National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-01-11

''reign of terror" Everybody but the
Tribune remembers that the portion Of the
Metropolitan police which was not killed,
wounded or captured was driven from the
streets by the armed banditti of the White
League in contravention Of law.
The Tribune goes on TO say: "Who
"then are the real 'banditti' in Louisiana,
4" fulfilling every definition of the wordf
"They are the men who have stolen the
" Offices, the public improvements and the
revenues of the State; who have made
"and widened the breach between the
traces; who have added q score Of millions
to the public debt, and have nothing but
"lying messages, cooked financial reports
"and their own suddenly acquired riches
"to show how the increase has been ap-
propriated; who, under pretence Of be-
"ing the friends of the poor negro, have
"by legislation inimicsl to the property IN
"terests of the State brought down his
"wsges to q starvation figure; who have
Imposed upon the people judiciary no.
"toriously corrupt and petty executive
"oficers partisan, ignorant and depraved;
"who have contrived the most ingenious
methods of depriving the State of its
"duly -elected officers, and when these
" failed to accomplish the purpose did not
hesitate to put themselves above law, and
ION a basis of misrepresentation invoke
1.-THE sword to maintain their usurpation,
demanding the lives of their victims to
make easy their road to continuance in
"power."
Perhaps the Tribune would specify
few instances in which Republicans in the
South have become rich; more especially
those Northern men who have settled
there, and who in derision are called "car-
pet-baggers." We know of none. As a
rule, every Northern emigrant to the
South, whether office-holder or not has
been impoverished, generally robbed, by
the sharks" who make it a rule to ''go
for" them until they get their substance.
If they cannot manage this result through
the courts and by false swearing they re-
sort to the Coushatta process in the name
of the people" and the ''reign of order"
In the same number of the Tribune from
which the foregoing piece of romance is
quoted Dir. Henry C. Dibble is spoken of
as a man "who is trying to tell the truth. "
1t is evidently pleased with his letter. Let
US see what he says of the efforts of the
Kellogg government in this ''thieving"
line. We quote from his letter in the Tri-
blIRe, in relation to which that journal re-
marks that he was trying to tell the truth"
Passing now to the events of 1874, we
I" find these were repeated-the revolutions
"and counter revolutions which attended
"the election Of 1872. During this inter-
wal of two years the administration of
"Governor Kellogg carried on the govern
"ment making and executing the laws.
"To this government the Republican masses
"gave support, while the Opposition yield
"ed in sullen obedience. The spirit of in
tolerance toward their opponents began
"agaiD to manifest itself actively, which,
Gas the period of the general election ap-
preached, found expression in sincere and
"bitter hatred. Governor Kellogg and his
associates had done what they could it
"was of no avail. They had reduced the
"taxes that counted for nothing. They
"had checked indiscriminate appropria-
tons for private purposes, which had
characterized previous Assemblies; no
thanks. They had carried on the gov
"ernment at a cost of several hundred
Thousand dollars less than it cost for g
"like period under the other administra-
" ton, but still there was no less opposi-
"tion, and bitterness, and hatred mani
Tested against every one connected
"with public Office. All this dem
"onstrates that, in the experiment of
" establishing and maintaining a govern
"ment over people, there is but one al
"ternative as to form. Either you must
Establish an absolute government, and
cor you must have the consent, express or
implied, of the whole people. A parti-
"san press and designing politicians have
go tortured and misrepresented the facts
attending the election of 1872 that I
"doubt not the great majority of the Oppo-
"sition sincerely believed that Governor
" Kellogg was not elected, and that he was
Gin law and in fact usurper and 80 they
"cried, as with one voice, that no good
"could come out of Nazareth, and refused
"to give credit, when the future will accord
cit This sullen discomfort found vent in
numerous acts of violence and bloodshed,
" notably the massacre in Grant parish, the
" assassination of Judge Crawford and the
District Attorney of his court distur.
dances al A!takapas, murders at Coushatta,
land innumerable personal assaults and
acts of oppression and intimidation against
the blacks in different parts of the State.
Finally, this spirit Of discomfort was or
gained, and manifested itselfin q politico-
military body which took the name OF
-'the White League. This body fell under
"the leadership of more discreet and better
thinking men, whose influence was suf-
"fcient to check in great degree further
instances of outrages on the blacks, and
1.-THE entire energies of the embryo army
"were systematically directed to the over
throw of the State government. The
"election was to be carried, right or wrong. "
From the foregoing it is plainly to be
seen that the great fundamental question
not only in this Louisiana difficulty but be-
tween the two great political parties of the
country is as to what constitutes the ''peo-
pie" Who are 1--WE the peoplef" In other
words, the question at issue is, shall the
thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amend.
ments to the Constitution of the United
States be practically enforcedH The Repub,
lican party says that they shall. The Demo,
Gratis in the South say most emphatically
that they shall not. And their Northern
brethren shout amen. They add that ne.
groes and white Republicans shall neither
vote nor hold Office as such. If Northern
whites and the blacks choose to vote as the
Democrats say, and stand upon platforms
of their construction they may do so. II
not, they shall not be recognized as ''peo,
ple," nor exercise the privileges, nor enjoy
the protection that citizens have the right
to claim. This is the whole Of it.
Gen. Grant, as executive, sworn to pro-
tect and defend the Constitution of the
United States, and to enforce and execute