The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-05-12
The BroiI In louisiana

The nevs rom Louisiana indicates q
letting down OF the belligerent hcENERY'
rrEs bcioIe the approach Of the United
States military. They must give way, oil
course, because KELLOGG Is TO be Sustained
by all the power Of the Government il
need be; and the only question with the
resistan;s is 10 what extremity they Will
carry their resistance to his authority. It
Is greatly to be regretted-iI is o pity for
the people OF Louisiana for the Admins
tration, Tor the Republican party and for
the csuse Of good government and good
feeling there and in other States-that the
power o! the Federal Government has
been used 10 set up KELLOGG and his
coadjutors as a government over the peo'
pie OF Louisiana, and that the same power
IL to maintain them there. The KELLOGG
government, so.called, is bald usurpa-
tiou. We regret that il cannot truthiully
be called anything else. If we may be
lieve the report Of the Republican CON-
milteo Of the United Stsies Senate, sent
70 Louisiana last winter TO investigate al
fairs there. KELLOGG, his officers and bis
Legislature have no more right!ul au-
lboTjIy IN Louisiana than VIC have. They
never were elected by the people NJ oil.
TIE declaration ihat they had been was
made by an illegal board with not sin
gle election return beforeii. They were
put in possession Of the State House BY
the lswless decree of Federal Judge &c.
ting in disregard Of law and by the army
Of the United States enforcing this
Judges DEGREES. Being thus installed by
violence and arbitrary power, they have
unhappily been sustained in their usurpa.
ton by the President with the constant
presence OF the United States troops. The
McESERY government was not elected
iairly. YARMOUTH, having all the election
machinery in his hands used it TO favor
McEnery by making the registering and
voting places SO inconvenient that large
numbers of negroes did not take the
trouble to register or vote. But there was
no violence and no actual fraud so lar as
appears. The MCESERY government has
at least the color Of legality; the KELLOGG
concern does not appear to have even
this. These are the hard, naked facts as
they appear from the report Of the Senate
Committee.
If Congress had done what the COM
mitlCe recommended, viz: set aside the
election, ordered new one and prOvid-
ed for lair one, it can hardly be doubted
that Louisiana would now be at peace.
The power Of Congress 10 do this can
hardly be doubted. Where there are
contrasting governments in State 1t is
Congress, and Congress only, that has the
power TO decide between them. And il
Congress decided that no valid govern
meut existed il could provide Tor the cleo.
ton OF one. Besides, il little arbitrary
power had 10 be exercised, II is far better
Congress should do il so as to harmonic
the difficulties than that the President
should do it in way that could only in
crease them. Congress, advised by the
report Of the committee, knew that the
KELLOGG government was one OF pure
usurpstion and lorcc, knew that the Pres.
ident had sustained It, and had been no
tilted by him that he would continue TO
do go unless Congress took the case In
hand. Under such circumstances Con-
gress must be held grayely direlict in duty
in not afording the people Of Louisiana
on opportunity for tho free and fair choice
Of State government.
Yet the failure Of Congress to perform
this duty cannot be held to justify the
President in using the force Of the Gov
eminent 10 compel the people oil q State
to submit TO on authority set up over
them by violence, without their consent,
and the deplorable misChiefs that have
followed that misuse Of power are appar.
ent now In the daily report G! anarchy
and blood shed that comes up from that
unhappy and misgoverned State. III
Louisiana had not been Il reconstructed
State, formally restored TO full relations
with the Union, and OF right SO exempt
from arbitrary Federal interference as any
other State in the Union, there might be
some excuse for what the President and
his subordinGtes at New Orleans have
done. But the misfortune is that no ade-
quate reason for this interference can be
shown, and the only one that appears Is
supposed exigency Of mere party orgahiza.
ton. Nothing more vital than this was
al stake; and the public sense Of justice
and Of propriety does not justify the en-
ploy ment OF such means Tor such ends;
while 1t is almost certain that the course
taken will In the end harm the Rspub-
lican party much more than it has helped
it. The Republican party cannot be used
with immunity, much leas can the military
power Of the Government, merely 10
promote the ascendency OF faction in
ono Of the States because that faction
Is in sympathy with the party in control
oil the Government, and its leaders can
be useful 10 the administration. Such an