The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1873-05-31
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.

against the faction, which, beaten at
the polls, attempted by instruction
to render null the voice of the people
Of the State.
The Presidents proclamation has
been issued commanding the insr,r-
gents to disperse and retire to their
homes within twenty days. This is a
step in the right direction. party
should be allowed to disturb the tran
guilty of any community by public
turmoil. The remedy for q beaten
faction lies i'll the courts of Justice :;
when that fails, either from corrup-
ton or from weakness, the question
to be decided by the community affect
ed is whether they will submit or re-
sist. Resistance means rebellion, and
the followers of McEncry, with the
experience of the great Shareholders
rebellion before their eyes should have
known that they had not sufficient
power to withstand the strong arm of
the general government of the State.
One of the greatest causes of the
first success of the late rebellion was
the prevailing opinion that the doc
trine of State rights involved the idea
of actual resistance to the general gov
eminent whenever the rights of State
were invaded, and the statesmen of
that period were so inoculated with
the idea, that Mr.. Buchanan, though
perceiving clearly enough that moth
ing else could save the Union, feared
to put the doctrine of coercion into
effect. The consequence was that Il
small body of active politicians in
volved tic whole Southern people in
the horrors of u rebellion, costing I'M
mense amounts of treasure and terri
bic sacrifice of life and limb. The end
at last arrived the South postratc,
bleeding, lying completely at the
mercy OF the victor, was compelled to
accept conditions of existence. These
conditions were the equality Of all men
before the law, and the subordination
of all the States to the lawful author
ity of the general government. The
doctrine Of coercion was fully esttb-
lished.
The greatest fault, probably. which
Governor Kellogg has committed has
been in waiting so long before calling
upon the President to suppress the
faction in his State. We can
easily understand his motives, but the
public peace is too great stake to
lightly play for, and Governor kel-
logg's humanity and forbearance
should long ago have given way to
the great demands of public peace and
tranquility. The right to petition
for the redress of grievances is a sa-
cred thing and must never be over
looked but on the other hand the
old fat has gone forth; "They that
take the sword shall perish by the
sword"
Washington is no longer a city of al
tcrnate mud and dust, but under the
plastic hands of the "Board of Public
Works" it has arisen from its dusty
bed escaped its quagmircs, and is
firmly planted on terra frma. Its
principal streets are paved with Ell
cher asphaltum or block, on which
pr;ncing stecds and rolling carriages
impress the mind as being the para
lisc Of Janus. The public grounds
with their wcll-sclected trees and rich
clad in vernal robes, are
vocal with the chirp of Russian spar
COWS, whilst the air is laden with
sweet perfume of floral profuseness
md variety. The beauty of its site,
Us well as its natural surroundings, so
blend with it's a,chitectu-
al beauty that the votary of aesthetics
s inspired with something of Ma
lomet's sentiment when he first be-
leld Damascus; though unlike Ma
lomct, he refuses not to enter, but
lastens to make it his abiding home.
The Dominion House of Commons
las discovered, through letters which
rave been published, that the Prem
er signed the contract, for the Cam
,dian Pacific Railroad, for the con-
;ideration of three hundred thousand
dollars the contract passing into
American hands, the money to be used