New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-06
VERY CLEAR.

The recent letter Of Color mel John Nc
Emery, dated Monroe, July 80, 1874, to
friend in this city, rem ders it very clear
that the White League organizations in
this State are nothing but branches Of
the Democratic party. Referring to
communication originating in North Lou
isiana, signed by himself and other citi-
zens Of that section, and addressed to the
Democratic Central Committee at New
Orleans, Colonel Nc Emery says:
My purpose was to create the very re-
verse Of the feeling which seems to have
sprung up in your city upon the publication
Of the document III question. In view Of
the dlssenslon L saw arising in many par
ishes, l thought that the suggestions and
recommendations contained in that docu-
ment would allay those dissensions, and
present the white people OF the State In
one unbroken phalanX to radicalism, which,
in the parlance OF all right thinking people
of Louisiana, means the apollation and rob-
berry, under legal forms, of their property
and all their substance.
The above extract very clearly demon
strates that we are not mistaken in COM
ing to the conclusion that the White
League organizations are branches Of the
Democratic party-the purpose Of the
two organizations being really the same,
the defeat Of the Republican party in
every Southern State through violence,
and It's final overthrow in the other States
of the Union and the establishment of
the Democratic party IN authority at
Washington. There is, of course,
double object in havin G two branches of
the opposition to Republicanism in the
Southern States. The object of the
White Leagues is to force an issue Of
races in the South, and by that means
compel the white men to present, in the
words of Colonel McEnery, "an unbroken
phalanx to Republicanism." If neces-
sary violence will be used to effect this, as
it was done in 1861 to carry secession.
Violence is also proposed to be
freely used in order to prevent the negroes
from taking part in politics. The White
Leaguers are to shoulder the responsible
ty of this violence, while their allies, the
Democrats, are to make friends in the old
free States by denouncing negro and car
pet-bag rule in the South, when in reality
they are denouncing the old Union men
of the South and the action of the national
government in freeing the negro slaves
and endowing them with the rights of
freemen. 1t is the very same game that
the Democrats played in 1868 when tie
ku-Klux, by their bloody and cowardly
deeds prevented Louisiana from casting
her gote for President Grant. Then there
was no law authorizing the national gov
eminent, through its President, to fur
nish national troops for the purpose of
suppressing violence and securing the pol
itical rights of citizens, regardless of color
or previous condition. Now we have
laws authorizing and making it the duty
of the President to see that domestic yio-
1ence is put down, and as the President is
sworn to see that the laws are properly
enforced, it must be very clear to the
minds of the peaceably inclined that the
supreme government will not permit a
war of races to be forced upon the South
ern States by neglect Of its duty to prop
erly enforce the laws, and by that means
maintain peace in a very large and impor-
tant part of the country. 1t is a good
thing, perhaps, to give political parties
the largest freedom compa tible with the
best interests Of society, but it will not do
for government to remain inactive when
domestic violence disturbs the peace of
society and threatens the stability of re-
publican governm ent.