The weekly echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1868-1876, 1874-03-28
Ths - 1uestion.
From ti NY. SUM-

From she n. n Sun.
The question whether 81 MT
Congress will pass a law orderinq
an election In Louisiana Il not v6t
disposed Of and Senator Carpen-
ter made another Of his able
speeches upon it. The discussion
of the subject has led to not j few
rather surprising expressions Of
opinion from unexpected quarters.
For example, We find some Demo
cratic States rights newspapers
urging the passage of such d law.
and insisting that it would be III
accordance With the Constitution
while 0n the other hand there are
Republican Newspapers that here
toI0r8 have never doubted that
Congress could do pretty nearly
everything In the reeo lstructed
States, which now deny that 1T has
any constitutional authority for or
dering new eleCti5nin Louisiana.
These wide departures from
Well-beaten tracks are uadoubtedly
caused by the pressure of mere
partisan considerations. The DEM
ocrats believe that they would
gain some advantage by an cleo
tom while Che BeppbIiears tlink
they would lose by it These are
indeed himsy grounds whereon to-
base constitutional principles, ana
they demonstrate how far We have
wandered from the old land1narks
when constitutional questions were
measured by constitutional pro-
visions.
Has Congress the authority to
pass amy such Iaw That eaoh
branch IF Congress can anseat
members and thus render eleetions
necessary in States, IL doctrine
as old as the Constitution. But
never, until the tebelIio0 made re-
constipation i necessity. clid any
body contend that Congress had
power to order, or to set aside, or
IN any way to regulate Oh To Inter
tere with State elections FOR State
officers. lt was sound doctrine
that the unprecedented secession
OF eight ii nine States made un-
precedented measures Absolutely
to restore their old rela-E
tons to the Union after Tie war
was over; and doubtless posteritv +
will not harshly Judge whatever
was done to seeure that end.
But after ali insurgent State was
fully reclaimed and put ia running /
order, neither the original Consti- I
tuition nor the recent amendments
conferred upon Congress any taore
to meddle lii its purely !
State elections than in those ofE
Maine or Ohio. The oft-citeel 1
clause of tile Constitution, that
: the United States shall guarantee
70 every State IN this Union Il
republican form Of governments
does not apply to ease Iike that
In Louisiana. The form
0t the government of that State
i all right. The difficulty arises
out Of carrying an election by
raud On the spot, and TIE out
slde interference III the army NV VI
1rder Of the President. The CON
'puatofs who perpetratad the fraud
ought % he sent III the penitentiary
ike ordinary balIot.b0x stuifers
Rhile the high Federal officials
xh0 sustained them with bayonetS
lught 20 be lmpeached as q warn
Ms % such Of their successors a.
nay ba sempted ia like manner to
,tiend.
We can well understand she
lllemma Of the Administration
.nd Republican majority III Con-
.Fess fhs President has for an-
sorthy purposes rushed headlona
ato this Louisiana business. and
rs thereby disgracad the Rapub.
can party and imperrillaa the
1untrgs aud ha ought to ba eoin-
eiled % set az concerned out of
be all6cuity But the passaea ofI
y act 81 Congress ordering u new
tata election IS not tha way eat.