Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1874-10-01
The Louisiana Question.


The Louisiana Question.
In an editorial in the New
York Times Of the IGth-a pa
per that has always supported
Grant-occur these remarkable
words:
"phe government of William
Pitt Kellogg in Louisiana is one
we have never been able to de-
fend. The Durell decision
which aided in establishing it
was an outrage. The conduct
OF the Returning Board which
declared it elected was dishoa-
est. The taxation since 1872
has been arbitrary and opprcs-
siye. Legislation has in nun
dreds Of cases been a shameful
farce. Districts have been rep
resented by men that never saw
them. The small revenue
CLEANED from the impoverished
people have been diverted TO
improper. uses. New Orleans is
PROSTATE. The city administra-
ton is penniless. Real estate
in the metropolis is worth moth
ing in the present condition Of
affairs; no one will buyit. The
prominent local banks have re-
Gently failed. Laborers and
salaried employecsare PAID alike
in script worth thirty cents Oh
the dollar. Many streets are
desolatc. Whole pages Of all
tie newspapers are filled with
delinquent Taxpayers. Ne
grocs and whites in some parts
OF the State are in danger OF
starvation"
The truth Of these words is
all the more apparent when one
reflects that they come from a
Journal whose course for the
past six years has been to er-
dorse the administration of
President Grant and to uphold
his policy to the Southern States.
Besides imprcssing US with the
truth Of It's own statements, the
paragraph advises us, before ma
king a wholesale denunciatiOn
OF the aggressive party III the
present affairs of Louisiana, to
reflect upon the sad history Of
oppressive and anmitigated
wrong so prominent in the re-
cent history Of that unfortunate
State.
Since General Lee gave up his
sword at AppomattoX, and the
war came 10 an end, no more
wrctched condition of society
and government has existed any
where in the South than in the
State of Louisiana. And III
all that eventtul story OF wrongs
no period presents a more de-
plorable record than the past two
years. At the beginning of that
period occurred the famous cleo
ton in which Kellogg and McEn-
cry were rivals. After the con-
tinued resort 20 arms, which the
kellogg government has been
forced 10 make in order to puin-
tain itself, and alter the various
reports Of injustices in the Courts
and lawlessness in the Legislature,
nc reasonable man will doubt that
McEnery and Penn were fairly
chosen Governor and Lieutenant
Governor of the State nor will
any reasonable man question that
Keliogg's only means Of getting
into power and remaining there,
was through the installation Of a
Legislature of his own party and
the power of standing force Of
Federal soldiery.
Against this array of invinclble
power, what coald the outraged
citizeus of louisiana hope TO Ell
feet ? Should they appeal TO the
Legislature, they found it had eli,
Their disbanded or was wholly sub,
servient to the absolute hand which
controlled everything at will
d q they call upon the courts tor
Justice, they found them composed
Of men who, like Judge Durell,
had aided in establishing the Kel-
logg power and who were depen-
dsnt upon it for their official exis-
fence. They called 10 the Presi-
4 s..t aui VIZ coldly turned away