The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1874-03-13
a seal, and certainly the United States

to the President, "Come and help U.S."
! was not sufficient for his interference.
He (Carpenter) believed that if the
Federal troops were withdrawn from
Louisiana, Kellogg's Government would
not stand. There We're two questions
involved as to the passage of this bill.
First, have we the power to pass it :
Second, the expediency of passing it.
The constitution provides that each
State shall have a republican form of
government, and one of the first re-
quisites of republican form of gov
ernment is that its offices shall be filled
by persons elected by the people. The
power of Congress was derived from
the constitution, not from the tumults
in Louisiana, or the frauds of Durell,
or the Lynch board, and he asked
every Senator within his hearing, if
Congress had not the power to give the
people of that State what they had
been cheated out tof-namely, the right
to elect their own officers. Should our
government be ovcrthrown, it would
be by these steady encroachments
Congress should see, at all times, that
each S.atc had republican form Of
government, and any Senator declaring
that Congress had not the power to in
terfere now, would declare to kellogg
and his followers: You can repeat this
thing in 1876, 1850, or 1884. Congress
has no power to set it right. If Con-
gress had no authority to interfere
therein, the McEnery government
could set itself up also by force. Vio-
lencc was as good a title as fraud, and
a little more manly. When q man
s!1ulks beneath the soiled robes of a
Federal Judge, he has not the manli-
ness OF the one who goes out Will.
sword in hand to maintain his posi-
tion. There was no question. in his
mind, as to the power Of Congress to
take up the constitution of any State
and declare whether or not it was re-
publican in form; the power of Com
gress was supreme.
Ferry, of Connecticut, said he must
differ from the gentleman as to the
power Of Congress.
Carpenter said he was sorry tho Sen
ator would stand in his place and virtu-
ally say, if Kellogg and his friends
Joined hands and defied the people of
the State for fifty years, Congress could
not interfere.
Mr.. Ferry said he meant that, under
our system of government, there is
within the State remedy for usurpa-
ton, Or else republican form of gov
ernment is failure.
Mr.. Carpenter said: Suppose the peo-
pie of Connecticut declared they would
have Il monarchy, because tired of a
republican form of government, and
that the then Government and Legis-
lature should remain in office for life,
would Congress then have power to
interfere:
Mr.. Ferry said there was a remedy;
that where the whole people of State
preferred q monarchial government it
was different thing. He heartily con-
Cured with the Senator from Wiscon-
sin, that the State Government of
Louisiana was, root and branch, an
usurpation, but could not agree with
him as to the remedies.
Mr.. Carpenter said in a debate of
this kind he was in Il position of fight
ing in the open field against an am
buscade. The gentleman had his views,
but would not let them out. If he has
a plan, why not let it be known? He
(Carpenter) was like Mcclellan in one
plan. [Laughter.l If the Senator had
a plan, and it was better than the one
he (Carpenter) proposed, he was ready
to support it, SO soon as the Senator
would remove the seal Of confidence
from it. The Senator (Ferry) concur
red with him that the government of
Louisiana was no government at all, j.,
out usurped by Kellogg. He (Carpen-
ter) believed the Kellogg government
was held up by the bayonets of the
United States, sustained this hour by
troops of the United States, and he
wanted to know what remedy there
was for this difficulty. The Supreme
Court of the State was in conspiracy
with kellogg, and would not inaugu-
rate a move for reform. The State
Legislature was in the conspiracy, and
would not do so; the Governor would
not, and the people could not because
Federal bayonets were leveled at them.
The powers of the Federal Government
We're sovereign except as limited by
the constitution as those of the Gar of
Russia. Congress could declare war
tomorrow against any nation, with or
without cause. 1t could tax the last
dollar from the pockets of the people,
or establish female suffrage and put
the women in the army. The great
argument made in the press particular
ly, was the inexpediency of ordering a
new election on the ground that it