New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-01-27
IsTRUcT1Ha THE CONGRESSIONAL CON-
XITTEE.

MsTRUCTING THE CONGRESSIONAL COZ
I MTTEE.
4, The Democracy either misappr chen
the mission of the congressional commit
tee, or they are endeavoring to thro'
Messrs. Hoar and associates off the scent
The legitimate duties imposed by tn
resolution of the House are suficlenu
onerous without Juggling IN all the sole
linen of the past eight or ten years t
have it washed. The conservative man
ayers" have mapped out moro work for tn
committee than can possibly be accom-
plished in the brief time allowed them
The proceedings remind one of the Gran
parish trial, where the character of tn
poor murdered negroes was assailed TO
the purpose, as it seemed, of justifying il
some degree their butchery by wholesale
Now, as then, the principal parties prac
tically plead guilty to the arraignment
but file counter charges against parties
not on trial, in justification. When Con
gress asks, through committee, if there
has not been personal outrages committed
against the colored voters for the purpose
of depriving them of the right of suffrage,
it is retorted that the negroes sometimes
steal chickens and kill each other, and
behave as bad as white folks. When in
quiries are made about the attempt to or
ganize the House by force, or seat Nc
Emery by the same sort of logic, the re-
ply comes that Governor Kellogg receives
$4,000 year, and that the total annual
expenses Of his Office foot up $4,000.
And SO on all through the list of the
charges. Every specific allegation is vir-
tually admitted to be true by the attempts
to justify.
When Colonel Field presents vivid
picture OF the scandalous outrages that
have been committed, there is no attempt
to deny the facts he recites. No; that
would be hopeless. So the murders are
treated as light affairs mere triAes,
while the Attorney General is reviled and
rfdiculed for mentioning them. In like
manner, wien Governor Wells, president
of the Returning Board, makes state
ment Of indignities and threats directed
toward him when the committee is not
locking, he is held up in the light Of
very unreasonable person to be making
when company is present.
The committee will not fail to note the
ingenious manner in which the Conserva-
live leaders attempt to whirl the Repub-
leans into the prisoners box, and call
heir own followers to the witness stand.
tbs an old and often successful dodge By |
his system Of tactics they befooled Fos-
er and delighted Phelps and Potter.
Their lamentabie report, which was
ather thesis upon the way ward clubs
re managed in Louisiana than con-
,ressional report, is the result. That
allure made the necessity for the full |
committee to come here, not to fall into
he same trap that caught their colleagues,
tut to do the work they were sent to per-
orm. If the Democrats have no better
License than such as they have offered,
hey ought to be adjudged guilty. It is
10 answer to the serious charges against
hem to reply that the expenses of the
legislature were much greater in 1871
han in 1856, or that the Governors
alary is $4,000, for none of these things
ONE within the scope of the legitimate
aquiry of the committee.
The question is, has the Democratic
arty been guilty of the high crime of
seking by unlawful means to set aside the
institutional amendments, and the recon-
ruction and instruction laws of the
nited States. If they wish to enter
rmal plea OF guilty, and plead the acts
Republicans as aggravations sufficient
excuse them, SO be it. Let it be done
SO many words, thai the committee
az 60 back and lay the case before the
ouse. But it is out of all reason to per- I
it them to protest their innocence, and :
the same time file their counter charges
ainst the Republicans, as sort of set
in case they are not believed. :
There is but little use in the committee r
lsting timein examininginto the proceed '
gs Of the Returning Board. In our n
1gment they may as well traverse the II
rdict Of the first Grant parish jury, Il
i'd for the acquitted prisoners and con- :,
mn them to punishment as to attempt :,
revise the. proceedings of the Returning
ard, or elicit from the honorable presi- y,
ut sketch of his personal and political ~
tory. Congress cares nothing about o,
se our little home matters. The h,
rthe.n people do not even know the y,
mes Of more than three or four of our n
liant statesmen. They wish to know, y.
yever, whether Louisiana, as a COM >,
nifty, permits such outrages as have Il
n charged to our account, and if the a,
ute League Democracy are banded to- m
her to protect the perpetrators from f.
lishment. The committee should not 81
to take evidence upon these points h,
ore leaving for Washington. As for cr
briefs Of the Conservative lawyers, ~
= can be prepared afterward and sent a.
in three trunks. =.