Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1875-01-20
The Presidents Response.


The Presidents Response.
The response of President Gran
to the request of the Senate 70
information in regard to Louisian
affairs is an elaborate evasion @
the real question at issue. A larg
portion OF it is devoted to rehasl
of the State arguments by whicl
it has been attempted heretofore t
excuse Kellogg's usurpation
though an entirely new feature il
added to those arguments in the
form Of an attempt to justify the
Infamous order of Durell. BY fal
the largest portion, however i:
given up to the recital of alleged
outrages perpetrated upon Repub.
lican voters or administration sup.
porters the plain recital being tc
enlist on his side the partisan sym
pathies of the majority in Con-
gress.
Whether the PRESIDENTS state
ment Of outrages is borne out by
facts, it is unnecessary here to in
quire, for two very sufficient rea-
sons. If it be conceded that they
all happen precisely as he gives
them and that the perpetrators
were actuated by the motives
which he attributes to them, it fol-
lows inevitable that Grant is re-
sponsible for them. The State of
Louisiana, during the whole period
covered by these outrages, has
been governed by him, through the
agency of Federal troops sent there
to keep Kellogg in power, so that
the State might be preserved to
the Republican party. If the man
whom he has just imposed on the
people of Louisiana as their Gov
ernor, with the United States army
at his back, has been unable to
protect the State from such vio-
lence as Grant protrays, Grant him.
self is responsible. The other rea-
son why the question as to the
truth or falsity of these outrages
need not be discussed, is that it has
no bearing whatever upon the
main question submitted to the
President, as he himself substan-
TALLY admits.
That main question relates to
the interference of the military of
the organization of the State Legis-
lature; and upon this point the
message Of the President would
simply be lamentably weak and un-
did not contain the
of gross infraction on
his part of the Constitution he has
sworn to obey. He admits that
he interference of the army was
repngnant to our ideas of govern
nent, and disclaims all knowledge
If the affair prior to its occurrence.
But be makes the astounding an
louncement that, to all intent and
purposes, the troops of the United
states had been turned over to
Governor Kellogg and placed at
lis disposal, to be used at his dis
'retion. In the face of this an
,ouncement all that he has to say
about the circumstances under
which the troops are used, and
lis opinion Of the legality or lille
gality Of the body of the dispersion
II which they are used, ceases to
o be of any Importance. The
yrand central fact that the Chief
Magistrate of the United States, |
whose power in the matter of using |
he Federal troops in aid Of State |
Executive are SO strictly defined
~ the Constitution, has so far ex-
'eeded those powers rs Grant has
lone in this case, outweighs every
'ther consideration.
OF the attempt to fasten upon
congress the responsibility for his
course We had already spoken be-
ore the Presidents reiteratiou of
II 1t in the message; and there is
'othing In the definition which he
low gives of his position on that
'ciDt which deserves further com i