The Caucasian. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1874-1875, 1874-05-02
THOSE .PARDONS.

right and proper that thc(1ovcrnQr
should intcrpose his pardon .e-
tweensanahnjustly CONVICTED priso-
ner and the unmerited pnhish ment
that'he may be undergoing ia the
Penitentiary; but that there can
be reasons to justify the ,surping
Executive in extending this Gemen-
cy to sirty,sir criminals at one time,
or any excuse or justification for
such u wholesale Jail delivery, is q
proposition too n,onstrous to de
serve discussion too outrageous to
be considered ia mild or respectful
language. We do not believe that
any former Governor Of Louisiana,
or Of any other State in the Union,
ever parloned 40 many. cony lets
during the entire time Of his nd
ministration.
The assertion of the Repnblican
that Gov. Moore released all the
convicts in the PenitentI,ry at Ba
ton Rouge to make soldiers of them,
is q SANDER and a malicious false
hood. We overo at Baton Rouge
and in the ncighborhood during the
whole time after the Yankee Fleet
had passed Fort Jackson and the
battle Of Baton Eouge, and we
know whereof we speak. The con
victs were turned loose by the Yam
K IS und er orders Of General
Butler, and the majority Of them
enlisted in his army. Gov. Moore
was on this,side of the river, and
had exercised no jurisdiction over
the Baton Rouge side for months
previous to the time when they
were turned loose. We had no
government ON that side but u mil
itary one, after the surrender OF
New Orleans.
The people of Louisiana are &C
cnsed of being lawless, our fair
name is slandcred abroad and our
citizens hunted down at home at
1he instigaion of, and with the aid
and sanction Of this very Usurping
Governor, who now turns loose six
ty six convicts who have broken
the law and IN the large majority
OF the cases have been convicted
by negro ,juries and sentenced by
Radical judges. When the cxccu-
ton Of the law is u mockcry and
the trial by jury q farce, we ask in
tho name of God, what are the PEG
pie to do but to take both the law
aud its execution in their own
hands Prosecutions are in the
name OF the sovereign people, and
when the pretended representative
Of their sovereignty, showsNnc con
tempt of the people and of their
rights that he has done, can he and
the power that keeps him in posi-
ton against the will OF the people,
complain if they refuse to trust to
him to execute tie law, and put
criminals beyond tho reach OF his
executive clemency9
. In the Parish Of Rapides it is i'm
possible to raise u hog, q calf, a
chicken or any living thing that
serves to feed q negro too lazy to
work, and too proud to beg, be-
cause he is taught byb,st such acts
as these paroons, that stealing is as
safe as arorhing, and is a much more
comfortable way of satisfying the
cravingSeof' hunger. It makes no
manner of difference whether the
hSg, calf, beefor chicken belongs to
a white or black mamie steals
from both alike.
One of these pardored convicts
from Rapides, was c;s'gbt killing a
beef, ran off and stole q negroes
horse, rode HIM to Alexandria, tried
to sell him to another Negro. here,
was followed by the owner, caught,
tried by q negro Jury, convicted by
a negro jury and pardoncd by the
neg@e's Usurping Governor. An
other one Of them is now in~jail
here awaiting his trial for burglary
in Pineville, committed before the
ink on his pardon was dry. Such