The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1873-04-16
A Worthy Protest.

&
and solemn protest against the unwar-
rantable Intervention Of Federal att
tlority in Louisiana should be pre-
pared and laid before Congress, re-
views, III. aymoderatc and impartial
tone and with signal ability, the extra
ordinary proceedings Though which
the people of Louisiana have been
deprived of the right Of self.govern
MeDt.
Alter reciting the measures taken by
the conspirators of the Kellogg faction
to overthrow the. legal government OF
Louisiana, and quoting the opinion of
the United States Senate Committee,
that it is impossible to conceive of u
more irregular, illegal and in. every
way inexcusable act than the order of
Judge Durell, on which the claims Of
the Kellogg Governments to authority
are based, Governor Leslie proceeds to
| expose and tear in slreads the fimsy
pretense by which President Grant
would excuse his participation in an
atr"cicus outrage. We quote below
his wo,tls:
. The President must have been ere this
fully convinced that the Government
which was created and is still maintain
ed in Louisiana by the authority and
military power of the United States is
not in anywise the lawfully elected
Government of that State, and yet he
continues to recognize and support it as
the de iacto Government, forgetting that
it is such only by TIN intervention of his
authority and the Army of the United
States, for all concede that but for the
illegal interference Of the United States
authority, civil and military, the law
fully elected Government would have
been pcaceably inaugurated as the Gov
eminent both de f:lcto and de jure, and
as such submitted to by the people,
Upon what plea can any authority be
justified in taking advantage of its own
wrong, or derive a legal right from its
own violation Of law? The proposition
which claims right in such case to
recognize de tacto Government, when
fairly interpreted amounts plainly and
simply to this: That President of the
United States may, in the interests of
party, if SO inclined, through the agency
of the Federal Court, supported by Fed
eral troops directly or indirectly, crush
out tue Government elected by the peo-
pie, and installing the defeated candi-
dates OF his party, recognize them in
defiance of constitution and laws rs a
Government de facto, denouncing and
Areating all recusants rs rebels.
Governor Leslie maintains that the
Governor and Legislature who have
been wrongly superseded should still
assert their claims to the Offices to
which they have been fairly elected
They are entitled, he says, to the lar
gest sympathy and support from the
people of their sister States, since the
President in his last annual message
has declared, in full view of this case,
that "no Executive control is exercised
in any one of the Southern States which
would not. he exercised in any Of the
States under like circumstances" He
also calls attention to the fact that the
present status Of Louisiana is quite diff
ferent from that of the seeding States
after the late civil war, when extraor-
binary measures for reconstruction
were acqnitsced in as a political neces-
sitv. Louisiana, he contends, is now
fally'entitled to all the rights guaran.
teed by the Constitution to the sover-
eign and independent States of the
Union.
The Kentucky Legislature will
doubtless act npon the recommends
ton Of the Governor, and send to Con-
:. aress a remonstrance against the revo-
lutioua.y proceedings which have been
carried IN in Louisiana nnderthe sane.
ton of President Graft. The Cover
nor and tue legal Legislature of Lou
isiana have appealed TO their fellow.
citizens in other States to exert their
Influence with Congress for recogni.
ton Of their just rights, and their APP
peal should not be disregarded.
l. the Republican leaders have any
political sagacity they will not permit
I \.