The weekly echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1868-1876, 1875-02-13
The Herald and Gazette en- the
Louisiana Question.

q
ton. Its senior proprietor and mama
ger is the Hon. Euis II. Roberts, the
present Representative ia Congress Of
fhe district Of Oneida. New York.
The people Of Louisiana do not be-
Iieve they are governed by an admits.
tration legally and fairly elected Hence.
We believe, arises the trouble In that
State. Hence ths White League.
Hence tho Coushatta massacre. Hence
the intimidation Of the negro. But.
we are fold, if we let these fellows have
control of the State government they
viii redou Bile their outrages. They win
ostracise All who were not rebels with
them. They viii grind down the negro,
and frame their laws to his destruction
Why, then, did you restore these men
to citizenship after the rebellion? Why
did You not hang them, throthng them
and their perpetual treason together +?
Why did you grant amnesty to them.
thus enabling them To hold the offices
which you now fear 70 entrust to themg
Having done an this, you must take the
consequences. though the heavens fall
Il they are IN q majority there, you
must pass over the State government
to their control, or you are yourselves
the traitors, committing treason anainst
the Constitution which you framed u
suit yourselves
Events have demonstrated to rs
that these men are i'll a majority in
Louisiana. That being the case, we
beliove that if the control of the state
is surrendered to them, as our Consti-
tuition requires it I'd Be, there win be an !
end, at once and forever, to an trouble
in Louisiana. There viii be no end to
trouble there until that IS done, on,
but the negro must be protected in his
rights; the new rebellion must be
crushed. is the response. True enough;
but the negro can never be protected |
ia his rights until the white man Is
granted those rights which belong 70
him. The new rebellion is not d re-
bellion against the Union; it is a rebel
lion against the glaring injustice Of the
Kellogg government which is forced
upon the people 81 Louisiana BY the
army Of the United States
'But the White League. shan We let
that govern Louisiana? Yes, If it has
a majority Of the votes. What then
viii become Of the poor negro? The
act protects him. If the
whole machinery Of tile state govern
ment were in The hands of the White
Leaguers, tile negro would not suffer
rs much as he does now. The enforce
ment act makes intimidation ana vio-
lence against the negro an offence
against the Federal laws. The Fed-
aral courts viii protect him. TheFed-
aral maFshaIs viii follow close after
those who persecuta him. The FEEDER
II army, If need be, viii see to IL that
.his law Is enforced 70 the letter; that
40 citizen is deprived Of any right that
belongs to him.
.'I.his il the only possible peaoeable
solution of tho Louisiana question. II
\ tie only constitutional solution the
lnly one which carries ont tha Rspuh-
lean policy 81 reconstruction. II is
shsur3 to tall ahont a new rebellion.
t that spirit uoro rife. the cid rebe'
IRE without aay power Is milk il potent.
single day would crush them into
ltoma. I'our years were barely enough
before.
'sFhe position we have assumed On
his Louiaiana question from the firsh,
s tic only one IL seemed possible for
IS to assume, and Be loyal to tho Re
policy oi reconstruction
Those who % counter q uss must re
andiate thns policy, for the sake ~
sustaining kellogg We believe that
2epablicanisn of to-day means ale
gianee q ils near post Some shave
,ssumed q question the genuineness q
lu RepuhIicanism. Let iham inspect
themselves.
@m nsst Nges4 set4 ea4np&nT * tefg9ne.