The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-10-13
SOUTHERN lMPERIALISTIC TENDEN.
CIES.

CIES.
Il has become an axiom of politics in seve
ral Of the Southern States that the part
which has control Of the ballot-boxes cann0
be beaten or dislodged Under the system o
dispersion Of power which prevails elsewhere
it Is difficult to manage the ballot-boxes rs
whole. No political victory is SO complies
that party gets hold of every ballot-box in
State; or il It did, there could be no harmony
of action. To meet this difficulty they have
originated IN several of the Southern States
q Central Returning Board, whose duty it il
to CANVASS all the returns, and declare the re
suit. It follows, as o matter of course, thai
the party which has control Of the Returning
Board. endowed with plenary powers can reg
ulate elections to suit itself, and cannot be
elected from power by any means sort o.
revelation. They have one Of these contriv.
ances in Louisiana, and it is believed that il
has been more than ordinarily successful.
With that board under his thumb, Kellogg
can smile at any attempt which may be made
to wrest the State and consequently the forms
Of law from him. With this board in opera
ton, the speech making. the canvassing and
the voting of an election are reduced to mere
pantomime. In such case the real busine s OF
government is done in the nominating conven-
tions, for nomination is equivalent to election.
As might naturally be expected, the adjust
ment of the recent troubles is hanging upon
this Returning Board. With this institution
at his back, Kellogg is as firmly seated as ever
Louis Napoleon was He can allow as many
Plebiscites to be taken as any party may desire,
seeing that hs is essentially himself uor populi.
The telegraph reports that the McEnery peo-
pie, as the late revolutionists are called, have
asked that three vacancies should be made in
this Returning Board, which consists of five;
that two of these vacancies should be filled
with their men, and that the four should
select fifth in the capacity of arbiter
Under such an arrangement there would be
. chance for a fair election in November
The suspicion Of fraud in the counting, which
makes one side FESTIVE and revolutionary
would be removed. If the McEnery people
should be beaten in an honest election, there
would be no hesitation about the manner in
which they should be treated if they should
again take arms in their hands.
Nor is this Returning Board the only evid-
ence ofimperialistlc tendencies observable in
the South. Most of the Adventures who have
worked themselves into power there seem to
have taken leaf from the method Of the late
Louis Napoleon. The Louisiana troubles re-
veal the fact that the police Of New Orleans is
State force directly under the control of the
Governor. New Orleans, OF course, is NUM-
cipality, but it is the capital of the State |
Baton Rouge was the capital under the old
regime.
We have here q reproduction on a small |
scale Of M. Pietri and the police of the city
of Paris under the Empire. Kellogg mar
shals his New Orleans police as he would an
army, andupon it depends for the maintenance
Of his power When his metropolitans, as they
are called, took to their heels there YVES nothing
for him to do but to retire to the Custom House.
We can only fully realize that curious con-
dition Of things by fancying Governor
of California relying solely upon the police
Of the city of San Francisco to keep him in
his seat. and taking to flight as soon as they
had become broken and demoraliZed At
this moment most of the Southern States are
more or less centralized despotisms of the
very worst forms. 1t does not alter the case
at all to call Kellogg and Moses Governors in
the American sense. They are not officials of
that character at all. They are arbitrary
rulers, who are amenable to no laws, and !,
resort to the usual arts Of such personages to
fortify themselves in their positions.
There can be no question but these tenden- :
cies will. in time, have to be Topped off, if we
would have peace and order in that section of {
The country. But how shall the work be
done? There appeared to be a way in Louisi-
ma under the stress of a popular ebulition.
Il that Returning Board were remodeled in :
ne interest Of honesty and fair play, and
nave been inaugurated which, it might
reasonably be expected, would destroy one
'fter another the imperialistic outcroppings to
which We have referred. But, if they will not
'ield up the key in Louisiana, and if every
movement outside of the forms of law is GER
ain to bring the Federal power on the scene,
What is to be donee There is certainly here
'roblem which can onlnd e solved by our
visest and most sagacio..s statesmen. That
here is pressing demand isf an immediate
olution. late events abundantly establish
IAN Francisco Bulletin.