The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1875-01-15
The Louisiana Furore.

He Sredt OuIcrv WHICH mas Deen aroused
| by the vigorous efforts of the Democracy for
| partisan purposes, concerning affairs in Lou
isiana seems likely to prove an empty noise
and TO have little lasting effect upon the
country. 1t is an attempt to divert the pub
lie mind from the whole situation by concen-
trating it upon one Incident and to foster the
delusion that the sudden and unpremeditated
action of military officer to prevent blood
shed is deliberate act on the part of the
government. The rage and denunciation of
these red-hot patriots are devoted so exclu-
siyely to Gen. Sheridan that no words of dis
approval are found for the white leaguers
who invaded the same hall in advance, to as.
sist by violence in throwing the control of the
House of Representatives into the hands of a
minority. Granting that Sheridan's interfer-
ence was unjustifable, how much more un-
justifiable and revolutionary was the prear-
ranged conduct of the armed band who de-
liberately undertook the enterprise of over
awing the majority of the House. It was a
scene of anarchy and riot in which bloodshed
was imminent, and Gen. Sheridan at the re-
quest of the Governor of the state entered
and suppressed it. Surely nice legal distinc-
tions could hardly be expected at such mo-
ment and, in the chaos of things, Gen. Sheri-
dan will not be called to monopolize the re-
sponsibty, while the roughs who first at
tackled the legislature avoid their share The
calm, dispassionate and characteristically sem
sibe message of the President will go far to
allay the feeling which has been so industri-
ousy worked up and will recall the attention
of the people to the general situation of this
distracted state. Opinions on the main ques-
ton should not be made dependent upon the
right or wrong of an isolated incident, which
has not been sanctioned by the national ad-
minstration before or after its occurrence.
Any interference with the exercise of legs-
lative functions in any state is just subject of
alarm and apprehension. The American
people are jealously watchful of any inter-
ruption of the unrestricted movement of our
system of civil government. 1t must be re-
membered. however, that the condition of
Louisiana has long been anarchic, that the
presence of United States troops has been
the sole preventive of armed revolution, that
the population of the state is more utterly
lawless than any other on earth, that, left to
themselves, the White League desperadoes
would make a general massacre of the ne
groes, that the constitutional amendments
would be utterly nullified and that the nation
owes 10 itself the maintenance of constitu-
tional rights to all citizens. 1t is unhappily
true that Louisiana has been cursed by as
arrant set of rascals as ever went unhung,
in the persons Of carpet-baggers and natives
who have used pretended friendship for the
negroes as means of obtaining opportuni-
ties for plumber. All parties in Louisiana pol
itics seem to have had one common object
the robbery Of the wretched state. The best
that could be done by the general govern
ment was to recognize that state government
which had most pretence to regularity and TO
see that it was not overthrown by violence.
This the President has done as carefully ard
judiciously as possible. at the same time con-
stantly urging upon Congress some action
which should restore order. The response
bility for neglect and delay is not upon the
President but upon Congress. Under press
ure of the existing emergency that body will
probably act, and it is good to see indications
that the Republican majority will now agree
upon policy il the matter and sustain it
with practical unanimity.
1t is somewhat ludicrous, as well as pain
ful, to see the number of eminently respecta-
BILE old gentlemen who have fallen into the
trap set by the Democrats and have lent
themselves to the sensational performance
of men who hope to make something out of
the imbroglio. In fact one of the chief Uses
of eminently respectable gentlemen seems to
be their power to serve as veneering TO all
sorts of questionable enterprises which need
them. The slavery party for many years
had the support of about all the eminently
respectable gentlemen, the Philadelphia arm
in.arm convention presented its quota, and
even Andrew johnson succeeded in getting
'wagon load of rich men" to adorn his
triumphal procession. Several emInently re-
spectacle journals, also, have been over
hauling their Magma Charta, Patrick Henry
and things and have thrown themselves with
great fire into the struggle, obscuring the
great national question of the maintenance of
the constitutional amendments by cloud of
ponderous heroics about mistake which
Gen. Sheridan may have made in his method
of dealing with Louisiana revolutionists and
fire eaters. Even the conservative and emf
nently respectable Boston Advertiser ruffles
up its venerable piumage and crows with as
much fervor as if another Boston tea party
were on the tapis. That these people will
find that they have been making themselves
ridiculous is certain. Already many of them
are returning to their senses and the clamor
is more and more becoming confined to op-
position men and journals who rail at every
thing on principle. The Presidents message
will satisfy all who are willing to think hon
estly in the matter, and people in general will
occupy themselves with the real questions
which press for settlement and require the
best thought of the nation undis.urbed by
passion, prejudice and empty declamations
about fanciful perils.