The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-06-28
evening State galltaat
General Grant ana His ReyiIers

| have endeavored to show in my first
number that the President in his conduct
in the Louisiana matter has simply done
his duty; and maintained the constitutional
doctrines Of the old state-rights Demo-
Gratis, in observing and maintaining the
constitutional line OF demarkation between
the executive and judicial departments, and
state and federal authorities and here let
me say 1t filled Inc with surprise and NOR
tiication to see such good and able men as
Judge Campbell and Charles M. Conrad,
petitioning either the President or Con-
gress to set aside state election of gov
ernor; for if there be any power which
everybody comedies to the states exclu.
svely, it is that Of choosing members of
their own state legislature, and their own
executive and consequently that when
they have been chosen there is no power in
the entire federal government or any of its
departments rightiully to overthrow them.
1t is otherwise in respect to the election of
members Of congress, because congress
being the Judge exclusively of the qualifi-
cations Of its own members, if any have
been elected or returned by fraud, it may
remand them to the people of the state and
set aside the election.
If the President had undertaken, there
fore, to set aside the election of govern
or and members of the legislature OF Lou
isiana he would have committed an out
rage upon the constitution and the rights
of the people of Louisiana, for which he
would have deserved all the excavations
which he would have received from those
who revile him because he did not do it,
and should have been removed from office
for it.
For this conduct he is charged, second
ly, with taking the side Of the negroes
against the white men, and endeayoring to
give them the ascendency in Louisiana.
If | have succeeded in showing, as
humbly think | have, land | am glad to
know that you concur with mel that the
President has simply done his duty and
heroically exposed himself to all the shafts
of bis enemies, and the passions of infu-
rated partisans in defence of the constitu-
ton, the charge of taking sides with
either party has been refuted in advance,
because the constitution belongs to no par
ty, but is the property Of all parties-their
shield and sword-and the party which
sustains and is Sustained by the consti-
tuition has right to the support of the
President, because he is sworn to de-
tend it; and whether that party be
colored or white, it can make no diff.
ference their legal rights are the
same, being all free men and all con-
stitutional voters. And here let Inc ask
what could the President or any other man
or set ofmen do SC, well calculated to restore
the peace of the country permanently and
give the white men the control, as TO oblit-
crate before the law all the distinction of
races, and protect the legal rights Of all :?
BY doing so if the white men have the
numerical majority in any state or section it
is simply by their own folly or knavery
that they can lose it, and be made subser-
Went to minority; and | know of no
law by which knayes, or fools or honest
wits either, can be prevented from
surrendering their rights TO others; but if
they are not in majority they must be in
a minority, and what then are the only
sources of their strength only means
of self-protection Their Cancellation and
superiority of intellect. education and
virtue; and how viii these qualities be
brought to bear successfully and beneficial
ly upon the colored race il they are in
advanced denounced in body, and as a
race between whom and the whites there
can never be peace, who can never confer
with each other for the common good?
On the contrary, if the white men are
wise, and therefore concliatory, and will
bring their superiority of intellect and ed
ucation to bear, does any man doubt that
they can satisfy the better portion of the
colored people that the government which is
now best for the white man is best also
for the colored man? And it is as much
for the interest of the colored man
as for the white man to select the
best men to administer all the depart
ments of the government and, therefore,
when the colored man is best, give him
his fair and equal chance with the white
man.
In this way confidence first, and
Cancellation and concert next, may
be established among them; and if
the Anglo-Saxon race-the Cauca-
sian-does not rule, they must have depre-
ciated to an extent which renders them
unworthy of it. By pursuing an opposite
course, such as the accnsers of the Presi-
dent themselves pursued and recommended
to him, which is to keep up the war of
races and for the sake of power, tell the
people, as they are now doing IN respect to
the approaching election in Virginia, that
the only issue is that Of races; that all con-
stitutional principles, all moral and intel.
lectual qualifications are to be disregarded
and forgotten, and the only qualification to
be remembered or thought Of is that oil
color-and thus madden and infuriate the
white man even to his own destruction
can the country ever have peace or pros.
perIty, or competent and trustworthy
governor
Can the effect Of such a warfare be 9TH
erwise than to destroy all constitutions
limitations and all the distinctions between
vice and virtue, as it has done to grea'
measure in Virginia? For while the out.
cry OF ''carpet-bagger" is perpetually rune
in our ears, like the cry of thief or muir
derer to arouse and excite us, the leader
Of the party which raises the outcry is him
self 'carpet-bagger, who brought moth
ing into Virginia which carpet-bag will
not carry out, and the government has beer
marked by more utter disregard of consti.
tutional limitations, and greater want 0
wisdom and respect for virtue than any
which it has been the misfortune of Viz
ginia ever to submit to; and the people 0
Louisiana in behalf Of whose wrongs and vi
oated rights, nominally, all this uproar ha
been raised, seeing that what | hav
said is true, have recently met together il
New Orleans, and under the lead of tn
gallant Hayes and the illustrious Beaure
gard, who fired the first gun at Sumter
and who fought everywhere unit
the flag fell, proclaimed tina