The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-01-22
MESSAGE OF PRESIDENT GRANT ON
LOUISIANA AFFAIRS.
Congress Declared to be Largely
Responsible.
The Adoption of Definite Policy Earn
estly Urged.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13.-The following is the
iuil text OF the presidents message on Louis
lana affairs
To The Senate of the United States:
have the honor to make the following an
swer to senate resolution OF the 9Th inst
asking for infOrmat ton a. to any interference
by any military officer on the part of the army
of the United States with the organization or
proceedings of the general assembly Of the
state OF Louisiana, or either branch thereof:
ard also lnquiTing in egard to the existence
OF armed organizations in that section, hostile
to the government thereof, and intent Of over
turning such government by force To saw
that lawlessness, turbulence and bIoodshed
have Characterized the political affairs of that
state since It's organization under the recon-
struction acts, is only to repeat what has be-
come well known as part of its unhappy his
tory. But 1t may be proper here to refer to
the election of 1868, by which the republican
vote OF the state, through fraud and violence.
was reduced to a few Thousand, and the bloody
rots Of 1865 and 1858, to show that the dis
orders there are not due to any recent cause
or TO any late action OF the federal auihoritles
preparatory to the election of 1872, a shame
full and undisgused conspiracy was formed to
carry that election against the republicans
without regard to law or right and to that end
the most glaTing frauds and forgery were com
Inltted IN return, after many cOlored citizens
had been denied registration, and others de-
TERED by fear from casting their ballots when
the time came for final comparison Of the
votes In view of the foregoing facts VIM p
Kellogg, the republican candidate for gov
erDor brought suit upon the equity side of the
United States circuit court for Louisiana
against WarmOth and others, who had OBJ
tanned possession Of the returns of tie cleo
ton, representing that several thousand voters
OF the state had been deprived Of the elective
franchise on account Of thelra Gnit e. Eo,-a a.
V6fes Counted. and for general relief. To en-
able the court to inquire into the truth of
these allegations, a temporary restraining
order was issued against the defendant which |
was at once wholly disregarded and treated |
WI II contempt by those to whom it was di- |
Tscted, These proceedings have been wide |
~ denounced as sn unwarrantable inter
ference by the federal Judiciary with the |
eiectIsn of state officers. But it is to be |
remembered that by the fifteenth amendment |
TO the constitution of the United States the /
p2h'lcaI equality Of cClored citizens is Sc |
cured; and under the second section of that /
amenament providing that congress shall have |
power to enforce its provisions by appropriate !
leSislaLlOu an act was passed on the 18th OF |
May 1871 and smeudCd in 1871, the object Of |
which was to prevent the denial or sEridUe- |
meht or suffrage to citizens On account Of /
race, color CT previous condition of servitT7de. /
and Il has been held by all the federal Judges |
before whom the matter has arisen, Including |
Judge Strong, Of the supreme cOurr tIat me |
protection afforded by lis amendment anc |
these acts, extend to state as well a. other
eIe'tl2ns; that 1t Is the duty OF the federal |
courts to enforce tie provisions of the con-ti.
Triton Of the United ). ates aud the laws PASSED |
III pursuance thereof. This il too clear for /
controversy. Section Is OF said act after nm
laerous provisions therein to punish an inva-
SION OF the fifteenth amendment, provides
that the jurisdiction Of the circuit courts Of |
the dotted States shall extend to all cases in
law pf equity arising " der the provisions of |
rAld act aud OF the act ameudat8rv thereof
Congress seems to have contemplated eguit-
able a. well as legal proceedings to prevent
tne "eii'aI o, suffrage TO colored citizens, and |
II may be safely asserted thai If Kellogr's bill
ln the above named case does not present a
case for the equitable interBOSitiOu 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
Win safe G ectlons, so as to maintain political /
e4uaIIty and rights therein irrezueCtiye of /
race OF color, Is comparatively new and to |
some seems to be a startling idea but it re-
suits as clearly from the fifteenth amendment /
OF the constitution, and the acts that have
been passed to enforce that amendment "A |
the abrogation of state laws unfolding slavery
results to the thirteenth amendment to the |
constitution While the jurisdiction of the |
court IN the case of Kellogg vs.. Warmoth and
others Is clear to my mind. it seems that some |
Of the orders made by the Judge In that ana |
IN the kindred case of Antoine, were illegal |
but while they are so held and considered il is |
not TO be fore often that the mandate of his
court had been COntemptuousIv defed and /
they were made while wild scenes Of anarchy |
were sweeping away all restraint Of law and
oANAtA- iOHDIG=S. the lUQLe OF this court |
made ave mI~takes, but the law allows the !
