New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-10-15
Cores .rondence Of the National R.,,,,,ri
Ihr services OF Federal Troons I'm
Louisiana.
NEW ORLEANS. Oct 2 ISL

| NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 3, 1874.
No Federal bayonets ever vet preventad
ticket" ''ic
ms fact deserves to be italicised and ro-
Feate' until the Democrats admit its truth
or prove its falsty. The eternal howl about
.he use OF Federal troops for political pur
poses IN the South only requires n candid
analysis to reveal tho enormty of its nature
ana object, II Is true, rs Senator Scburz
charges, that Marshal Packard is chairman
OF the Louisiana Republican State committee
tnat nc Is strong partisan of the Republi-
can party, and that he, as marshal, has vir-
tua' command OF the Federal troops for the
purpose OF ehIofcing the laws and protecting
the cltAens OF the United States But il is
also true, as General Emory emphaticallv
declares, that he has not and cannot use n
| single soldier for political purposes" How
can ne 40 1t? What is meaa,by the phrase
political purposes" in this tzsanectiono
IL the White League cut-thrOats of Com
shatta organize and murder six Northern
men and intmidate the colored people from
voting the Republican ticket, is it using
troops tor political purposes" to send them
there Tor the protection of those voters while
.neY exercise their sacred right of casting
| &heir ballots for the candidates of their
choice? Is it pretended that these troons
VIII prevent any Coushatta White Lacquer.
entitled to do so, from voting? Or does anv.
oody believe they will enable a single negro
'" vote VINO Is not entitled to do so? In fact.
U'es not every man in the whole country
SNOW mat the "blue-coated marines of a des-
potlc power" will not interfere with the cleo.
l'On machinery in any manner whatever. but
VIII protect those citizens, Democratic or Re-
Pun'ioah, whose lives are endangered by dis
orderly persons? The White Leaguers of
bayou Sara and Bayou Goula have already
app'ed Tor and received detachments of
sronps 10 protect them frcm alleged danger
from negro mobs. Are not the coloreJ neo.
pi" OF Coushatta, on the other hand, entitled
TO the same protection from White League
mobs2
Ana yet 1t IS said by the Democrats that
tnc Republicans can't carry the Coushatta
region without Federal bayOnetsn Do not
oe appalled, when | admit that this state
lneht 10 perfectly true l 90 further, and
frankly admit that if no Federal bayonets are
sent Into that region the election will be per-
iectiy Peaceable; all applying to vote will be
allowed to do so, and the White League will
oe victorious by large majority! This
sounds queer, but it is only part of the truth
inc part winch our enemies tell you. The
rest Ut the story puts different face upon
the situation. In the Coushatta region the
coiored voters are overwhelmingly in the ma
lorlty. But ii they can get no troops they
VIII not try to vote, they will not dare to
ieaVe the plantations OIL election day. Thus
it is seen that to keep the troops away is to
let the White Leagues carry the election
loully, while to send them there is to enable
the Republicans to carry it fairly. The same
Facts apply to the whole South. Just keep
your troops away and they will fix things
unquestionably.
The difference between Senator Schurz and
ten. Emory is only different understanding
OF the meaning of two words, viz: ''political
purposes" Gen. f. rory considers that to
interpose bayonets between men having a
right to vote and the ballOt-box is to use
troops for political purposes, and this, he
says, has not and cannot be done. Senator
SchurZ considers protecting men from assassj-
nation, while they are casting their ballots, as
using troops for political purposes" and he
IS right IN saying that has been and is being
done by Marshal Packard. 1t has been done
IN every Southern State ever since the war.
and otherwise not Republican vote would
have been cast. 1t was done even IN Mis-
souri,, when the Republican Legislature which
sent ochurz to the Senate was elected.
The burglars of New York complain bit
terly because they are taxed to maintain a
police force which they despise, and which
bllghts their prosperity but the protection
which the force affords honest people does not
deprive any burglar of his lawful rights. So
the White Leagues complain loudly that
they are taxed to maintain an army which
Expresses them, but the oppression consists
soieiy IN preventing them from depressing
others.
But what does this objection to United
States marshal being a party leader imply
1t cannot be proven that Mr.. Packard, in a
single instance, as United States marshal,
has done anything more than the laws and
MS solemn oath required him to do. No
Democratic marshal III his present situation
could do anything less than he is doing with
out being guilty of dereliction of duty and
perjury. Ii, then, as marshal, he does his
duty to the Government, has he not got a
right, as a free American citizen, to belong
to- the Republican party? Can President
Grant be asked to deprive citizen of his
dearest rights because that citizen happens
to hold an office? Can he be asked to re-
move an efficient officer because he belongs to
the Republican, or, what is the same thing,
because he is elected by that party as chair
man vi one of its State committees? Has
not United States marshal, who, as such,
performs his duty within the strict letter of
the law, got right to be partisan? Has
he not got right to do all he can in his ca
pacity as citizen for the success of his
party? lfit has come to a pass where man
is not to be allowed to hold an office under
Republican administration because he is a
good and efficient Republican leader, it is
time for the friends of liberty and self-gov-
eminent to ask themselves where such logic
as this will eventually lead us. If marshal
cannot be Republican, no other office-hoder
can be a Republican. Therefore General
Grant, being an office-holder, and also Re-
publican, should at once resign and let Carl
Schurz select somebody for President who
I would be certain not to use his office in the
interests of the Republican party.
j. E. L.