The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-09
THE RADICAL SCHEME OF RECON-
STRUCrION.

Attorney, IS, by the Speclal request VI III
Attorney General of the United States, 9
work upon the draft Of bill "5or the mon
efect,ual reconstruction Of the State Of louisiana.
The actual results of the election of 1877
were known to be in favor Of the McEner
Government. To thwart the will Of the pee
pie the Durell midnight order was issued
and the Legislature and Kellogg put in powe
by Federal bayonets. This great outrag
upon the rights and liberties OF the peopl
was the main cause of the defeat of the Re
publican party in the Union in Novembe
last.
The election in November last, in THU
State! resulted by large majority il
favor of the Democratic and Conservative
party, and the returns fully prove that the
Treasurer and large majority of Conserva
tives were elected. To defeat the will of the
people, the Federal forces were called in, and
by the bayonet the Conservative members
were dispersed.
Now, these two acts of outrage, which can
not be defended, are sought to be taken adj
vantage of by the assertion that we have not
the form of republican government; that
the Constitution of the United States guaran-
tees this form, and that new reconstruction
is necessary to restore republican form of
government. ~
The idea is conceived at Washington, is
discussed and finally concluded upon, that
four States, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi
and Arkansas, must be reconstructed, and
Beckwith is instrusted to frame the bill for
Louisiana. 1t must not appear, however,
that this new political policy originated at
Washington. 1t must have the appearance
of having emanated from Louisiana, and so
the scheme was duly arranged.
Last night we were favored with a copy of
a very long letter, addressed by H. C. Dibble,
Kellogg's Assistant Attorney General and
adviser, to the Hon. Charles Fos-
ter, chairman on Louisiana affairs. We in
tend to review this letter at length and to
make copious extracts hereafter. In it, we
find these admissions, that the first reconstruc
lion of this State was IAN effort which was
more or less a failure, because it contemplated
he establishment Of government upon alb
'tract theories, and lost sight Of the actual
'ocial, political and commercial surround
ngs."
He then alludes to the intolerance of the |
whites toward the blacks, and justifies and |
It the same time condemns certain acts passed
y the Legislature.
We again quote:
!
"This intolerance. etc., had produced its
ounter results in the enactment, by the Re-
ubican Legislature elected under the regis
ration acts, Of these harsh election, registra-
ion, opnstabulary and metropolitan police
Tvs which have SO severely, and in some
aspects, SO justly been animadverted upon
y the public press throughout the country.
y these measures the Republican party had
ested in the Governor of the State degree !
power scarcely exercised by any sovereign ;
! the world, and yet the passage of these :.
WIS was justifable in degree at least, by
10 necessity of affording protection to the !
eak and untutored blacks" IL
He then says in substance that the Gov 4
nor first elected, as long as he used the q
vereign power conferred by these acts in
q support of the Republican party, all went b
smoothly with the party. But the moment c
Q Governor was derelict in his support of T
Q party, then it became necessary to resort q
q coup detat He then says that "out Of the e
orts to strangle the voice of majority of Il
Q people chat is, by the use Gov. Warmoth e.
de of the powers conferred upon him) a,
rang the extraordinary proceedings which D
ulted in the installation of the administra-
n of Gov. Kellogg. Had the first effort lie
,ceeded, there would have been established 81
government by fraud and revolution; the
ond effort did succeed, and a government hs
J established by revolution and the armed te
ervention of the power of the Federal nc
ho
,hese are all most strange admissions, espe- ev
ly as the Republican party has always de- he
d that any revolutionary means were he
pied to retain power. tre
lellogg was then installed by the armed INF
70 of the United States. We now 90 on. vo
} admitted that Kellogg had all the SOW ma,
gn power conferred upon Warmoth. The
election is then referred to- He then tru
}: "A revolution had been set on foet by wo
opposition to seize the government A 4
ater revolution was the result" He then ia,
ges that the opposition had perfected VII
for the seizure of the State Government hot
bold coup detat. But again occurred a is I
tier revolution. The coup Tetat was die
ly prevented by the timely intervention me-
ederal bayonets. upe
le actual occurrences do not warrant his sen
ment of facts, and of course his conclu- pur
; are unsound. But we cannot now show he
gross errors in his narrative Of events. mn
then winds up thus: "What is the Of Ii
OF Congress9 Our position is not dis han
ar to that we occupied in 1867. The suc]
} was then reconstructed. Let the pro- and
be repeated, and. mayhap, with the ex- b
nee we have had, we can do better. pur
an scarcely do worse" Now We see the the
The Radical party was defeated at the
lection. The force used and fraud com. IT
d bv tha limited States ana IL. p.a;, doul
a., -, - - dest