The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-02-10
Unhappy Louisiana.

W
him capable and honest official.
Unhappy Louisiana.
The muddle in which the politics and
government of Louisiana have been for
more than year past, Is sorry affair,
not only for the people of that state, but
for the whole country. The so-called
government, is not republican and ia
not legitimate. 1t is we'll said to be a
government of fraud, of violence, of
usurpation. Last week Senator Car
penter, gave. in his two days speech in
the Senate, q resume of the Shameless
proceedings of the pretended govern
ment an account OF the election frauds,
and other OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
of the Louisiana rings and from these
remarks il appears that this pretended
government in Louisiana, upon its own
showing, derives whatever color of le-
gal authority 1t possesses from the do
ings of what is known as the Lynch re-
turning board. But the testimony ia
ken by the Senate committee on privi-
leges aud elections shows that this
board was utterly void Of authority
rom first to last that there was but
one man on it who was legally author
lied to take part in the count of the
vote that it was validity enjoined by
judicial authority from proceeding in
the premises that, in point of fact, it
never had shred of the official returns
in its possession that by the admission
under oath of its members, 1t under
took to do what legal board would
not have been permitted to do by the
constitution and laws Of the stale thai
in making up its pretended returns, il
proceeded upon unofficial statements
procured from unauthorized sources
upon newspaper reports, upon affida
vits-in some cases forged and known
to the board to be forged-of voters who
didn't vote, and upon their own notion
of what the vote in particular parishes
ought to have been. By throwing out
votes by the thousand, counting votes
never cast, and evolving majoritie-
from its own internal consciousness,
this board succeeded in returning KEEL
logg as elected by 1851 /; the official re-
turns show majority for McEnery of
0606. Senator Carpenter describes the
processes by which this astounding re-
suit was reached and we gave single
specimen case -
ed before the committee, and at first !
was strongly impressed with the belief
that he was lying, that his whole story
was made up, and went for him with
a pretty thorough cross-examination
followed him through several pages
and finally became thoroughly con-
WINGED that he was telling the truth.
He swore that he had forged 1900 aft.
davits. He said he took the names
from an old, worn out poll-list; that a
great many of them were dead and a
great many probably never did live.
He made up the afiidavits without see
ing the men hundreds of them. The
affidavits were printed, and they were
delivered to this fellow to be manufac-
tured, and with the juiat of the judge
attached certifying that--had
sworn to the affidavit. Then Mr.. ia.
ques took the af,idavits, filled them up,
signed names to them, then delivered
1900 Of them at one time to Mr.. Bovee
1, the open session of the board, the
testimony leaving no doubt that the
b )ard knew that they were forged and
ldeed he says that Bovee joked him
afterward for days by asking if they
had got through voting up at Plaque
mno parish;
Tho REPUBLICAN, remarks that it is
from the return of such a board, manu-
featured in such ways, that the kellogg
government derives all the authority
be the same more or less-to which j
can pretend. II ewes its possession o
the state offices to the timely interior
ence in ts behalf at critical momen
of federal judge, prompted by the at
torneygcneral of the United States
sustained by the president. and Ell
forced 10y military posse furnished b,
Gen. Emory under instructions from
Washington. December 8, 1872, Attor
ney-General Williams telegraphed L
Marshal Packard: you are to enforc
the DEGREES and mandates of the Unite,
States courts, no matter by whom re
sisted and Gen Emory will furnish yo
with all necessary troops for that pur
pose" Three days later. Judge Durel
issued his famous midnight order upol
the strength of which Marshal Pack
ard and his troops took possession c
the state-house. The president and al
torney- general now attempted to she
ter themselves behind this order; q
least, their apologists quote it as thei
justification they had no choice, it
claimed, but to enforce the precept of
United States court, legal or illega
We shall not stop to discuss this poin
That the order was illegal Is now un
versally admitted. Every member {
the Senate committee, even Mr.. Mo
ton himself, has denounced it as gros
and indefensible. usurpation. Dure
had 10 jurisdiction in the premises,
begin with, and the order was of 4
more force than bit of white pape
Mr.. Carpenter pointed out that it Ina
none of the marks of judicial process
was not attested in the name of IL
chiefjustice, had no seal, was not
rected to anybody in particular at
the mere order of the district judge,
his chambers. at midnight. comman,
ing the marshal of the United States
seize the state-house of state"
The problem now is what to do wit