The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1873-07-12

and authority, and that both and ali
alike are, 'sfrom the people, by the
people, and for the people"
The language Of the Constitution
bearing directly on the question in
hand is as follows: ..t Fl, ess z..zs.
"The United States shall guarantee
to every State in this Union a repnb--
lican form of government, and shall
protect each Of them against invasion,
and on application of the legislature
or OF the executive (when the legis-
lature can not be conveHed) against
domestic violence.
"This Constitution and the laws OF
the United States which shall be made
in pursuance thereof, and all treaties
made, or which shall be made under
the authority Of the United. States,
shall be the supreme law of the land /;
and the judges in every State shall be
bound thereby, any thing in the con
stitution OF laws Of any State to tile
contrary Notwithstanding
"The powers not delegated to the
United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibiting by it to the States, are IRE
served to the States, respectively, Or
to the people,
The fifteenth amendment provides
as follows. ao ssf .s@'5se1
"SEcTIoN l. The right of citizens
of the United States to vote shall not
be denied or abridged by. the United
States, or by any State, on account Of
race. color, ,sor pref ions condition Of
servitude., s~,.t L, .ss &. e s4ys.s5
"sEc. 2. The Congress shall have
power to enforce this article by appro-
pirate legislation ss7@s fa
From these provisions it will be
seen that such matters as the adoption
or change Of 4 State constitution, the
election Of State officers provided for
in such constitution, and the whole
administration Of the domestic affairs
Of the State, are left, in the hands Of
the people Of each State, subject only
to the limitations herein especially
provided; that is to say, the Federal
Government, whether by it's legislative,
judicial, or executive functions, or by
all these together, has the right to ill-
terfere: in the domestic affairs of .
State only when such State has ceased
to have q republican form Of govern
ment; or when such government is
threatened with destruction; or when
the State constitution or laws are in
conflict with those of the Federal Gov
ernment; or when a State is exposed
to invasion; or when afflicted With
domestic violence which il can not
suppress, and even in that ease only
upon the call of the legislature or of
the executive; or when the right to
vote has been denied or abridged Oi,
the grounds above specified.
The Constitution further. provides
that Congress may make laws for the
establishment of Federal courts
throughout the country, aud for the
election Of Federal officers, and that
it shall be the prerogative and duty
of the Federal judges to interpret and
apply those laws in the various Fed
eral courts us being paramount to the
laws and constitutions of the States,
and it shall be the right and duty Of
the President to see that the Fed
eral Constitution and laws as thus in
terpreted aud applied are upheld and
executed.
In pursuance Of these provisions,
the act Of Congress Of May 81, 1870,
amended by act Of February %, 1874,
and generally known as ." the enforce
ment act" provides for the fairness
and freedom of elections, and for the
redress Of grievances which may grow
out of them in the courts, and if need
be for employment Of United States
troops to suppress election riots and
disturbances, and to execute the de-
crees of the courts without the orders
of the President. Such being the ;lc-
tual provisions of the Constitution and
the laws bearing on the subject before
lis, we have in the next place to con-
slider the aspect of things i'll Louis
lana as controlled by "the logic Of
events" 1851
THE PRESENT STATUS.
Since the publication of our former
article the President has issued proc
lamation, in consequence of which
we arc advised the McEnery party
have determined to abstain from
all further overt or ply steal opposition
to the Kellogg government, and to
make an appeal to- Congress at its
next meeting with the view of seek
ing redress from that body for the
evils of which they complain. The
effect of this for the time being is to
leave the Kellogg government in prac-
tical operation i'll the State, and to
postpone the question in controversy
to a future day. The government being
de facto, thus for the present, becomes
the only State government now exer-
cising it's functions in Louisiana. And
We're all parties in the State Of Louis
lana, as they exist to-day, willing,
from any view or motive whatsoever,
to accept the Kellogg government and
submit to its authority, this would
seem to be practical solution Of the
whole question for the current ,guber-
| material term. s 't's -
Whatever may be thought Of the