The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1874-09-24
Louisiana Affairs.

represented by w. p. Kellogg. as-GOVerhor. ny
the White Leagues of that State, lead by u. b.
Penn, claiming to be Lieutenant Governor I'M
der the McEnery faction, also the proclamation
OF the President, in compliance with the de-
m md of Gov. Kellogg for assistance to aid him
in maintaining his authority. After the proc
lamation Of the President ordering the insu :
gents to dispense within five days, had reached
New Orleans, the Penn party, who had depo-
sed Kellogg, surrendered the government to
I Gen. Emory, representing the U. S. Army
This fact was communicated to the government
at Washington. The action OF Gen. Emory,
was approved. except in the fact of his negotia-
ton with McEnery and Penn. 1t was design
ed by the authorities at Washington not to rec
ognize the right Of McEnery to be a party to
any other condition than to surrender, and
Gen. Emory was 80 informed. In rcspons Gen.
Emory sent the following dispatch
placed Colenel Brooke in command of tie
city, as well as i'll command of the troops,
otherwise there would have been anarchy
Governor Kellogg did not, and has not yet cal
led on me for support to re-establish the State
Government His Chief of Police was shot
down, the next in command also, and the
WuUlts lOICC UtUcII ulSpCIScu dKu HtudCA way
out Of sight. For one ofthem to have attempt
ed to stand on his beat would have been cei tain
destruction, and even now the State authors
ties represented by Governor Kellogg have
| asked to defer taking charge for the present.
| This statement of Gen. Emory is in direct
! conflict with the representations Of Penn to
| the President that all was quiet and that bnsi-
ness had been resumed, and the following dis
patch to the Secretary of war:
| New ORLEANS, La, Sept. 15.-Ffon. w.
w. Balknap, Secretary Of War: The Kellogg
government is overthrown : State in the hands
| of legal government; everything conducted IN
a lawful manner: quiet and good order pre-
! vail no excess committed, negroes protected !;
citizens returning qnitely to their homes and
| business; perfect harmony exists between
government and United States troops.
r. s. RICHEY.
Governor Kellogg had been fully installed in
Office at last accounts.
| The demonstrations in New Orleans having
been announced as successful, a Simultaneous
move.ne was made "a over the Ste e, to de-
pose the legally constituted officers of the State
government. and to install persons claiming I'M
der the McEnery pretensons. This course was
/ pursued even in parishes where there were
large Republican nlaiorties. showing that it
was preconcerted plan to revolutionize the
government, and to place in Office men who
had no legal claim thereto, and to do it at all
hazards.
The prompt action of the President in put
ting stop to the desperate purposes OF the
McEnery faction, and restoring the government
to officers lie gally recognized, will meet the ap-
proval of all law abiding citizens. 1t was moi
question whether Kellogg had been fairly c
lected or not. He had been exercising the
functions of Governor for two years The Court;
had decided that he was the legal Governor,
the President recognizing the validity OF the
judicial determination in the premises. had al
so recognized Kellogg as Governor. He could
have done nothing else. After Congress had
failed to take action for the settlement OF the
difference between Kellogg and McEnery, the
duty was imposed upon the President to pre-
vent civil war in that State, and the only moth
cd possible for him to dept, consistent with
his oath of office, was the recognition of Kel-
logg following up the judicial determination
of the question. This he did. and he has again
interposed executive authority to fortify the
action then taken. The honest, fair-minde;l
people of the country will sustain him. 1t
matters not what the extreme men OF the South
| may say, stimulated by passion and controll-
ed by sectional prejudice, all persons who de-
sire to maintain law, preserve peace, and up
hold legally constituted, government, will yield
willing approval to the course of the Presi
| dent.
|
1t is fortunate for the country that the Elk
ecutive chair of the nation is occupied by a
man whose clear conception of the sanctity Of
Jaw, is sustained by firm will to enforce 1t. IN
the interest Of government under law, ats time
when hesitation or timidity would have beer
fatal to the interests of peace, and fruitful Of
disaster to persons and property.
| There has been no indication at this writing
as to the course that will be pursued with the
| reyolutionists. In a case similar in its purport
and spirit, but essentially different i'll the de-
! tails OF the circumstances connected with its
progress, the offending party, or rather the
leader of it, was arrested, tried, convicted, and
sentenced to the penitentiary for life, but was
pardoned after serving five years. We allude,
of course, to the Dorr rebellion in Rhode Island
| in 1919. In that instance, no blood was she'd
1t was only the insane vaporings of a mailman,
who had succeeded in deluaing many of his
fellow citizens into taking UP arms against the
legally constituted State government, and 60
ing through the forms of having himself declar
ed Governor. President Tyler promptly, yet
with reluctance, responded to the call Of Gov.
ernor King to render all necessary aid in main
tanning and preserving his authority. The re
bellion was suppressed, the insurgents scatter
cd, and their leader arrested and disposed of a;
we have stated.
The case of McEnery and Penn, and theil
reckless followers, is much aggravated, by rea
on of the fact, nat in perpetrating an act q
treason to the State, in the legal aspect of the
case, they caused the death of some forty or
fifty of their fellow citizens in New Orleans
and how many more in the various parishes O
the State, it is not possible now to know.
II we are to draw differences from the demon
strations in various sections of the South, sym
pathizing with the revolutionists, the perma
nent success Of the McEnery-Penn party, wollt
have been followed By bloody violence through
out the Gulf States, or a general abandonment
of that section by all men prominent in thei
expressions Of fealty to the national govern
ment. The prompt and resOlute action Of the