The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-09-21

Tag RENEwED IJSunp Front From the
New York Ssta.l Crime begets crime. The
man who Is iedfo Hate The ffats LID one par.
tisuiar is thereby exposed to Che necessity
of violating it In others. a. burglar who
breaks into a house may very likely haye TO
commit murder before be GENES our Off (;
and the usurper who Violently or ifraadn-
lently seizes upon power enters upon q
course In which civil war and bloodshed are
bat the natural Incl dents. &. 3, ~.
In 1872 the people OF Louisiana elected 8
State government by o large majority of
their votes. The rlghtfntness Of the election
was beyond dispute shut 1t carried with 1t
the return of presidential electors " 10 wonid
have voted for Horace Greeley, and 1t In.
Yolved also the dismissal from power and
public employment in the State of crew Of
bfoodsuckers, some of whom were connected
with President Grant by marriage and Others,
by more subtle relationships. Accordingly,
they conspired 10 keep out the men chosen
By the people, and tosinstsil those whom the
people had repudiated. . In this conspiracy
they had the support of President Grant,
and the military force of the United States
was employed to carry,it out. OF course it
was successful, and the conspirators have
ever since held that State, and have ruled
and robbed its people without mercy.
A new election being now at hand, and it
being certain that fair vote OF the people
would turn the conspirators all out of Office,
they plotted to prevent this by means of
election laws and officers, and by system of
registration deprivinga large proportion Of
the citizens of the right Of voting, and Sc
curing for their own agents the uncontrolled
power of counting the votes to suitithem.
selves. All chance of relief by peaceful
means being thus cut of, the people of Lou
isiana determined to try the edectof force.
They rose against their oppressors, and on
Tuesday evening the Instruction was appa.
rently successful and the fraudulent, in.
truding government which President Grant
had forced upon them was put down, and
the Lieutenant-G overnor who had been re-
ally elected in 1872 was exercising the func-
tons of Governor, while III different parts,
Of the State the officers of the illegal eXecu-
tive were turned out, and others .variously
appointed were peacefully discharging their
duties. ~ - ,s.s'
Against this state Of things and this tri-
umph of popular justice, President Grant is
to intervene with the strong hand. The
people of Louisiana are anew to be put.
down by military force. They have not re-
belled against the United States; they have
resisted no law of Congress; they have
simply expelled State officers whom they
had not elected, but who had been foisted
upon them without moral or legal right.
For this they are to be punished, and the
uSnrpers are to be forced upon them again,
no matter with what destruction OF pubic
order, life, or property.
Such are the consequences OF the first step
in the way of lawless violence and uSurpa-
ton. When President Grant, by his own
will and by bayonets, made William T. KEEL
logg Governor of Louisiana instead, OF John
B. McEnery, he committed crime for which
he has ever since deserved to be impeached
and brought to trial. This crime was his
voluntary act. There was no constraint upon
him there was no reason, except the base rea.
son we have mentioned, requiring him to com.
NIT it. Had he chosen to recognize McEnery
as Governor instead Of Kellogg, the rights.
of the people would have been preserved,
and the country would have 'acquiesced in
the act. And now, after the people Of LOU
isiana have been plundered and ground to
the earth for two years longer, and have
freed themselves aud restored something
like legal government, if he should choose
to repent his error, to acknowledge that he
had done wrong, and to recognize the Nc
Emery government as the true one, the
whole country would applaud it. But this
he does not and will not do. The wrong
committed then requires the commission of
new wrong now.