Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-09-17
THE LOUISIANA SITUATION.

the legal authority of the persons
elected by them to the government of
the State against the usurpers who
have heaped upon them innumerable
insults, burdens and wrongs" That
tells the whole story. An outraged
people who had appealed in vain to the
President, to Congress and to the Su-
preme Court of the United States to
redress their wrongs, simply did what
they had asked these departments of
the Federal Government to do, deposed
the usurpers and placed in power the
government of their choice and cleo
ton. They made no war against the
Federal authorities, and did not
propose to do so; on the
contrary, the acting Governor assured
the President of their "sincere loyalty
and respect for the United States Gov
eminent and its officers" Grant met
this protestation of loyalty to the Fed
eral Government, and of a purpose to
maintain peace and protect life, lib
erty and the equal rights of all classes
of citizens of Louisiana, with a proc
Iamation reciting that it had been rep
resented to him chat turbulent and
disorderly persons have combined to-
gether, with force and arms, to over
throw the State Government of Lou
isiana, and to resist the laws and con-
stituted authorities Of said State" and
commanding them to "disperse and re-
tire ~peaceably to their respective abodes
within five days He did not wait for
the expiration OF the five days to ascer-
tain whether his warning would be dis
regarded. but at the same time ordered
a large body Of troops to be forthwith
thrown into Louisiana, for the
purpose of reinstating the usurper
and his minions and protecting them
in the illegal exercise Of the functions
of their respective Offices. As We said
yesterday, it was by the advice of At
torney General Williams that Grant
sustained the Illegal midnight order Of
the drunken Durel, and recognized the
usurping government Of Kellogg IN
| Louisiana. And this minister Of mis-
chief is still plying his vocation"
Let us rehearse some of the facts
which show that Grant is guilty of n
fragrant wrong in recognizing the KEEL
logg usurpation as the government of
the State of Louisiana. and that mIein-
stating and lacking up with the Federal
military arm this shameless usurpatiOn,
he is guilty Of an act of tyranny for
which. if he were a Democrat and Kel-
logg a Democrat, he would have been
impeached and disgraeed from Office.
In the fall of 1872, the people of Lou
isiana elected a Governor, other State
officers and a Legislature by a majority
Of many thousands. There was a full
vote, a fair poll and a quiet election.
All this is admitted by the best Repub-
icans, and was proved by a committee
Of the United States Senate. But the
Administration candidates were badly
beaten. That did not please the Pres.
ident.T Then the whole politicalmachinery
was set IN motion to place IN Office the
very men whom the people had rejected
at the ballot-box. Federal bayonets
were employed, and by force and fraud
Kellogg was put in the Governors
chair.
The Administration not only insti.
gated this ~villainy, but it gave it every
possible official sanction. The Presi'
dent would not even allow the commit,
tee Of a hundred Of the best citizens
representing the chosen candidates, q
hearing in behalf Of their rights. The
case was prejudged at Washington
and the venal Attorney General tele.
graphed to the Governor who had beer
fairly elected, in these insolent words:
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Dec. Is
! lS72.-Hon. John McEnery, New Or
| leans: Your visit with a hundred cIti.
zans will be unavailing, as far as The
President is concerned. HIS decision
is made, and Will not be changed, anG
the sooner 1t is acquiesced IN the sooner
| good order and peace Will be restored
GEO. B. WILLIAMS, Atty Gen.
The spirit that suggested this cur.
rebuff ~actuates Grant to-day.
Even Senator Morton-One of the
most INSCRIPTIONS partisaps of the
| Grant administration in the United
States Senate--who defends the Kel
logg usurpation as the de tasto govern.
ment of Louisiana and would pcrpetu.
ate it, is compelled to admit that it be.
came such de tacto government through
gross u~surpation." In his minority
report from the Committee ON Priyi'
Ieges and Elections, on the Louisiana
case, he said:
"The conduct of Judge Durell, sit
ting in the Circuit Court Of the United
States, cannot be justified or defended
He grossly exceeded his jurisdiction,
and assumed the exercise Of power t.
which he could lay no claim =
But the pretense that, in a suit 10 per.
petuate testimony, the court could GO
| beyond the natural and reasonable ju-
| risdiction TO decide who constituted
the legal Returning Board under the
laws Of Louisiana, and to enforce the
rights Of such as it might determine
to be members Of the Board, and to
! enioin others who were Mt, is without
any foundation III law OF logic. - =
His order issued, in the Kellogg case,
to the United States Marshal to take
possession of the State House for The
purpose Of preventing unlawful Assem-.
! blages, under which the Marshal called
to his aid a portion of the army of the
United States as a posse comitatus.
can only be characterized rs a gros;
~usurpation.'
We quote from the remarks Of Mr..
Carpenter, Of Wisconsin, WHO IS n OF
the ablest men in the Senate, and has