Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1873-05-27
THE BRoIL IN LOUISIANA.

THE BROIL In LOUISIANA.
i The following from the Wheeling 1atclli-
gences,s the ilesding Republican paper in this
State, needs no additional commen. to give a
fair showing Of the status of the louisiana
difficulties. Let the Republican papers which
have hotth manlihess and indepcndehce to
place their mark Of condemnation upon such
atrocities as have been peFpetrated upon the
people of Louisiana, read and ponder:
Thenews from tLouisiatsa Indicates let.
ting down of the belligeretie McEneryites
before the approach of the United States mill.
tafy; 'They.hast give way. of course, because
Kellogg is TO be sustained by all the power of
the Government, if'fneed be and the onlv
| question with the 'resistants is to what .ex,
tremity they will scarry their resistance to his
! authority. Fl is greatly to be regretted-it,is
pity for the people of Louisiana for the AID.
,ministration, for the Republican party and for
the cause of good government aud gold feel,
ing there and in other States-thas the power
| of the Federal Government has been used to
set up Kellogg and his scoadiutors as a poy>
ernment over the people of Louisiana. and
| that the same'power is to maintain them there
Tie Kellogg government. So called, is bold
| usurpation. We regret that It cannot truth
fully be called anything else. If we may be-.
lieye the report of the Republican committee
of the U. s. Senate, sent to Louisiana last
winter to investigate affairs there. kellogg.
his officers and his Legislature have no more
| rightful authority in Louisiana than we have
They never were elected by the people at all
The declaration that they had been was made
| by an illegal board with not a single election
return before it. They put in possession of
the State House by the lawless decree of
Federal Judge acting 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
unhappify been sustained in their usurpat;on
by the President with the constant presence
of the United States troops. The McEnery
government was not elected fairly War
mouth. having all the election machinery in
his hands used it to favor McEnery BY max
ing the registering and voting places so in>
convenient that large numbers of negroes
did not take the trouble to register or vote
But there was no violence and no actual fraud
SO far as APPEARS. The McEhery government
has'as'least the color Of legality the Kellogg
concern does not appear to have even this
These are the hard, naked facts as they ap-
pear from the report of the Senate Committee.
If Congress had done what the committee
recommended, viz: set aside the election.
ordered o new one and provided for fair one.
1t can hardly be doubted that Louisiana would
now bc at peace * = * y * Il *
Yet Che failure of Congress to perform this
duty cannot be held to justify the President
in using tho force of the Government TO com.
pei the people of State to submit to an au,
thorty set up over them by violence, without
their consent, and the doplorable nisohiefs
that have followed that misuse Of power are
apparent now III the daily report Of anarchy
and bloodshed that comes up from that un-
happy and misgoverened State. If Louisiana
had not been reconstructed State. formerly
restored to full relations with the Union, and
OF right so exempt from arbitrary Federal in
reference as any other State in the Union.
there might be some excuse for what the
President and his subordinates at New Or
iedns have,dohe. But the misfortune is that
no adequate reason for this interference can
be shown, and the only Ole that appears is
supposed exigency of mere party organiza-
ton. Nothing more vital than this was at
stake; and the public sense of Justice and of
propilety does not Justify the employment of
such means for such ends; while it is almost
certain that the course taken will in the end
harm the Republican party much more than
it has helped it. The Republican party cam
not be used with IMMUNITY, much less can the
military power Of the Government, merely to
promote the ascendcncy Of faction in one of
the States because that faction is in sympathy
with the party in control of the Government.
and Its leaders can be useful TO the alnIihis>
tratlon. Such an assumption is too dangerous
to be tolerated for moment. Yet this is
Just about the state Of the case in Louisiana.
Under such circumstances those Journals
which never allow themselves to censure the
wrong doing of their friends are reticent but
the truth is this Louisiaba broil is aissrace>
tul to the administration and dangerous to
the peace and good feeling of the people in
Louisiana, and in other States and the truth
ought to be 60 plainly spoken that by no nos
slbility could the error in this case ever be
used as precedent for a like employment of
arbitrary power elsewhere The army inhst
now be hscdt preserve the public peace, but
1t ought to be used for no other end. Let the
bayonets that uphold the Kellogg usurpation
be withdrawn from that employment. and let
the factions fight on equal terms till Congress
decides between them, the military being
used only to preserve order aud prevent blood
shed.
The Fairmont Vest Virgi'niian is tho only
Republican paper in the State that has had
the courage to join the lntcN;ycncer in con-
demning the course of the Federal admins
tratlon III relation to the Louisiana disgrace.
LAYING THE RA1Ls-fn a conversation
we had the other day with Col Collins. Of the
Central improvement Company, he told us