National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-09-23
THE PENN VILLALNY IN LOUIS
lana EXPOSED

THE PENN VILLALNY IN LOUIS
lana EXPOSED.
Penn, the dramatic outlaw, who recently
led the assault upon the State government
of Louisiana, pleads in excuse for his anar-
chy, rapine and murder the grievous bur-
dens of the debt of the State and New Or
leans, the taxation flowing thcrefrom, and
the inequitable registration and election
laws. This plea seems to have occurred to
his mind only after the arrested shipment
of White League rifles from the North.
Dick Turpin explained his wantOn crusade
against social order in certain mythical
grievances he had sustained because the
rich were strong and the poor weak. The
Louisiana Turpin, more aggressive, and
emboldened to greater outrage againstlaw
and society, furnishes as barren a pretext.
The public debt of Louisiana is, in round
numbers, $4,000, 900, SC, 600, 900 whereof
were contracted by Democratic Legisla-
lures anterior to the war. In 1865, when
the military domination of the United States
so far relaxed there as to suffer the assem-
blage of Legislature, such a body met,
consisting, with scarcely an exception, of
Democrats, who had just returned from the
field with Confederate honors. 1t was a
grand council of Democratic captains, colo
nels and generals, and between 1865 and
1867, under these auspices, IS, 900, 900 more
were saddled upon Louisiana in new pub
lie obligations. Among these prodigal
Legislators were McEnery, the king of the
recent Louisiana anarchy, and many of his
most mischievous ccadjutors, We find,
then, 81, 900, 600 of the $24, 900, 900 of the
public debt of that State attributable solely
to Democratic extravaganza. The residue
of 1000, 900 alone has incumbered the
State since the Louisiana Democracy were
beaten in 1868, and while we could not
gainsay that bad men, in Republican uni
form, too, often failed as legislators to
maintain a scrupulous defence of the treas
ury of Louisiana. it must not be forgotten
that many of them. cOlOred men, were
inexperienced and unguarded against the
wiles of an old and wealthy Democratic
lobby, that, trained by Slidell, cared little
for the politics of the Legislature it might
allure into mischievous appropriations.
The lobby was largely abetted. it must not
be forgotten, by Warmoth, the most aban-
dOned steward that perhaps ever disgraced
an executive chair. But while in 1871
three years after his installment-the Re-
publican party, awakened to his turpitude,
cast him forth by formal act of convention,
as a villain for whom it could not stand
sponsor, the Democracy promptly offered
him asylum, condOned his offences which
for three years it had denounced, and accrGd-
tied him as its leader In the national contest
of 1872. The responsibility for the seven
millions in question was directly and persist
entity charged upon him by this Democracy
until that party employed him as an allyto
administer the registration and election
laws in its interest; and there is no question
that this charge, except as it was shared by
the Democratic lobby mentioned, was
mainly deserved by him against whom that
party preferred it. In adopting him, loaded
with odium for his wrong-doing, into its
ranks, the Democracy accepted and shared
his odium; thing it has been shown the
Republican party would not do. We have,
then, seventeen millions of the State debt
directly incurred by Democrats, and its late
increase of seven millions accomplished by
Democratic brokers and by an executive
for whom the Democracy gladly became
moral surety. This is the public debt with
which Governor Kellogg has to deal He
has added not dollar to its amount, but
has projected funding bill that eliminates
ten millions Of spurious obligations, wholly
barren of consideration, and reduces taxa
ton from 22t to IA mills. His amendment
TO the constitution restricting the State
debt hereafter to $15, 600, 600, the recent
Democratic platform counsels its followers
not to support. We discover, then, how
vapid is PENIS arraignment of the Kellogg
administration for State debt for which
the Democrats of Louisiana may thank
none but their own partisan chiefs. 1
If the debt was a legitimate provo
cation to shoot on the 14th instant in
New Orleans, McEnery and his file leaders
should have been the first to fall. The mu-
nicipal debt of New Orleans is $21, 900, 600
an amount that has accrued mainly since
the war and under Democratic rule. Since
that time she has had four Democratic
mayors in direct uccession-Kennedy,
Monroe, Conway, and Wilt, the pres
ent incumbent. The charges against Mon
roe and Conway by their own partisans
were most grave, and during the last two
years Wilt has been scarcely less violently
criticised by them. During the past year
some of his departments have been subject
ed to inquests upon the demand of every
Democratic print in the city. On the 14th
instant the White Leaguers first expelled
the Democratic authorities from the City
hall, but in an hour after reinstated them,
lest the eviction might be construed as an
acknowledgment of malfeasance and cor
ruption in the only Democrats in power in
New Orleans.
1t is unfortunate for the Democracy of
Louisiana that the State finances, through
Republican management, are in far better
condition than are the finances of New Or
leans, for many years controlled by Demo
cratic administrations The immediate
crime the League sought to punish was Re
publicanism, not stealing. The taxation in
the city, as in the State, is in no sense ex-
cessive. Property having LARGELY depre-
ciated in value, owing TO the periodical
spasms of violence with which mobs have
for years warned thence commerce and en-
terprise, the assessments have likewise de- |
clined, until in no Commonwealth in the
Union are they more equitably laid. PENIS |
remonstrance against the registration and |
election laws MAJ properly excite mirth.