Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-01-14
sHERIDAN's SATRAPY.
Message Of the President on
Louisiana Anaifs.
Congress Declared to be Largely
Responsible.
The Adoption of a Defin tie Pol
icy Earnestly Urged.

AnC AUOpeAO4 VI q A(CAA tlC -
icy Earnestly Urged.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 1S.-The followin
is the full text Of the Presidents messag
on Louisiana affairs:
To the Senate Of the United States: i
have the honor to make the following an
ever to a Senate resolution Of the Sth inst.
asking for information as to any interer
ence by any military officer on the part 0
the army Of the United States with the or
ganiz3tiOn or proceedings Of the Genera
Assembly Of the State Of louisiana o
either branch thereof; and also inquirin:
in regard TO the existence of armed Organi
cations in that section hostile to the GOE.
ernment thereof, and intent on Overturnins
such Government by force. To say tha
laWlessness, turbulence aud blOOdsheC
have characterized the political affairs D
that State siace its organization under tn
recOiistruction acts, is only TO repeat Whai
has become well known as part Of It's uIr
happy history. But it may be proper here
to refer to the election of 1865, By which
the Republican vote Of the State, through
fraud and violence, was reduced to q
few thousand, and the bloody riots
of 1866 and 1868, TO show thai
the disorders there are not due to any
recent cause, or to any late action Of the
Federal authorities. Preparatory 10 the
election Of 1872, a shameful and undis-
guised conspiracy was formed TO carry that
election against the Republicans, without
regard to law or right, and to that end the
most glaring frauds and forgery were CON-
mitted in return, after many colored eiti-
zens had been denied registration, and 9TH
ers deferred by fear from casting their bal
lots, when the time came for a final
comparison of the votes. In view of the
foregoing facts, VIM. 2. kellogg, the Re
publican candidate for Governor, brought
suit upon the equity side Of the United
States Circuit Court for Louisiana against
WarmOth and Others, who had obtained
possession Of the returns Of the election,
representing that several thousand 5oters
Of the State had been deprived Of the cleo
tive franchise on account Oftheir color, and
praying that steps might be taken to have
their votes counted, and for general
relief. To enable the court to in
quire as to the truth Of these al
legations, a temporary restraining order
was issued against the defendant, which
was at once wholly disnegarded and treated
with contempt by those 10 whom it was di-
rected. These proceedings have been
widely denounced as an Unwarrantable in
reference by the Federal judiciary with
the election OF State officers. But it is to
be remembered that by the fifteenth amend
ment to the Constitution Of the United
States, the political equality Of colOred
citizens is secured; 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 31st of May, 1870, and
amended in 1871, the object Of which was
to prevent the denial or abridgement of
suffrage to citizens on account of race, color
or previous condition Of servitude; and it
has been held by all the Federal Judges be-
fore whom the question has arisen, inclu-
ding Justice Strong, of the Supreme Court,
that the protection Afforded by this amend
ment aud these acts, extend to State as
well as other elections; that it is the duty
Of the Federal Courts TO enforce the pro-
visions Of the Constitution Of the United
States and the laws passed in pursuance
thereof. That Is too clear for controversy.
Section Is Of said act, after numerous pro-
visions therein to punish an invasion 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 cOntem-
plated equitable as well as legal proceed
ings to prevent the denial Of suffrage 70
cOlOred citizens, and it may be safely as
serted 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
act. That the courts of the United States
have the right to interfere in various ways
with State elections, so as to maintain pO-
.itical equality and rights therein, iTespec-
i've of race or color, is comparatively a
new, and TO some seems TO be a startling,
dea, but it results as clearly from the
fifteenth amendment of the Constitution,
and the acts that have been passed to en-
force that amendment, as the abrOgatiSn OF
State laws uphOlding slavery results from
he thirteenth amendment 10 the COnstitu-
ion. While the jurisdiction Of the court
in the case OF kellogg vs.. WarmOth and
seems that some Of the orders made
By the judge in that, and in the kindred
,ase Of Antoine, were illegal, but while
hey are so held and considered, it is not
% be forgotten that the mandate of his |
court had been contemptuously defied, and !
hey were made while wild scenes of an
lrchy were sweeping away all restraint Of
aw and order. Doubtless, the judge Of |
his court made grave mistakes, but the law |
Allows the chancellor great latitude, not |
)nly in furnishing those who condemn his /
,rders and injunctions, but in preventing |
he consummatiOn of the wrong which be |
las judicially forbidden. Whatever may |
,e said OF thought Ct these matters, it was
My made known to me that the process
f the United States Court was /
esisted, and as said acts specially provide /
or the use of the army and navy when ne
essary to force judicial process arising |
hereunder, 1 considered it my duty to see
hat such process was executed according
o the judgment Of the court. Resulting
rom these proceedings, through various
and complications, a State
administration was organized, with VIM.
?. kellogg as Governor, which in the dis
harge of NY duty under section 4, article
of the Constitution, have recognized as
he government of the State. 1t has been
utterly and persistently alleged that Kel-
0gg was not elected. Whether he was or
lot is not altogether certain, nor is it
ny more certain that his competitor
McEneTy) was chosen. The election
7as a gigantic fraud, and there are no relia-
le returns of its result. kellogg obtained
of the Office, and, in my opinion,
as more right TO it than his competitor.
IN the goth of February, 1873, the Com
littee on Privileges and Elections Of the
enate made a report, in which they say
lat they are satisfied by the testimony that
he manipulation of the election machinery
7 WarmOth and others was equivalent to
geAty thousand voters, and they add that
} recognize tine McEnery government
-Ould be to recognize a government
ased upon fraud, in defiance Of the wishes
nd intention of the voters Of the State.
.ssuming the correctness of the statements
q this repOrt-and they seem TO have been
enerally accepted by the country
the great crime in Louis
ana, about which so much
as been done and said, is that one is hold
lg the Office of Governor who was cheated
ut Of twenty thousand votes, against
mother whose title TO the Office is I'M
Ou0tedly based on fraud and in defiance
f the wishes and intentions of the voters
f the State. Misinformed and misjudg-
ng as to the nature and extent Of this re-
lort, the supporters Of McEneTy proceeded
o displace by force In some parts OF the