chancellor great latitude. not only in punish
ing those who condemn his orders and iniuuc- !
tlohs but IN preventing the contamination of
the wrong which he has iudicially forbidden
Whatever may be said or thought of these
matters, 1t was ONLY made known to me that
the process Of the United States court was re-
sisted. and as sail acts specially provide for
the Use OF tAe army and navy when necessary
10 force lulic al process arising Hereunder | |
considered It my duty 70 see that such process
was eNetUted accOJLmg to the Judgment OF
the court. Resulting from these proceedings |
through various controversies aud cOmpiCa-
items. state administration was organized. !
with Vim. Z. Kellogg as governor. which in !
the discharge OF NY duty under section T.
article i OF the constitution. Ihave recognized
a. the government of the state. 1t has been
bitterly and per-ls' emily alleged that kellogg
Was not clec.ed. Whether he was or not II
not altogether tain. nor is It any more GER
tain that his competitor tMcEnerv) was
CHOSEN Inc election was gigantic fraud.
ana there are no reliable returns of its result. /
Kellogg obtained possession of the Office and,
IN iuy opinion has more right to il than his
cOmpe ltOr. On the goth Of February. 1873.
the committee on privileges aud elections of
the senate made a report. III which they saw
that they are satisfied by the testimJy that
the manipulation of the machinery bv
WHrmoth and OtheTs was equivalent 10 twenty
thousand voters, and they add that to recog-
ME the McEnery government would be to
recognize government based upon fraud in
defiance Of the wishes and intention Of the
voters Of the state. Assuming the correct
ness OF the statements in this report-aud
they seem 10 have been genera " accepted by
the coUutry-the great crime in Louisiana /
about which so much has been done and said
Il that one l. holding the office Of governor
who was cheated ont OF %. 900 votes against
another whose title to the office Is undOubJed-
~ based on fraud and in defiance of the wishes
aud intentions of the voters Of the state.
NlISlnformed aud misjudgiug a. TO the nature
aud extent Of this report, the supporters Of
McEnery proceeded to ulSpace by force in
some parts OF the state the appnintees of Gov
ernor Kellogg sud on the 18th of April, IN
an effort of that kind, butCherv of citizens
was committed at Colfax, which. i'm blood
thrstIness and bsrbaTity, Ii hardly surpassed
by any acts of savage war are. To put the
matter beyond controversy, quote from the
charge Of Judge Woods, Of the United States /
circuit court, TO the jury in the case of the
United States VI. Cruikshsuk and others in
New Or cans, in March. 1874. lie said: In
the cas- on tJisl there are many facts not in !
the controversy proceed to state some Of ]
them IN the presence ana hearing Of council
on both rides, and If / state a. "a conceded |
Tact any matter that II disputed. thcv All cor
rect me- After stating the origin If tue dIf /
hculty- which grew ont Of an attempt % white
persons 20 drive the parish judge aud ShcGff. !
aVUoutcos Of Kellogg. from office. and thar
attempted protection by colorod persons. which I
Ieu to some EELtInE. m which quite number
of negroes were killed, the judge states that c
L
F."..--,--~- FULCe1 or sixteen OF the blacks 5
bal ed IN boards and taken refuge under t
the h1ur Ut the court house. They were all t
About thirty-saYcn men were taken I
uIEs 'neEs; tie number Is not definitely fixed c
They were kept under guard until daIk. when a
they were led out two Gy two and shot. Most {
or the men were shot to death; a few were 7
wounded, not mortaily, and by pretending to a
be dead. were afterwards. during the night il
able to make their escape. Among them was | G
Tn Lew Nelson named in the indictment t
The dead bodies Of the negroes killed in TINS Il
affair were left unburied Till Tuesday April | 4
10, when they were buried by a deputy mar \
shal anu an officer Of the militia from New a
Orleans. These persons found tifty-pine dead v
bodies They showed pistol shot wounds the 7,
great aJorlty in the heart and some OF them S
IN the back of the head. In addition to the W
dead found, sOMe CharTed remains of dead r,
bO2ics were discovered near the court house. a
SIN dead bodies were found under warehouse | "
all shot in the heart but one or two, who were c
shot III the breast. The only white men in Il
of N