The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-09-25
The Opinion Of Attorney Gem
eraI Williams ON the Lou
iSiaRaR Situation.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 16.-Attorney
General Williams tonight, in q lengthy
Interview with a representative of the
New York Associated Press, said the
sO-called Kellogg government has been
established and in full operation for
about two years. It has been repeatedly
declared by all the courts of Louisiana
to be the only legal government of the
State. 1t has been repeatedly recognized
by the President and implicitly by Con-
gresS. The President, in a special mes
sage, called the attention of Congress to
the subject, and stated that if they took
no action he should feel bound to regard
the Kellogg organization as the lawful
government of the State. Congress de-
clined to legislate about the matter.
IheQuestiOn snOtn now whether Kellogg
or McEnery ought to be Governor, or
whether or not there were frauds or IT.
Irregularities about the election; but the
question is whether u State government
that has been fully organized for nearly
two years and recognized as such by all
the departments of the government
State and Mathematician he properly
OvertlrOwn by the armed pOpulace of a
city III Which the seat Of government is
situated, by means of violence and blood
shed. Admitting all the wrongs charged
upOnthe Kellogg government, can these
proceedings be permitted to stand as a
precedent? Are the governments of the
States OF this Union to be determined
by prOnunciamientOs and violent and
bloody outbreaks, as they are in Mexico
and South America? | do not see how
this case differs i'll principle from the
Arkansas case. Brooks claimed that he
received a majority of the votes at the
election and l have always believed that
he did. Baxter, however, was the duly
installed Governor Of the State of Ar
kansas. Brooks relying on the claim
that he was elected, displaced Baxter by
a coup d'6tdt, but the President refused
to recognize his right to hold the office
obtained in that way. That was a de-
favor OF the Democrats. Following this
precedent | do not see how the President
can recognize Penn; to do so would be
to hold that a political party defeated or
claiming to be defeated by fraud at ali
election for State officials might, il op-
portunlty offered, take possession of the
State government by force, and so sub
stItute violence and anarchy fOrlaW and
order. l believe it is the duty of the
General Government to put down this
lawlessness, whether committed by Re-
publicans or Democrats. The President
has not been governed by party cOnsid-
eratiOns in these matters, and has often
decided for Democrats, oftener than Re
publlcans. In respect to Southern diff
cultles, whatever may be said of men
and thingsin Louisiana, the proceedings
OF the President in respect to that State
have been from the beginning in some
conformity to law; his course, in my
opinion, will not now be changed. There
is not a sensible man in the United States
who does not know that the seizure of
the State government of Louisiana by
Penn and his adherents is in utter viola
ton and disregard Of all law. Can any
man expect the President to
become a party to such a transaction ,
With respect to the election, it isimpos-
slble to determine who was chosen. The
have never been Canvassed, and
they were made up in perjury, forgery
ana fraud. L have IVA believed that |
the McEnery ticket was elected. It is
absurd to suppose that when Virginia
ind North Carolina, and nearly all the
Southern States, including those that
we're generally Democratic, went for the
Grant ticket that Louisiana, the strong
est Republican State in the South, went
.Or the Greeley ticket, as is pretended,
especially when the candidate for Gov
9rnor on that ticket was an unrecon-
rebel colonel. But it is too late
low to go back to that question. The
sue now is between law and order on
The n hand, and violence and disorder
IN the other, and upon that issue the
OF the President is not q doubt
mi one.