Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-12-30
Louisiana and Mississippi

limitations of possible trouble tt
come in Louisiana are doubtless pu
forth to prepare the public for the con
templated action of the Kellogg Re
turning Board, now engaged in can
wasting the ballots cast at the late
election. The decay in promulgatipg
the official returns, which have now
been withheld for five weeks since the
informal count showed a complete
Conservative victory, is evidently fol
the purpose of thwarting by trickery
the will of the people, which at last
has secured something like a fair ex-
preston at the polls. The manner in
this is to be accomplished is explained
by the Conservative journals OF New
Orleans. Kellogg, under the pressure
of public opinion, consented to give
the Conservatives minority represen-
tation on the Returning Board, while
still retaining the control Of that body.
The new members seem to have acted
with fairness, entering protests against
the return of Radical candidates only
where fraud was clearly apparent
but the Kellogg majority have used
their privilege so unscrupulously that,
while only four Or five Radical parish
es are set aside for future action, more
than half the Conservative parishes
are under protest. Perseverance in
this policy will give Legislature
with Radical majority, while num-
Der of Conservative members, sufficient
to change its political character, are
excluded until it suits the convenience
of Kellogg to count them out definite
ly or to hand their cases over to a
Legislature under his control for re-
lection. Already he has shown his
purpose by recognizing his candidate
in Carroll parish, when the vote is
under protest and uncounted, and
making outhis commission. The con-
summation of this scheme will natural
ly precipitate another unfortunate dis
turbance among the excited and indig-
nant people.
But while Kellogg is using theforms
oflsw to perpetrate the outrages OF
his rule in Louisiana, resistance to
law is the method employed to main
tain Radical supremacy in Mississippi
The instruction in the country around
Vicksburg was melted for the purpose
of reinstating Radical officials who are
fugitives from justice under indictment
for forgery, embezzlement and similar
crimes, and who absconded with the
records duplicating them in those mis-
demeanors. Tie ignorant blacks
whom they marshalled for the assault
on Vicksburg are the same by whose
illegal votes the city has been carried
for the Radical party until the late
election, when determined effort on
the part Of the citizens was successful
in preventing a repetition ofthe fraud.
Failure at the ballot.box has been fol.
lowed by armed rebellion and this
in turn has failed after a lamentable
loss Of life among the poor deluded
tools of Radical politicians. The peo
pie have compelled order at the cost
of blood. As companion picture
to Louisiana under Kellogg's manipu
lation, the attempted rule of Radica
brigandage in Mississippi is instruc
tive. 1t presents in another phase thu
operation of the system under which
the carpet-bag Governments hav'
been set up and are maintained. Kel
logg, with compliant to the u 5
Judge to issue midnight orders, witt
aLegislature to place in his hand
autocratic powers for the registration
and counting of votes, and with tn
Federal army at his back, can over
turn an election with all the formalit
of legal right. Gov. Ames's friend
at Vicksburg, finding the law irresis'
IDLY against them, proclaim an insu'
rection in the churches on Sunday
and on Monday march to battl
against the law. One prostitutes AT
thority and the other defes it; and
amid such demoralizing influences i
the Statareconstructed and held b
Radical adventures, it is only strang
thst relief is sought in measures s
moderate instead of open revolution.
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