The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-02-27

| the hesssSc - SnS President ON ehe
Loalsisns Political Trouble.
The Message which the President sent to
Congress ON Wednesday regarding the politi-
cal troubles in Louisiana appears to be some
I thing Of special plea for federal interference
in the local affairs of that State, and, ct the
same time, is an appeal to Congress to help
him out of the dilemma. If there be sim
| certify in the representations of the President,
and he does not want the present anomalous
state of things and late usurpation of power in
Louisiana to go by default-to pass over and
leave the usurping government in power-he
has got, to use familiar simile. q white
elephant on hand. We fear, however. that
Congress and the President are disposed to
make short work of the difficulty, by letting
the usurping government stand, because
that may serve party purposes. The signif-
cant expression in the Message that leads to
this inference is that in which the President
says, eff Congress differs from me as to what
ought to be done, respectfully urge its
immediate decision to that effect; otherwise
I shall feel obliged, as far as I can by the
exercise of legitimate authority, to put an end
to the unhappy controversy which disturbs the
peace and prostrates the business of Louisiana,
by the recognition and support of that gov
eminent which is recognized and upheld by
the Courts of the State This, of course,
means that the President will uphold the
Kellogg State government in case Congress
takes no action, and it is probable that Con-
gress will do nothing, and that the over
whelming party majority in that body would
prefer to see the matter settled by the Presi-
dent in the way he proposes.
Congress is divided on the Louisiana ques-
ton pretty much according to the political
bias or utilization of tho members. For ex-
ample, during the debate in the Senate on
Wednesday MIR. Trumbull denounced the
President for his interference, and advocated
the establishment of the McEnery State gov
eminent; Morton defended the action of the
President and eulogized the Kellogg govern
ment. while Carpenter condemned both the
State governments and asked for new cleo
ton. The Investigating Committee is at sea
in this middle just about the same But
practical common sense people ask if there
is no principle at bottom-no solid ground
to 60 upon to determine the right and to do
what is just In all the affairs of government
there is some sound principle either of law or
equity to guide those who wish to do right
apart from political expediency or prejudices
It is just here where the President
seems to be hampered. Honest by
nature and at heart he would be
inclined to be just if not controlled by
party considerations or by stubborn ad-
herence to the line of policy he entered upon
at the commencement of the trouble. The
first mistake was in permitting federal judge
to interfere in the State election of Louisiana,
and the next in sanctioning or, atleast, in not
repudiating, the action of this rampant partisan
judge But, having taken that ground, the
| President is too proud or too obstinate to
acknowledge the error and to rectify the con-
sequences.
Hence it is that the President in his Message
pleads in extenuation of the action of Judge
Durell, which was really the source Of all the
trouble, the Enforcement act of Congress.
With regard to the rival claim of Senators and
| Representatives from Louisiana to seats in
Congress he says each house is the proper
Judge of that; but about the contro-
versy over elections to the Legislative
Assembly and State Offices he appears
to sanction the course of the Circuit
Court of the United States at New Orleans on
the ground that it was under and by virtue of
the act of May 81, 1870, entitled can act to
enforce the right of the citizens of the United
States to vote in the several States of the
Union" No unprejudiced person believes
that the action of the federal Judge was not
for partisan purposes, was not arbitrary and
unjustifable; yet the President says he d.
rected the United States Marshal to enforce
the process. and, if necessary, to use troops
for that purpose This was all under the En-
forcement act referred to, or, rather, by an
overstraining of that act to suit political
exigencies and to appear consistent We
need not 60 further into the details of this
Louisiana difficulty. They are we'll known to
the people everywhere But there is an i'm
portant principle involved, which affects the
very existence of all State governments as
well as that of Louisiana, which we cannot
lose sight Of
| It is all very well for the President to say,
as he does in his Message, that he is extremely
anxious to avoid any appearance of undue in
reference in State affairs; but words amount
to nothing when the action is so different
The greatest tyrants often talk loudly of
liberty while they are destroying it insidi-
ously. Nothing was better established or
more sacred in our system of government up
to the time of the war, when the republican
party came into power, than the non-inter-
ference with State affairs by the federal gov
eminent. The very basis of American Free
dom was local self-government through the
municipalities and States. In fact the germ