrible corruption of a
desire to re-elect himself. and tell us plain
ly that if we submit in this instance to allow
General Grant to extend his lease of office
by this vile manipulation of the civil service
and military power, our liberties are but a
name.