The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-12-25
THE SITUATION.

There is no Disgusting the fact that We art
rapidly approaching crisis in our affairs Dle
with important results to our people. we
are upon the very eve Of Witnessing az
attempt to deprive the people OF this State o.
the right to be governed by the officers Of
their own choice. The will of the majority,
expressed in no uncertain manner at the
ballot-box. is for the second time about to be
ret aside as worthless, and the will Of Kel.
loeg and his co-conspirators is to be set up q
the law.
It was scarcely conceivable that in view o.
the unquestioned victory gained by us at the
polls, spite Of intimidation such as was never
heard Of before in this Republic spite Of the
prostitution, by the Government of the army
and navy to the basest party purposes and,
in defiance of the pronounced disapprobation
Of the course of the Administration in refer
ence to Louisiana, we say it was scarcely con-
ceivable that the Returning Board, composed
as it is, with one exception, Of the most
corrupt and unscrupulous partisans, would
dare to falsify the returns, and following in
the footsteps of their infamous predecessors,
defraud the people of their rights and over
turning the legitimate Government, set up in
its stead q bald and patent fraud. # in this
desperate purpose the Returning Board was
acting of its own volition, if it simply re-
flected the will of the usurper Kellogg and
his wretched crew of thieves and swindlers,
it would be bad enough and scandalous
enough, but how does it make ones pulses
quicken and ones cheek to burn when he re-
fleets that not Kellogg, not Packard, not
Beckwith, nor any other local demagogue in
spires the board with courage to accomplish
its infamous purposes, but that it receives its
inspiration from Washington that de-
partment, too, which Mr.. Beck SO forcibly
aud trutfully denominated as the depart
ment of Injustice"
The reflection that through the machina-
tons of that judicial rascal, the most dreadful
wrongs can be wrought against the South, and
any thief who calls himself Radical can call
for and obtain the troops Of the United States
army in order to protect him from the just in
dignation Of the people, is almost too much
to be borne with equanimity.
It would arouse people less demonstrative
and proud than those of Louisiana, to acts Of
resentment and to deeds Of violence that
would darken the pages of history and
render Republicanism a thing to be
laughed at and pointed at with scorn
and ridicule for all time to come. That it has
not aroused us to acts of frenzy is because
much misery, much suffering, and many
wrongs unavenged have made us patient.
Louisiana stands to-day in sight of all the
world miracle Of patience, and if the mute
despair and gallant bearing of her peo-
pie, in this her last extremity, do not
elicit from the people of the county the re-
cognition it deserves; if Congress be dumb
and the President stand with stolid face and
relentless and Implying heart, indif-
ferent to the appeals Of people wronged
as no people ever were wronged
before on this continent, then we must act
like men who are not to be Invested Of their
birthrights utterly, without placing upon re-
cord protest that will tell succeeding gen.
eratons that though We were patient, we were
not pusillanimous, that we bore all that we
could bear. yielding to all properly consti-
tuted authority, but holding ourselves as
something more than the mere footballs and
chattels of inscriptions knaves.
The occasion we regard as momentous, for
we know that the Radicals count surely upon
having their grossest act of fraud sustained
by the troops. Kellogg has declared that if
he but whistle Gen. Emory will send the
troops to his aid and succor. The chairman
of the Returning Board has, with bold
effrontery and shameless impotence, declared
his determination to "beat u.s." no matter
what we might do. The Legitimate returns
have been rejected, and forged afddavits and
uncertain data have been used in order to
count in a Radical majority in the Legisla-
ture, and every indication points to unmis-
taxable fraud.
The Ly nch Board, bad as it was and infa-
nous as was its rulings, had always this ex-
cuse. that the legal returns were never before
them from which to compile proper returns;
but this Wells board has far exceeded its pre-
decessor in that it has had before it the legit-
mate returns and yet dare to ignore them and
to manufacture false returns in order to
achieve their purpose. The time is porten-
tous and big with events of the utmost inn
portance to Louisiana.
For good shoes at fair prices so to Bach
mans, IS Camp street.