The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1875-01-22
MESSAGE OF PRESIDENT GRANT ON
LOUISIANA AFFAIRS.
Congress- Declared to be Largel7
Responsible.
Fhe Adoption of Definite Policy Earn.
estIy Urged.

] U Got EoCfSCAtb " GbS CfttA6U Ct(LtcS
! have the honor to make the following an
| swer to a senate resolution of the 8th inst
| asking for information as 70 anv interference,
/ bv any military officer on the part Of the arm
/ of the United States with the organization o.
| proceedings Of the general assembly of tn,
state Of Louisiana. or either branch thereof
/ and also inquiring in regard to the existenct
/ of armed organizations in that section. hostile
/ to the government thereof, and intent OF over
/ turning such government by force To sa7
/ that lawlessness, turbulence and bIoo.lshet
/ have characterized the political affairs of tha
/ state since its organization under the recon
/ struct1on acts, is only to repeat what has be
/ come well known as part Of its unhappy his
/ tory But 1t may be proper here to refer tt
/ the election Of 1868, by which the republican
/ vote Of the state, through fraud and violence
/ was reduced to few thousand ard the bloody
/ riots Of 1866 and 1858, to show that the dis
/ orders there are not due to any recent cause
/ or to any late action Of the federal authorities
| Preparatory to the election OF 1872 shame
] ful and undisguised conspiracy was formed tC
| carry that election against the republicans
without regard to law or right, and to that enc
| the most glaring frauds and forgery were com.
| mitted in return, after many colored citizens
had been denied registration, and others de-
| TERED by fear from casting their ballots, wher
| the time came for final comparison of the
| votes In view Of the foregoing facts Wm. P
| Kellogg, the republican candidate for gov
ernoT, brought suit upon the equity side of the
| United States circuit court for LOuisians
! dEdALlHL hdIGlOLn anu OLQGTB, VINO mad OBJ
| tanned possession of the returns Of the elec-
| ton, representing that several Thousand voters
/ of the state had been deprived of the elective
| franchise on account of their color and pray
| ing that steps might be taken to have their
| votes counted, and for general relief. To en-
| able the court to inquire into the truth OF
! these allegations, a temporary restraining
order was issued against the defendant, which
was at once wholly disTegarded and treated
with contempt by those to whom it was di-
rected, These proceedings have been wide
! " denounced as an unwarTantable inter-
ference by the federal judiciary with the
electien Of state officers But it Is to be
remembered that by the fifteenth amendment
| to the constitution of the United States, the
political equality of colored citizens is Sc
cured; and under the second section of that
amendment providing that congress shall have
power to enforce its provisions by appropriate
legislation, an act was passed on the 18th of
May. 1870 and amended in 1871. the object Of
which was to prevent the denial or abridg-
ment OF suffrage to citizens on account of
race, color. or previous condition of servitude;
and 1t has been held by all the federal Judges
before whom the matter has arisen, including
Judge Strong, Of the supreme court, that the
protection afforded by this amendment and
these acts, extend to state as we'll as other
elections that it is the duty of the federal
courts to enforce the provisions of the cOnsti-
tuition OF the United States and the laws passed
in pursuance thereof. This is too clear for
controversy. Section Is Of said act, after nu-
merOus provisions therein to punish an inva-
sion of the fifteenth amendment, provides
that the jurisdiction of the circuit courts OF
the United States shall extend to all cases in
law or equity arising under the provisions of
said act and of the act amendatory thereof.
! Congress seems to have contemplated equit-
able as well as legal proceedings to prevent
the denial of suffrage to cOlOred citizens, and
it may be safely asserted that if Kellogg's bill
| IN the above named case does not present a
case for the equitable interpOsition of the
court, that no such case can arise under the
nA hot 10
have the right to interfere in various ways
with state elections, so to maintain political
equality and rights therein, irrespective of
race or color, Is comparatively new, and to
some seems to be startling idea, but it re-
suits as clearly from the fifteenth amendment
Of the constitution, and the acts that have
been passed to enforce that amendment, as
the abrOgatiOn of state laws upholdmg slavery
results to the thirteenth amendment to the
constitution. While the jurisdiction of the
court in the case of Kellogg vs. Warmoth and
others is clear to my mind it seems that some
of the orders made by the judge in that and
in the kindred case Of Antoine, were illegal,
but while they are so held and considered, it is
not to be forgotten that the mandate of his
| court had been contemptuously defed, aud
| they were made while wild scenes of anarchy
were sweeping away all restraint of law and
| order. Doubtless, the Judge OF this court
made grave mistakes, but the law allows the
| chancellor great latitude, not only in punish
ing those who condemn his orders and injunc-
tiOns, but in preventing the contamination of
| the wrong which he has judicially forbidden.
Whatever may be said thought of these
| matters, it was onlv made known to me that
! the process of the United States court was re-
| sisted, and as said acts specially provide for
| the use Of the army and navy when necessary
/ to force judicial process arising Hereunder,
| considered it my duty to see that such process
/ was executed according to the Judgment of
/ the court. Resulting from these proceedings,
/ through various controversies and cOmplica-
tiens. state administration was organized,
/ with VIM. p. Kellogg as governor. which, in
4 the discharge OF my duty under section l.
| article OF the constitution. I have recognized
/ as the government of the state. It has been
/ bitterly and persistently alleged that kellogg
/ was not elected. Whether he was or not is
not altogether certain, nor is it any more GER
/ tain that his competitor (McEnery) was
| chosen The election was a gigantic fraud.
and there are no reliable returns of its result.
! Kellogg obtained possession Of the office, and,
/ IN my opinion, has more right to it than his
/ competitor. On the Goth of February, 1873,
! the committee on privileges and elections of
| the senate made report, IN which they say
| that they are satisfied by the testimoy that
/ the manipulation of the machinery by
| WarmOth and others was equivalent to twenty
| thousand voters, and they add that to recog-
/ nlze the McEnery government would be to
| recognize government based upon fraud, in
/ defiance Of the wishes and intention OF the
voters Of the state. Assuming the correct
| ness OF the statements In this report-and
/ they seem 10 have been generally accepted by
| the country-the great crime in Louisiana,
! about which so much has been done and said.
/ Ia that one is holding the Office of governor
who was cheated out OF 90, 900 votes, against
| another whose title TO the Office is undoubted-
| " based on fraud and in defiance Of the wishes
/ and intentions of the voters of the state.
hlisinformed and misjudging as to the nature
! and extent Of this report, the supporters Of
| McEnery proceeded to displace by force IN
| some parts Of the state the appointees of Gov
| ernor Kellogg and on the 18th Of April in
/ an etfort Of that kind, butchery of citizens
| was committed at Colfax, which, in blood.
| thirstlness and barbaFity, is hardly surpassed
by any scts OF savage warfare. To put the
matter beyond controversy, I quote from the
charge Of Judge Woods, Of the United States
circuit court, to the jury in the case of the
| United States vs. Cruikshsnk and others. IL
| New Orleans, in March, 1874 He said: - II
the case on trial there are many facts not IL
the controversy. proceed to state some o
them IN the presence and hearing Of cOunse
on both sides, and, if state as conceded
fact any matter that is disputed, they can cor
rect me-" After stating the origin Of the dif
fiCulty, which grew out of an attempt Of whit,
persons to drive the parish judge aud sheriff
! apPOintees Of Kellogg, from Office, and thei
attempted protection by cOlored persons, whicl
led to some fighting, in which quite a numbe
Of negroes were killed the judge states tina