The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-01-06


The announcement that General Sheridan
will to-day arrest Governor McEnery, Lieu
tenant Governor Penn and other leaders
OF the conservative party in Louisiana is
an extraordinary phase of the DRAMA or
we fear we may be compelled to say
tragedy, now eliminating in New Orleans
1t will arouse and alarm the country
like "a fire bell in the night" 1t is inn
possible to conceive such ana action on the
part OF the Lieutenant General Of the armies
unless he should be in possession of informa-
ton not yet given to the country. We make
this reservation because, in considering the
actions of q soldier as illustrious and brilliant
as Sheridan, whose rank places him above the
temptations Of ordinary ambition and
whose fame is an assurance that he
would not tarnish his name by an
act OF tyranny, we are bound to
assume that he acts upon reasons that will
justify him before the country. If these
reasons do not exist-if General Sheridan has
lent his fame and his sword to the bidding of
discounted President anxious to retrieve
the mistakes of dishonored party, then he
has undone in day all that his military
career has won; he has ruined republicanism
and the administration; he has written on
our history a deed as infamous as the coup
dktat Of Napoleon III. While we look on
these events with amazement and apprehen-
sion We are anxious to believe that General
Sheridan is in possession of information not
known to the nation, and that he can vind-
cate his extraordinary proceedings to the salts
faction of his countrymen.
In this hope we rest as far as General Sherl-
dan is concerned. But we have no such hope
in considering the succession of events which
day, events which are as well understood by
the country as anything in our current his
tory. In the early part of November an cleo
ton was held in Louisiana whose result was
promptly reported by the public press. There
was no more reason to distrust the substan-
tial correctness of the election figures pub
hshed in the newspapers than there was
for questioning the similar returns in
other States which have the same general
complexion of INSTRUMENTATION victories.
A conservative success in Louisiana was not
unexpected and surprising like the similar
victory in Massachusetts and the astounding
democratic majority in New York. 1t would
have been wonderful, indeed, if the general
sweep of the political tide had not extended
to State like Louisiana whose condition
was one of the main causes that set
the tide in motion. 1t would have been
marvellous and almost miraculous ii
mere sympathy with the downtrodden
and oppressed people of Louisiana
had contributed to political revolution
throughout the length and breadth of the
land without producing any effect in the State
where the evils were suffered. The public
sentiment of Louisiana was, indeed, quite sig
nally tested six weeks in advance of the cleo
ton, when the Kellogg government was so
easily overthrown with general acquiescence
of the community, and reinstated by the fede-
raj authority against the wishes of the people
The fact that q very considerable negro vote
was given to the conservative candidates is an
additional proof that the result of the election,
as first declared, was consistent with
probability. And then how could the re-
ports in the public press SO correct in rela-
ton to all the other States, be utterly mis-
taken and erroneous in the one State of Lou
isiana? There was no reason for question
ing, and, in point of fact, nobody did ques-
ton the decided success of the conservatives
in that State until the Returning Board met to
manipulate the returns. There is, therefore,
the strongest possible prima facie case against
the honesty of the Returning Board.
The Returning Board met, and, after in
cubating on the returns for the long space of
six or seven weeks in secret conclave, they
declared result which contradicted all the
public information on subject open to
general inspection, as all election results
always are in o country where an alert news
paper press furnishes such easily accessible
news as soon as every election is over. There
is authentic evidence of wholesale forgeries in
the official returns 1t is proved that
on Thanksgiving Day, in the alb
sence of the Board, its clerks opened
envelopes, altered the returns and resealed
the envelopes. 1t is proved that returns from
strong conservative parishes were thrown
out, and that radical candidates for the
Legislature were declared elected in such
fragrant violation of truth that the candidates
benefited refused to take the offices. 1t is the
general opinion of the country that the action
of the Returning Board was deliberately
fraudulent and that the purpose of their
secret labors was to circumvent and null,fy
the will OF the people as declared by their
votes.
While the Returning Board were engaged
in this attempt, and while the dishonesty OF
their motives was generally suspected, the
President made public declaration that he
would support their action whatever might
be the result This was, at least, singular
method of discouragng the fraud which was
imputed to the Returning Board on what
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