Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-02-12
Louisiana and Texas.

Prejudice blinds people to every object
save that which they most desire to see.
We do not doubt that the time will speed.
lily come when the action of President
Grant toward Louisiana and the other
Southern States will be regarded as the
most fair and impartial exercise of execu-
tive power. Even now, the very men
who make 1t the business of their lives to
condemn the President are unwittingly
vindicating him BY continued indorsc.
ments ola course which he has pursued,
but which they seem to think has never
been adopted The case of louisiana is
an example Of this. Laying aside all
prejudice, what could the President do
that he has not done? An election was
heId, and each party accused the other of
gross frauds The question as TO which
OF The candidates was elected went to the
courts. The latter decided in favor of
Kellogg, and, in accordance with this de-
clsi0n, the latter was installed and be.
| came the head OF the de fIctO government
OF the State The President could
not go behind this decision. He is
an executive officer simply. He
is there to enforce the laws, not
to make them, or to promulgate the de
crees OF court If any power can inter.
iere and 20 back of the record thus made
up, 1t certainly is not the Executive. He
| therefore simply does his duty in the
| premises. He maintains order, and re-
| CARDS the dc facto the primH tatie govern
| ment as the only one until the highest
Legislative power can pass upon the mat
| ter There Is not an unprecedented per
| in the world u, ~ uptt la not ,a,,, I'd
| this action. He was forced TO recognize
one Of the parties. Now, which should
| ii be- The one which had possession
| had the certificates, and had the support
| of the judicial tribunals, or the one which
| had none OF these claims to recognitionY
| Why, to have recognized the other party
in this contest--no matter what its equi.
| table claims were--would have been such
a wanton disregard of every principle of
law, and such tyrannical assumption of
power by the President, as would have
righleously merited his impeachment.
Accused of partisanship and selfish
seeking after power, the President has
the tirmness and good sense to 90 straight
ahead doing his duty tearlessly, regard
| less Of praise or blame,
Take the Texas difficulty as another
example. Here the parties were changed
| 1t was the Republican OK which had been
| gorcd. And it must be said that there
were many legal grounds for doubt as to
| the right Of the Democratic candidates
| to take control of the State; but the Pres.
! ident took the plain common sense view
! of it, and decided as seemed to him fair
and honorable He said to Governor
| Davis: "lf the election was illegal, you
ought not to have taken part in it, Hav-
| ing done so, and having been defeated by
| 30, 600 majority, you are estopped from de
nying its legality" And upon this de
cision of the President the Democratic
candidates entered upon the various offices
to which they had been elected, and dis
| turbance was avoided. Is it not wonderful
that the Democratic Senators in Con.
gress who so highly commended this
| non interference OF the President or Con
| gress in the affairs Of Texas should
| grayely propose to pass a law setting aside
| the election in Louisiana Yet this is
J the miraculous change that Partisanship
/ can effect in the principles of State
rights Democrat.
| 1t is time that this reckless and silly de-
nunciatiOn of the President should cease.
! Senator Carpenter has been widely com
mended by the Democratic press Tor his
| course in the Louisiana matter, but he
had the wisdom to perceive, and the good
sense to assert, that the President could
not have safely done otherwise than he
! did. The country will yet appreciate
most fully the inestimable service rem
| dered by General Grant in civil As well as
military life, and, conscious Of his vindi-
! cation he can afford to Wait.-ChfcaDO
| Inter Ocean.