The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-09-23
Who Are the ViOlatorS Of the Con-
StitutiOl 40;

StltuilOE .J3l
The Attorney General, in his order
to mass the troops in the Southern
States, affirms that certain crimes
have been committed in those States
with the view Of overawing peacea-
bic and law abiding citizens, and de-
priving them Of the rights guaran-
teed to them by the Constitution and
Laws of the United States" What
are the crimes charged? All that
have been imputed to this State have
been incidents of violence and murder
committed by individuals on indis
viduals. In certain remote sections.
of the State, men who were deemed
enemies Of and conspirators against
the people have been driven from the
parishes, and in some cases have been
killed by lawless mobs. They are
ordinary cases of lynching, which
have been of such frequent occur
renee in the Western and Southern
States in all periods of the history Of
those United States. They have even
occurred in the older states-in Mas
sachusetts, when the Know-Nothing
mob sacked the convent at Charles
town; in Philadelphia, when they
burned churches, and in New York
at various times. Such lawless out
breaks have not unfrequently had
the sanction and approval of the best
portion of the community, and have
been winked at by the authorities, as
in California and in Mississippi,
where the good citizens were relieved
of great nuisances and evils through
lynch law, when the statute law fur
nished no remedy. But, whether
ever justifiable or not, it has never
yet been regarded or adjudged as
otherwise than grossly violative of
the letter and spirit of the constitu-
ton, and Of the whole theory of our
confederate system, to attempt to
bring such acts within the jurisdic-
ton of the Federal authority.
The army and the courts Of the
United States lave never before in
vaded this domain Of exclusive State
Jurisdiction. 1t would be, indeed, in
the most fragrant form, to violate the
constitutional guarantee Of repub-
lican government to each State. To
deprive the States Of their exclusive
control and jurisdiction, over all such
-. *. s{'
ofenses against their own municipal
law, would be to strip them of the
most essential attribute of republi-
can government.
| Even Attorney General Williams
is conscious of the truth of this pro-
position. He only. places the right
of the Federal Government TO exer-
cise such jurisdiction to protect
rights guaranteed by the constitu-
ton and laws of The United States
In his application Of this proposition
he violates instead of protecting the
rights thus guaranteed.
What rights guaranteed by the
constitution and laws of the United
States have been violated n this
State? There certainly is not a pre-
text of such violation in the acts re-
ferred to. Under what provision OF
the constitution and law can even the
unscrupulous and bitter partisan At
torney General bring the killing OF
expelling few obnoxious disturbers
and incendiaries from certain Par
1ishes9 Certainly no political rights
have been infringed. There is the
largest and freest enjoyment Of these
rights by all classes of our people,
without regard to race, color Or pre-
vious condition. The negroes, fol
whose protection of their political
rights special acts of Congress have
been passed, are now in this city and
throughout the State actively, en-.
gagged in the exercise Of what is re.
garded their chief and most valuable
fright, that Of registration, the only
perquisite' to the right Of voting
Not only this, but they exercise al
their other political rights of assem-
blage in conventions ofpublic discus
sion and speech. We have yet t.
hear of a single instance of an at
l