Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-01-14
MESSAGE on LOUIS.
lana AFFAIRS.

deut Grant OF Affairs 10 l. sulslana, transmitted
10 the Senate yesterday 10 answer 10 resolution
OF inquiry passed by that body:
10 the .Senute Of the United States:
| have tie nouur to Ike the following an
swcr 10 q S nate resolution OF the Sh Instant
asking for Information as to any lnterferebce
by any military officer or ary part OF the
army Or tie United States, with the org!n!za-
trn 81 proceedings o.! the General Assembly oI
the 5. ate u Louisiana, or either oraneb thereof
aud also lnaulElnI 10 regard TO the existence
of armed uraauiz TOES in that 3 ate hostile 10
thu vuycrLmru III thereof aid lutrut 90 oVcrtui0-
Jog sucn government by force.
70 say hat iawlesSnySS tufbulancc ana b.ood-
SHE'D nave characterized The political affairs OF
;!.a 5 ate sirca its revrgapiZ .:loE under the re
construction acts, Is only 10 repeat what mas
tctome WI Eunwn "a a par; cl It's unhappy his
tory: but il may be proper mere TO refer to the
cI.c,loy Of 1868. by which the Republican vote
0. the State, through fraud aa4 violunce, was
reduced 10 few thvusuId.. aud the blouuy riots
oil sGU aud ISIS to show that the disorders
t..cre are not due TO auy receut CAUSE, Or 10 any
late uctuu Of ne Federal authorities.
Preparatory 10 the election OF 1872 shame
!ui aud uuuiSgulscG conspiracy was termed 10
cars that election against The Republicans.
without regard IL law Or rtgnt. and TO .hat emu
tue most gIarlug frauds and i0rscrlcs Wclc com
att cd 10 the r :uruS. alter many cJlurc' citl-
z.LS ..al been denied registration, and others
had been deferred By fear from Casting tncif
ballots y hen the time came Tor haa can-
9a>s II HE votes, in view Of the foregoing facts
William +. Kellogg, the Republican cand lat"
tur q tverGOi. brought sur urhr thc eqniy
SIDE oi TIC Ua.cl States Circuit Court for
LousiaIa, a1u against Warmoih aid oiets
wiz t:al obtained Possession Of tie returns Of
tie eIec'i"u. representing that sercras Thousand
vorrr. OF the State had be1n deprived OF the
elective irauvhi>: Oh account Of Their color, ann
payiog that steps might be taken to have said
votes c0uutel aal FL gcnerai relief. To cna-
b." tue court TO Inquire 10 the truth oil these
allegations u tempoIary restraining order Was
i.SGe! ana!nst tie defendants, witch was ii
cucc wholly dSrcgarIcd ANA treated With Goa
tempt ty these t. whom II was directed. These
Proceedings nave been widely denJuuced a. an
ui!WaiT.rtab:c ln,ericIeccc by the cderai Ju!!-
cia!y ~ith tie .i.cilJu OF State officers; but 1t
il 10 pe aiber2d that ry ihc fifteenth
aulcutrl ut 10 tie Constitution Of The Unlted
State: tie political .q1 lily Of coored c!siz:1s
is secured, i;.i under the second s"cin OF that
afUundu.tut, providing that Cougrc,s snail Lave
power - cntotcc lis provisions Is appropriate
OF May 1870 and amended III 1871, the ohject
OF which aas 20 prevent the dculal or abrldg
meat OF suffrage TO ciiiZeDs en- account OF race,
coor or previous condition OF sarsltude; and 1t
i:as Been held ~ al tie federal judges before
whom the qacsflou has arisen. Including JUS
tice Strong, Of he Supreme Court, thai the
protection afforded by this amendment and
these acts extends to Stare az well a. other cleo
tons. That it is the duty Of the Federal courts
to ,n:orce TIE provisions ol the Constitution CT
the United States aud the laws passed IN pur
suauce thcr, vi, i. too clear for controversy.
Section fifteen Of said act, after humorous
provisions lueleU to prevent an evasion OF the
Il fccui amendment, provide. that the jurls-
dic,iou OF the Circuit Court OF the Unit
ed States shall extend to all cases 10 law or eqa
ty arising under the provisions OF said act, aud
OF the act amendatory thereof Congress seelUs
TO have contemplated equitable as well as legal
proceedings to prevent the deulal OF suffrage
to colvlvd ctizeDs: aud it may be safe ) assert
cd that if k.lIvg'> bill 10 tile ABOVE named case
dil not present. case for the equitable inter
POSITION Of the court that no such case can
arise under the act That the courts Of the
United States haye the right to interfere in va
rious ways with state ecclious, so a. TO maintain
politic4l equally aud rights thereiD, lrrespec-
tive OF race or color. is comparatively a pew,
and 20 some seems TO be a startling Idea; but II
results as clearly from the tltccnta amendment
to the Constitution aHd the acts that have been
passed TO eDlorce that amendment as the AFRO
CATION ut State laws upi!plting slavery results
from The lhrtceuth amendment TO the Con
stitu 100. While the jurisdiction OF the court
in the case Of Kellogg W. Warmotb and others
is clear to my mind. il seems shat some OF the
Il H.. !; NJ, : lut aru Tho l.
bred case Of Antoiuc were illegal. But while
they are 20 held and considered, it is not to be
! forgotten that the niandnlc # his court had
been coutem pluousIy dcfcd and they were made
wi liz wild genes OF anarchy We're sweeping away
all rain, oil law and order Doubtless the judge
Of this court made grave mistakes, but the law
allows the chancellor great latitude, not oU'y III
furnishing those who cnnteinu his orders and III
injections, but in preventing the contamination
of the wrong which he mas iutlclaIly forbidden.
Whatever may b. said or thought of those mat
tiers, it was only made known to ue that pro-
cess of tie Uoi,ed States Court was resisted;
aud as said act specially provides for the Use Of
the army and uavy wien necessary tc enforce
iuIcia! process arising hereunder, consider
Cd II nIy duty to sec that such process was exc
cutcd according to the Judgment OF the court.
Resulting from these proceedings, thrGugh
various controversies aud com pilcatlonS. a State
administrator was organized. with VIM I.
Kellogg as Governor, which, III the discharge
of my duty. unci,r section +, article 3, of the
Constitution. | have recognized rs the govern
meet of the State.
|, has been bitterly and persstenty alleged
that Kellogg was not elected. Whether he
was or not is not altogether certain, nor Is it
any more certain that his competitor, Nc
Every, vas chosen. the election was ggau-
tic fraud, aud there are 40 reliable returns of
its result Kellogg obtained possession of the
Office, and 10 my opinion has more right to 1t
than his competitor.
Oo the ~ h Of February, 1873, the Com
mittee on Privileges and Elections, Of the
Senate. made report, in which they say they
were satisfied By testimony that he tnanlpuIa
ton Of the election machinery BY Yarmouth
and others vas equivalent to twenty thousand
votes, and they ada that to recognize the Me-
l