Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-03-09

/ people OF that State are TO be pinned down
by Federal bayonets, while epauletted sa-
traps are to domineer over them in the
most insolent manner. The events that
have occurred in New Orleans within a
few days have fully demonstrated this fact.
The Metropolitan police, with Federal
troops to back them, seized and
retained possession of Odd Fellows
Hall on the 9th inst, and by force of arms
prevented the Legislature elected By the
people of Louisiana, from assembling in
that place, where they had been holding
their daily sessions for weeks past. Gov.
McEnery called the attention of Gen. EN-
DRY, commanding the United States forces
at New Orleans, to this act, and inquired
whether it met with bis ''countenance and
approval" and whether or not the forces
under bis command "Will support this
armed occupation of that building" Gen.
Emory replied that the seizure was made
without bis knowledge and without con-
ference with him, and adds:
81 have the honor 10 enclose to you a
copy of telegram received last night from
from which you will see that it is made my
| duty to prevent any violent interference
with the State government of Louisiana.
Previous instructions have directed me to
recognize the government of the State of
Louisianato be that represented by the Hon.
William P. Kellogg. If the act referred TO
by you in your letter is the act of Gov. Kel-
logg and of the government of the State of
Louisiana represented by him, and any vi
olence is used to interfere with this act, 1
shall most assuredly consider it my duty,
under my Instructions, to use the whole
force of the United States at my disposal
to prevent such violent interference"
The manner in which Gen. Emory COM
municates to Gov. McEnery his determine
ton shows that his heart is in the work
that he is playing the role of a bigoted
politician, instead of an impartial military
officer who has an unpleasant duty to per-
form. Like all the military officers sent
into the South, Gen. Emory is more con-
cerned about upholding carpet-bag rule
than in protecting the people against the
usurpers who are destroying their State
governments and their very subsistence.
The South has been sorely cursed with just
such bigoted fools. So far as the facts show,
this interference by the Federal commander
in the local affairs of Louisiana, appears to
have been prompted by himself, but in bis
note to Gov. McEnery, he shields himself
behind his instructions from the President.
Let rs rehesrse some of the facts which
SHOW that Grant is guilty OF a fragrant
wrong in recognising the Kellogg usurpation
as the government of the State of Louisiana,
and that in thus backing up with the Fed.
eral military arm this shameless usurpa-
ton, be is guilty of an act of tyranny for
which, il he were Democrat and kellogg
a Democrat, he would have been impeach-
ed and disgraced from office. Even Sena-
tor Morton-one of the most interruptions
partisans of the Grant administration in
the United States Senate-who defends the
kellogg usurpation as the de .fdcto govern
ment of Louisiana and would perpetuate
it, is compelled to admit that it became such
de Jdcto government through ''gross usur-
patton" In his minority report from the
Committee on Privileges and Elections on
the Louisiana case, he says:
"The conduct of Judge Duren, sitting in
the Circuit Court of the United States, can
1. \ If Id l. l.
exceeded his jurisdiction, and assumed the
exercise of power to which be could lay no
claim. But the pretense that, in a
suit to perpetuate testimony, the Court
could 60 beyond the natural and reasonable
jurisdiction to decide who constituted the
legal Returning Board under the laws of
Louisiana, and to enforce the rights of such
as it might determine to be members of the
Board, and to epjoip others who were not,
is without any foundation in law or logic.
His order issued, in the Kellogg case,
to the United States Marshal to take pos.
session OF the State House for the purpose
of preventing unlawful assemblsges, under
which the Marshal called to his aid a por-
ton of the army of the United States as
posse cOnitGtuS, can only be characterized
as gross usurpation."
We quote from the remarks of Mr.. Car ]
penter, of Wisconsin, who is one of the
ablest men in the Senate, and has been one
ofthe most unfalteringi in his allegiance to the
Grant administration, to show how fragrant
has been the Presidents abuse Of power in
recognising Kellogg as the Governor of
Louisiana. In the debate on the report of
the Committee on Privileges and Elections,
he is reported as follows:
''Mr. Carpenter having described both
the Louisiana Governments as fraudulent,
Mr.. Morton remarked that the Senator
from Wisconsin Mr.. CaTpenter) seemed
to prefer the Warmoth fraud to the kellogg
fraud.
"tMr. Carpenter-I do, because it is 3
smaller one. In some things | like great |
ness, but when it comes to choosing be-
tween two evils or frauds prefer the small |
Ter. In that know my honorable friend |
does not agree with me. Laughter Ny |
friend is an original and astute politician,
but let me tell him that we Republicans |
have reached q point where we must be
honest whether We are inclined to be so or |
not. Our interests compel US TO be honest. |
II is If no importance to US whether Louis
lana is Republican or Democratic, but it |
is of the utmost Importance that it shall be
either the one or the other, in accordance
with law. l would like to see ANYBODY !
stump through Wisconsin in the next can
vass, if We stand by this Kellogg Govern
ment. if this is TO be done by the Repub-
lican party in the Senate, this
year, L want to let the job of
stumping Wisconsin next Fall to the hon
orable Senator from Indiana. don't want
to face the honest people of Wisconsin with
such record. do not want to 90 before
those people 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 usurpa-
ton a uSaWpGtiOn finally executed land
accomplished By the military force of the
United States. / cannot answer for the
people Of Indiana under these circumstan-
ces. l will leave them to be managed by
the honorable member from Indiana, and if
be succeeds well with them, l beg him to
come over and help us in Wisconsin. We
shall need his powerful aid to satisfy our
unsophisticated people that such thing is
honest. [Laughter.]
"Mr. Carpenter, in conclusion, argued
that if Congress did not order, new cleo