The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-02-11
Senator Carpenter on Louisiana.

oenaIor OarRenIst w Houtsiouo as
Senator Carpenter of Michigan, has
made speech ON. Louisiana affairs
which has been pronounced to be q
masterly effort, ezposingsthe frauds
and baseless character of the Kellogg
government, and urging an unanswer-
able argument in favor Of ordering
new election. He takes the ground
that under the Constitution, the ones
lion of what is the legal government
in Louisiana is o political and not a
judicial one-and that its determine.
ton rested with Congress, and in case
of its non action with the President
and not with the Federal Court. The
Supreme Court Of the United States
has so decided, and Judge Durell1
clearly exceeded bis Jurisdiction,
when he declared in favor of the Kel-
logg government. His decision was
uugatory and imposed no obligation
on tho President to sustain it.: The
action Of the President too was hasty
and ill-advissd, in that he ,intesfered
without waiting an application for aid
lrcm the Legislature which was then
In session, and which the plain letter
of the law requires, before an inter-
position of the military arm of the
Government can be made. The
statute also requires the President to
Issue his proclamation requiring the
illegal body to dispcrse before the
army can be used, which plain provis-
ion was ignored, and the proclamation
only issued some weeks after he had
used the troops to sustain the Kellogg
government. The Constitution vested
in Congress the power to order g new
election inasmuch as that instrument
guarantees to each State republican
form of government. The State Of
Louisiana had been defraudod of its
rightful government, and the action
os Congress would yindicato, rather
than violate the rights Of the States.
Senator Carpenter has introduced
his bill ordering new election, and
His thought that present indications
favor IT'S passage. On this subject the
tCharleston Ne,os and Courier writes:
Senator Carpenters vigorous de-
nunciation of tho fragrant frauds Of
The Kellogg government in Louisiana
was undoubtedly extortet from him
by an inexorable necessity. What he
did he did we'll, and his conduct ga q
Republican isl marked contrast with
that of Senator Morton, who is,
through thick and thin, the unscrupu-
.ious defender of the rascality of Du-
.FslI, Herron and their partners in
wrong doing. Three general views
obtain in. regard to tho status of
Louisiana. The Kellogg party main
tain that their candidates received o
majority of The votes cast, and were
deprived Of the fruits Of their victory
by the supple tools of the Louisiana
Radicals Senator Carpenter holds
that there is no legal government at
all in Louisiana; and proposes that a
snew election be held under the direc.
lion of the Federal authorities. Ex-
,G5v. Hebert, however, is fatty oppos-
cd to thesholding OF such an election,
.as o regular Stale election will take
splsce in November, 1t appears to us
that this objection carries with it
ivory little force. If the new election
.bo held under regulations prescribed
by the Kellogg Legislature, and. be
conducted bp their officers, the defeat
.of the Conservatiyesand the triumph
of the Ring is .certaiu:'' There is un-
doubtedly good reason for avoiding
the holding of two elections within
six or nine months of each other, but
:the election ordered by Congress
could, as we'll as not, be for the 'unex-
|pired term of the officials whose place
would be filed in November; and for
q full term thereafter This would
give the State, by a fair election,
some snrcease, and would not expose
the people to the expense snd danger
iof a'second election" .- "."f ~