The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-01-16
TIE PRESIDENTS MESSAGE,

message on Louisiana affairs, on We'd
nesday last, which presents concise
but clear view of the intoleraolc condi-
ton of things in lat State The mes
sage is too long for our colums and we
present very fair epitome of its con-
tents, which affords clear comprehcn-
sion of the leading facts detailed at
length in the document:
He starts out with the assertion that
| lawleSSneSS, turbulence and bloodshed have
been the conconitantS of reconstruction in
Louisiana. In the Presidential election of
1868 but few thousand Republican votes
were cast on account of the reign of terror
that prevailed. During the Summer of
| 1872 conspiracy was formed to defeat the
| Republican candidate; for the State offices
at the November election by a series of
organized frauds. Thousands of the col
ored voters were denied registration, and
others were prevented from voting by
threats OF violence and other forms of
intimidation. While the canvass of the
votes was going on VIM. p. Kellogg, the
Republican candidate for Governor, appre-
| hending that lie would be defeated by
|
| the United States Circuit Court, under the
! provisions of the Enforcement Act, prayinp
| for an in junction to restrain Warmoth aud
| others from taking possession of the offices
| to which they claimed to have been elected
| until the truth of the allegations of fraud
| and intimidation could be investigated
An order was passed as prayed for which
was treated with contempt by Warmoth
and his party, who kept ON precisely as if
no proceedings had been instituted The
| President has no doubt but that the alleua-
tions set forth in KelIogg's petition pre-
scented a case for the equitable interposition
of the Court, but he is not certain that AL
| the orders passed by Judge Durell were in
conformity with law. AT the lime that the
celebrated midnight order of Duren was
| passed he had no Information as to the
status of the pending case, except that a
| process of the United States Circuit Court
| was being resisted. He gave directions to
| the officer commanding at New Orleans to
compel obedience to the DEGREES of the
Court, and the result of the military inter
ference was the setting up of the Kellogg
State Government.
1t has been repeatedly asserted that Kel-
logG was not legally elected. To this the
President answers, that whatever may be
| SAID OF the legality Of kellogg's election,
there can be no pretence that McEnery
was elected. The report of the Senate
Committee, which is so often quoted
against Kellogg, sets forth that to recog-
nze McEnery as Governor would be to
give countenance to a government founded
upon fraud, "in defiance of the wishes aud
mention OF the voters of the State The
partlZans OF McEnery, however, only took
notice of so much of the report of the
Senate Committee rs animadverted on the
proceedings under which Kellogg had OBJ
tanned possession of the Office of Governor,
and forthwith began to displace his APP
pointees in some of the parishes by vio-
leEce. On the 18th of April, 1873, an
attempt was made to supersede a Judge
aud Sheriff in Grant parish by persons who
claimed to have been commissioned by
McEnery. This resulted in what is known
as the ''Colfhy massacre" the particulars
of which are given il the language of
Judge Woods, before whom some of the
persons afterwards irested for being con-
cerned in this atrocUuS affair were brought
for trial. About eighty colovcd men were
murdered, thirty seven of them being taken
out and shot in pairs after they had been
captured by the mob. The President com
ments with much feeling on the fact that
the Conservative newspapers of the State
justified this horrible massacre, and that
up to this hour not one OF the men engaged
III it has been punished.
The President also refers to the Cou
Shatta massacre, 10 the murder of Judge
Crawford and District Attorney Harris.
and other outraoeS, and says that it would
be uni ust to charge that majority of the
people of the State approved them, yet
the fact remains that no one has been pun
ished. He charges that the spirit of hatred
and violence is stronger than the law.
Early last Summer representations were
made to him that better feeling pre-
vailed, and lie was assured that the troops
might be Withdrawn without endangering
the peace of the State. All the troops
were accordingly removed from the State
except small garrison in New Orleans
W 18th the approach of the Fall election the
old stufbanceS were renewed, and on the
18th of September Governor Kellogg was
driven from the State House by an armed
force, and took refuge in the Custom House
to save his life. ID. p. Penn, representing
himself as Lieutenant Governor, issued a
proclamation calling upon 1.-THE militia of
the State to arm, assemble, and drive from
power the usurpers." On the same day
Governor Kellogg made requistion on
the President for a military fui ce to sup
press the instruction, and in response to
this call troops were sent to New Orleans,
and proclamation was issued warning
the insurgents to dispense. Kellogg was
restored to his office. Then, says the
President, 1.-THE cry of Federal usurpation
and tyranny in Louisiana was renewed with
redoubled energy The intimidation of
colOred voters prior to the election and the
compacts entered into 10y citizens of various
Gus towns, pledging themselves to hold no
business intercourse with such white per-
sons as should employ coorel laborers who
were Republicans, are briefly referred to,
and then the President comes down to the
events of the 4th of January.
The President knew nothing whatever
Of the action of the military authorities IN
ejecting five persons from the hall of the
House of Representatives, who claimed to
be members, until lie read an account of
the transactions of the previous day in the
newspapers of the 9th instant. He gave
no orders, and made no suggestion that
any such action should be taken. He says
that he can conceive of no case III which
such interference would be iustitilble unless
III the presence OF actual insurryctlon or
rebellion. However, he attaches 10 blame
to the officers who obeyed Governor ke-
l"gg's orders. In doing they supposed
that they were assisting in enforcing the
laws and preventing a violent outbreak.
While it may be a debatcable question as
to whether the Governor was justified in
calling on the military, lie THINKS That
complaint ought not to come from those
who had seized on the organization of the
House by force, and introduced large
number of persons in disguise to assist in
carrying out whatever revolutionary move
ment might be attempted. The President
believes that the beating down OF the ma
jority 10y the minority, and the organiza-
ton Of the House in a way not prescribed
by law, was part of q plot to set up what
is known as the McEnery Senate, to depose
Kellogg, and to revolutionize the State
Government. The fact that no Conserva-
tive went near the Senate seems to give
color to this superstition.
General Sheridan was requested to 90 to
Louisiana by the President to investigate
the condition of affairs and report thereon.
He was also authorized to assume com
mand if any great emergency should arise
The President thinks that he has done no
injustice to the White League leaders in
his di-pat ehes; and that the mode of deal
ing with them suggested hy him would he
efiectual if it was not Illegal. He excuses