The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-03-14
THE LOUISIANA MIDDLE.

/ I'LL LUUl01ANA MUUDI6I
The following admirable article on
Louisiana affairs appeared in the col
umns of the National Republican, the
administration organ in Washington
city, few days since, and serves to
indicate the light in which the ques-
ton is viewed by the fair minded
people of the North who are familiar
with the facts touching the matter,
and have not been deceived by the
gross and criminal misrepresentation
of the crowd of office seekers and their
abettors who flock around the mus
tache and coat-tails of Warmoth and
his catspaw, John McEnery. The Re-
publican says:
Take the State of Louisiana, for
example, from the murder of minis
ter of the Gospel while he was bear
/ ing flag of truce to the mob down
the stairway of the Mechanics Insti-
tute in 1866, through all the riots in
the city of New Orleans and in the
country parishes, and down to the at
tempt to impeach Judge Duren. We
have before us at a glance the ever
changing scenes of a CHASTITY piano.
rama of political crime. 1t mattered
not that the Kellogg government was
legally sustained by the judiciary,
for it was a part of the conspiracy
against republicanism to overthrow
it. Tho conspirators, either in the
courts, before committees, and on the
floor of Congress, or with assassin's
weapons in their hands, sought this
common object. The ruin of the
commonwealth, the paralysis of bust
ness, and the destruction of every
honest sentiment of true citizenship
were not sufficiently appalling to de-
ter them. An unprincipled press,
aided by lying Associated Press re-
porters, was at their command, and
the country was SO filled with con-
| Trajectory statements, that the peo-
| pie began to look upon the affairs of
the State as muddled again. Thus,
| it became the custom to characterize
the Louisiana middle as one of the
vicissitudes of Southern politics, and
the conspirators attempted to throw
the responsibility upon the Republi-
can party. The truth is readily as
certained. The first obstacle in their
way was the judge by whom the re-
straining injunction against the Me-
Eneryites was issued. His act-a
bold and manful response to the die
tates of duty established the power
of the Kellogg government. To re-
move him, by impeachment or other
wise, became prerequisite of the
success of their scheme. They did
not dare to appeal from his action to
superior judicial power, but shrewlly
calculating that his disgrace would
strengthen their cause, they charged
him with infamous crimes, with col
fusion with political associates and
with soiling the judicial ermine by
prostituting his sacred office for polit-
ical objects. They hoped, at least,
TO succeed in obtaining articles of
impeachment against him. This
was the kind of disgrace which they
believed would add strength or
moral influence to their declaration
that the Republican party of Louisi-
ana is so disgracefully corrupt.
They did not care whether he
was convicted of the charges or
net. In the interim of his trial by the
court of impeachment they expected |
to gather power from the overthrow |
of the Kellogg government, but un- |
fortunately for them the Judiciary
Committee of the House has found |
that their charges are not sustained |
by the evidence produced. Consider
ing the effect that would have been
produced by a reverse finding. we
can not fail to admit that the commit
tees action must be accepted as adj
dItlonai and convincing proof of the
loyalty of the Kellogg government.
With this proof before Us, together
with the fact that Governor Kellooe's
administration has benefited the State
lmmeasurably, that it is acceptable to
the business community and that
peace and prosperity have replaced
ruin and rapine, under it we have rea-
son to congratulate ourselves that this
greatest and most unprincipled of
all the efforts of the Democratic con-
spirators has been defeated. We do
not hesitate, in view of all this. to
warn Congress most solemnly that to
disturb the existing condition of af-
fairs In Louisiana, will be denounced
by fair minded men as an act of des-
potie interference with a people who
nave suffered Unreasonable wrongs
already, and who are entitled, now that
they have legally earned it, to some re-
spite from the evils and horrors in
;ldent to the political campaign in the
South, and let us have peace in Lou
siana.