The daily gazette., 1874-11-02
Treason according to Major
/ - Merrill.

MAJOR rs~is Merrill, Of the Seventh
Cavalry (for his eminent hangman's SER
vices in Missouri brevetted Lieutenant
Colonel and for hunting white men with
bloodhounds in South Carolina brevetted
Brigadier. GeneraD has arrested in
Shreveport, La, some Of the best citi-
zens Of the State-Messrs- Pike, Jacobs,
Ford, Horan, Lindsay, McWilliams. and
ninety others. The charge against them
h treason against the United States Gov
ernment in that they have violated the
enforcement act. Merrill swears that
these citizens did, each and every one Of
them, conspire to intimidate and control
numerous qualified voters in said dis
trict in exercising the right OF suffrage,
by threatening to deprive said voters OF
employment, by threatening to renew
the contracts with said voters for labor.
in violation of statute OF the United
States" Whereupon commissioner Lev
isse issues his v varranta, and Merrill an
rests the whole batch.
Now, it is proper the readers of The
World should understand the sort OF
treason for which Merrill, under sanction
OF United States statute, has arrested
these citizens. Shreveport is in an OK
clasively cotton country, and the labor
contracts made there are for work in the
cotton field. These contracts are Of two
sorts First, between the owner Of II
plantation and the hands employed to till
it. The owner agrees with his hands to
furnish tools, machinery, mules, and
other stock and their feed, seed and
fertilizers. provisions for hands, clothes,
pocket money. everything, provided the
negroes will cultivate and secure the
crop, and gin it out and bale it after
n. Il. IL Il al
vances everything-the system is entire
ter living on him from February to
September choose to leave as the cot
ton is opening. he must lose not only
his crop but all his advances made upon
the strength Of his crop. Yet it is trea-
son against the United States Govern
ment for planter, so situated, to choose
his hands-to exercise any discretion in
selecting the individuals to whom -hp,
must extend this enormous and perilous
credit. Ht' t'''
The other sort of contract which Merrill
construes it to be treason TO have any dis
cretion about is between the storekeepers
and the laborers. A negro rcnis 81 much
cotton laud. He has nothing, but Il, expect
TO make irQln the land so many bales OF cot
ton as his share of the crop. The man he
rebta from FURNISHES secu, ,muie,hhu plouEk,
will not furnish bacon, meal clothing, to-
bacco, &c. Uuless tLe laborer can get these
he must stop work. Accordingly. he con-
trac's with slorekeeper, opegS crealt
account with him. to run always nine u ten
months, by which he Is to receive his sup
plies and provisions, have them advanced
TO him, npOn condition that, when the ne
gro's crop is made, he Is to piJ the store
Keepers bill in cotton, ginped or uuginned.
1t il trcasep, according to Major Merrill,
constructive of the Enforcement act, for the
s,orekeeper to exercise any discretion as to
which negroes he will trust and WHICH la
will not trust.
Bring the matter home. Imagine major
of cavalry swearing out warrant against
and arresting the proprietor Of the Republic.
because he has dismissed drunken frat" of a
compositor who Is a Radical voter, "dnd
"thereby threatening to deprive such voter
"of employment" Imagine Major Merrill
taking Mr.. A. y. Stewart off to the TOmbs
for refusing to permit one OF granite Custom
Housessofiicers 10 open an indeGGitc account
"h him upon the strength OF prospective
y. and "knockdowns," thereby "ihraien-
n 'oi' "sa to renew the contract with sald
''E rr ',ibor." But this is precisely what
N i'r Merrill is doing in Louisiana, under
I'.'c.ae Of securing the enforcement oil the
III itteenth al'eldWbpt to'the Constitution.
- World