New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-09-22
WHAT THEY HOPED TO ACCOMPLISH.


preached in the newspapers nor commu
nicated to the brave. but misguided
yoong men who rushed armed from thei
various club rooms as if by magic at thu
call of their leaders. 1t was necessary o
course to assign some reason for incurrlnt
the fearful responsibility Of making wa
upon the State government. Hence. tn
report was started that the deposition o
Governor Kellogg was the objective point
He has been abused and maligned by
the newspapers and orators for more thar
year. AL the troubles. real and imagin
airy that have visited the people or beer
reported have been laid at his door. HI
has been charged with responsibility FOL
the onerous State taxes. when he has moi
been to blame for one dollar Of the debt
The city debt. a purely Democratic
heritage has in like manner been
charged up to his account. Even the
overflow and the drouth have in turn been
credited to Kellogg. while everything he
has done to Elevate the suffarings Of the
people and reduce the State debt have
either been overlooked or turned to his
disadvantage. Since the outbreak OF
Monday. thong htless people have been
taught to repeat the formula. 1--WE prefer
anything to Kellogg" ''We will never
submit to the usurper." Thus. the top
most idea in the popular mind is that the
very man who has been mainly instru-
mental in reducing the State taxes from
twenty-one and one-half mills to fourteen
and half. and tho city from thirty to
twenty-five. is really to blame for having
public debt at all! Mr.. Kellogg has
done more to tighten the burdens Of tax
payers than any gentleman connected
with the White League organization.
That his efforts have not been recognized
and appreciated is due to the fact that his
political opponents have persistently. and
with malicious intent. misled the people.
until some three or four thousand were
induced to rush TO arms and build bar,i.
cades after the fashion Of the French.
The underlying cause of this great and
widespread commotion on the eve Of an
important election is clearly stated in the
following extract from the New York
Herald:
The coming election in Louisiana in No.
vemDer is y very important one. SO far as
federal interests are concerned. Seven Con.
gressmen are 60 be elected. State Treas.
urer. for the most part q new Legislature.
and various minor hut important officers.
1t was the desire of Governor Kellogg that
perfectly fair election should be held. and
to that end he had requested the opposing
party to name supervisor io- each voting
precinct. Il was evident to the President.
inasmuch as Governor Kellog. was to be
maintained in office, that without the
presence Of larger force fair election
the colOred men would be afraid to appear
at the polls with tho recent bloody events
fresh in their memory. So. whether the
usurpers yield peacefully or NOT. the policy
Of having large military force distributed
through the State was regarded as advisable.
1t is well known that for the past two
years the two contending parties in this
State have each claimed the victory in
1872. The President examined the case
with some attention and decided in favor
of the Republicans. He followed up this
decision with moral and physical support
for Governor Kellogg's administration.
An appeal to Congress resulted in leaving
the executive decision undisturbed. As
the time for another election drew near.
the whole North and the Republican party
OF this State were content to remit the
matter in dispute to the arbitrament of
the ballot box, and let the result in 1874
answer the unsettled dispute Of 1872. We
maintain that. with a perfectly free and
fair election, the Republicans will show a
majority Of at least twenty thousand in
November. and this is the universal senti-
mcnt Of the Republicans of this State.
The progress of registration. SO far. cor.
,oborates this belief. and has given our
party something of its old confidence. The
opposition evidently feared to meet this
issue. They felt that the figures were
against them, and the day would be
lost unless they resorted to bold and
decided measures. Hence White League
clubs were formed in every portion of the
State and the policy was openly announced
that all colored men who refused to vote
against the Republican ticket. ought |
to be deprived Of employment. As this
threat did not have the desired effect.
they were attacked by armed men and
very many cruelty murdered. Find
ing that this policy threatened to SIAM
pede the plantations. the white leaders |
werc next selected for massacre upon the |
we'll known hypothesis that the body of
the party would be powerless without the
head. These ill-advised measures. how.
ever. all failed to have the desired effect.
1t was then the desperate resolve was
taken to overthrow the State government
by force. take possession Of the registra-
ton and other State offices. and repeat |
the scenes of 1872 on next election day.
We admit the case is desperate one.
II a fair and quiet election can be held in
November. the people will give an em-
phatic denial to the thousand !ibels Oh the |
Republican party which have been the
theme OF the opposition writer's 70. the !
pas: two years. and filled the halls OF
Congress with sound and fury. 4 fair
election in Louisiana will be the death |