Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-03-20
A GARROTEn STATE.

| On Gue loIn lESJ. VIM. 1IlG htHOSg3 Iu0
usurping Governor of Louisiana, issued a
proclamation urging the citizens of that
State to make prompt payment of their
taxes to avoid extreme measures, and to
"desist from taking part in any combina-
ton, association or conspiracy having for its
object the resistance, passive or otherwise,
of the collection of the taxes" He orders
the Attorney General, aud Parish and Dis
trict Attorneys throughout the State, to
prosecute, without delay, civilly and crimi-
nally, and to the full extent of the law, all
defaulting tax collectors who are re-
ported as such after the publication
of bis proclamation. This proclamation,
says the New York Express, recalls the
processes resorted to by George III. and
Lord North, in old revolutionary times, to
"shut up" the demand or the cry OF the col
onists the rebels of those days-"No taxa
ton without representation" This Mr..
Kellogg, who calls himself Governor" &C
cording even to Republican testimony (see
recent Senate debate on Louisians,) no
more represents the people whom be is
thus taxing and threatening than he repre-
sents the citizens of this State. But as
his usurpAtion is maintained by Federal
baycnets, in spite of the people, the
latter will have to submit. Heretofore,
they have bean compelled to give
up their right to self-goVernment
at the ballot-box; now, il is their money
that is, their taxes-or their life. Political
usurpation is thus to be supplemented by
raid on the peoples pockets. From this
usurpation, which Grant uphOlds and sus-
tains with the army of the United States,
Gov. McEnery, the legally elected Governor
Of Louisiana, makes a strong appeal to the
people of the United States. In transmit
ting The address of the committee appointed
by the Legislature (Which was printed in
the UNION AND AMERICAN of March 12)
to the Governors and Legislatures of the
several States, Gov. MeEnery accompanies
it with the following letter in which the
grievances of the people of Louisiana are
succinctly and fOrcibly stated:
New ORLEANS, March Is, 1S73.-DEAR
SIR: have the honor herewith to enclose
to you an address to the people of Lousi-
ana and OF the Union, issued by authority
of joint resolution Of the General Assem-
bly,. Permit me to ask your serious atten
ton to its allegations, and also to request
that you lay it officially before the Legisl3- |
ture Of your State.
The people Of this State, without distinc- |
ton of past sectional feeling, present party |
differences, or Of birth, race or color, feel |
that an issue has been made in our case by |
the Illegal and mons!rous usurpations of |
certain officials, which, if suffered to be de- |
cded against us, either by the non-action
or adverse action of Congress, involves most
certaily and gravely the liberties aud the |
rights of every other State.
The President has said in his message
"NO eIecJtiUe control Is exercised IN Gny
one Of them (tbe Southern States that
1oOuld not be exercised IN any Of the States
under like circumstances"
What has been the action referred to?
A United States district Judge, sitting On
the bench of the circuit court, has seized
State capital, by the use of the United
States army, created legislature by an in-
terlocutoTy order Of the nature of an in
junction, and installed that legislature in
power by admitting them into the capitol,
past the guard of the United States mar
shals, whose orders were Obeyed by those
troops, and excluding all others claiming
seats, until that legislature had been seated
and sworn. Senator Carpenter character
ICES this action thus:
81 don't want to go before the people of
Wisconsin with the testimony of these
Louisiana Republicans themselves, admit
ting their frauds, in setting up this Kellogg
government, and with our votes here sus-
tanning this acknowledged fraud and usur-
patton finally executed and accomplished by
Jhe military force of the government of the
United States"
The majority of the Senate Committee
say of it this:
"The testimony does not show that voters
were DISTINGUISHED in many instances on
account of race, color or previous condition
Of servitude, and therefore the law of the
general government was not violated sutfici-
emily to authorize the interference of Du-
rell. The injunction placed by the Eighth
District Court of the State upon the count
ing of the returns by the Lynch Bosrd'
was legal and should have been respected.
"The whole interference by the United
States court in the organization of the Leg
stature is a gross usurpation. The Con-
stitutiOn expressly gives to each State the
of its own Legislature. A
member has no right to contest foE his seal
before a court of the United States.
at is therefore evident that such count
has no authority TO seat hundred mem
Ders at the instance of the Lieutenant Gov
ernor. In this connection it becomes the
painful duty of the committee TO express
heir opinion of The action Of Judge Durel.
A proceeding so msnifestly illegal has never
come before Congress for its consideration
IN connection with court of the United
States, and the committee fail to find words
with which TO express their adherence of
he action of Durell."
Senator Schurz speaks of it as follows:
Is A federal judoa ia apnliod m for infarfar- !