The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-09-05
FEDERAL INTERFERENCE IN STATE
AFFAIRS.

! The appeals Of blatant denago5ues Of thu
stripe of L. S. District Attorney Beckwitl
have, it appears. at last been needed by the
| President, aud he has consented to pour hi
| legions upon the Southern States nonlinally
for the purpose Of conserving The peace, bni
really to bolster up the corrupt Radical govern
ments and to assist the Republican party Il
| carry the coming elections.
The pretext which has been seized upon fol
sending the troops to overawe the white PEG
| pie, is entirely insufficient. and the attempt 10
Justify the action by reference to the amend
ments, will strike every reasonable mind as
shallow in the extreme.
The atrocities to which allusioh is made by
the President are clearly offenses against the
State offenseS of which the Federal Govern
ment cannot properly take cognizance until
after the State officers shall have exhausted all
the means at their command. There is no
attempt on the part of any persons in the
South to interfere with the rights of any man
to vote by reason Of race, color or previous con-
dition, and the troubles, such as have existed,
were the natural outgrowth OF the systematic
wrong and injustice which has been meted
out to the white people by the carpet-bag
plunderers and their rascally emissaries.
Kellogg has at his command large Standing
army which he has plundered the people to
maintain upon war footing, and it was his
proud boast to Senator Morton that he could
maintain his Government under any and all
az 10 I rpito Sfa4a
troops should be withdrawn.
No sooner however do the Federal troops
leave the State than we find parish after parish
disowning his authority, and his thievin9 Off
Gals flying to the city to escape the vengeance
of the people whom they have preyed upon
and outraged without mercy. until at last he is
absolutely shut up within the city Of New Or
leans, unable to enforce an order to keep the
peace in any other section of the State
His boasting telegram is forgotten, and
seeing his doom to be inevitable
if left to his own resources, he straightway
humbly suppl ,ates for troops, not for use,
but for morM effect. The people here, he
thinks, are easily to be ovelawed by a handful
Of Federal soldiery, and that he will be left
free to pursue his nefarious schemes without
let or hirdrance. The proclamation of that
consummate demagogue and publicly dis
graced official, Geo. H. Williams, is in keep
ing with his previous rascally ennnciations,
and not one Of the charges upon which he
The whole Of these proceedings on the part
Of the President and his Attorney General are
in fragrant disregard of the principles so ably
in the decision of Justice Bradley
of the United States Supreme Court in the
Grant parish case. The theory of that dec.
sion is that the Constitution Of the United
States does not undertake profess to pro-
tect individual citizens as against aegres-
by individuals. Its prohibitions are di-
rected exclusively to violations Of the
rights Of citizens by the Federal Govern
ment and by the State Governments, leaving /
t to the State Governments and the local
exclusively, to protect individuals
is against individuals.
The Attorney General in his circular, |
ssued for the guidance of District Attorneys |
md Marshals, inserts the following saving
clause:
Yon understand of course, that no interference
is hereby intended with any political or
,arty action, not in action of law but protection
o all classes Of citizens, white and coored, in the
rec exercise Of the elective franchise and the en-
oyment Of the other rights and privileges to
which they are entitled under the Constitution
nd lou of fba cd afr
This was probably an after thought and an
from the brain of Bristow, who
conferred with Belknap and Williams prior to
he issuing Of the circular, but it must be
AIKEN as a part Of the instructions and we
hould see to it that it is literally obeyed and
hat the United States troops are not permitted
0 interfere in the election, but that they be
mployed for protective purposes purely.
The white people of Louisiana should
egard this whole matter as reason for re
olbled exertions and SO far from being cast
own, they should resolve to enter all the more
arnestly and heartily into the campaign, the
,ss Of which means no ordinary disaster but
bsolute ruin We cannot afford to lose, and
the United States troops are specially com
landed not to interfere in local election mat
rs we are sure to win.
Let US work as the people of Vicksburg
orked and like them we shall throw off the
ike Of the carpet-bagger, and enjoy once a
ore the blessings Of free and representative a