Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-09-17
THE LOUISIANA QUEsTI0N-A PLAIN CASE
SHALL LAW OR BAYONETs PREVAIL

Whoever is Governor Of any State according
to the forms of law is entitled to all the aid the
United States can give him, if menaced or at
tackled by domestic violence The Constitu
ton has thus provided The case in Louisiana,
to people who respect the law and propose to
maintain it, admits of but one solution. There
are not two ways open. The question can be
argued only upon one side
1t matters not in the present situation OF the
case, whether, in the election for Governor,
Kellogg OR McEnery received majority Of the
legal votes. The forms of the existing law of
Louisiana clothed Kellogg with the certificate of
election. Only by law could he be dspossessed
of it. Admitting the possibility, as the insurgents
insist upon it, that MoEnery was rightfuly cho-
sen, this is not the the first time that men have
been seated as Governors or legislators who
were not legally elected But the contestant APP
pealed to the tribunals of the law, and not to
arms. II he had proceeded to overthrow the
authority of his competitor by force of superior
military strength, he would not only have put him
self so completely in the wrong as to forfeit all
consideration at the hands of the law but he
wonld have called down upon himself, che severest
Yistatons of both the State and Nation govern
ments. An appeal to arms once sanctioned,
or even permitted, world be thereafter
open to all who might choose that
as the shortest road to power, and it would be
available to every one who might happen to be
strong enough to succeed. Whether he had or
not the endorsement of a majority of the legal
voters would not be, and could not be inquired,
but the simple issue would be whether his mill
tary strength was greater than that of his COM
petitor. This is the fashion Of Mexico, of many
Of the bo-called Republics Of South America, and
of Paris under the Commune. 1t has never
been the rule in the United States, and while
the American people prefer law to force, and
order to anarchy, it never will be.
The duty of the President has become un-
happily plain. Governor Kellogg, according to
the evidences required by the laws of louisiana,
Is the head of the government of that State. A
conspiracy, organized in secret, has put al
armed force into the field against him, hai
butchered his police, and set up pretended
government. In this emergency, he calls OF
the President for protection against this domes
tic violence. The President will respond, Of
eourse-he has already done so. The power oil
the United States will put down the rebels JUS
as it woulddo, in Delaware, if an armed rebellion
should be organized to unseat Governor Ponder
The National Constitution has been careful t.
guard against such dangers, and it has provide
that the general government shall protect an
guarantee the integrity of the States. Whe
this outlaw, Penn, who calls himself an Actin
Lieutenant Governor, takes the field as com
mandsr of an army to overthrow Governor Ke
lonp, he smDv and exactly commits trnasor
naugurates rebellion, and must be put down,
1t requires the last man and gun of tho Repub
to do it, To recognize him, to treat with hin
much less to permit the success of his lawle'
attempt, would be to destroy all government
and set the precedent of me sing violence mu
der, and outlawry respectable.