The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1875-01-15
Indignation Meeting in New York.

Indignation meeting Of the citizens of New
York, irrespective of party. over the federal
oulrages in Louisiana, was held on Monday
night. Mayor Wickham, of New York, pre-
sided, with seventy vice presidents, among
whom were VIM. E Dodge, Whitelaw Reid,
Simon Sterne, Peter Cooper, Vim. Cullen
Bryant and Charles O'Conor. The speakers
were VIM. Cullen Bryant and the Hon. Will
liam NJ. Evarts, both Of whom addressed the
meeting in forcible speeches. The former
said that even if Sheridan's assertion of the
prevalence of anarchy and assassination in
Louisiana are true, how could such an act as
interfering with the organization of the Leg
islature be remedy for this state of things
The wrong has no possible cXtenuation
it was violation of the constitution. No
citizen has a right TO withhold his condem-
nation. 1t must be rebnked the instant it is
perpetrated. The evil must lie crushed be-
fore il becomes formidable as Il precedent
These practices Of subjecling local politics TO
the federal authorities by military power
must be denounced, stopped, broken up for
ever.
Mr.. Eyarts held the Republican party re-
sponsible for these hieh-handcd acts ofmilta-
ry suppression of civil government because
the President, both Houses Of Congress, the
subordinate officers throughout the Union
and in the State Of Louisiana, are Repubi-
can.
Resolutions were unanimously adopted,
expressing the opinion of the meeting upon
the fragrant subyersion Of the rights of the
people of Louisiana. Among the resolutions
were the following;
| ReSoleed, That we have heard with surprise
and alarm that the Slate House of Louisiana was
| taken possession OF and garrisoned by federal
brigade prior to the meeting of the Legislature
| on the 4th of January last that the members
! had to make their way under examination to
| their places through lines of armed sentinels,
| and then proceed to tho discharge Of their du.
| ties inside under the eye Of military comman-
| der, and subject to their authority, and holding
the very building in which they sat as fortified
post.
| When disputes subsequently arose between
| the two parties into which the Legislature Is
| divided over the organization of the House Of
Representatives this officer took upon himself
! to answer the appeal of one side, and assume
the duties OF sergeant at arms and of the police
| by REFRESHING the disturbance within the build
| ing and that when subsequently q minority of
| the House being dissatisfied with the vote or
with the mode of taking il, or with the qualf.
cations of some OF those who participated in it,
refused to seek the settlement of the controversy
| by ordinary and long-estub.ished methods of
parliamentary law, butuppealcd to the Governor
| Of the State to interfere with the proceedings,
the troops of the United States, at the Governors
unlawful request or command, entered the leGis-
lative hall, and then and there settled by force
| the purely parliamentary question Of the qualiii-
cation of several persons present for seats in the
| House by cXpellng them violently from the
building.
| Whereas no occurrence of this kind has been
recorded in the history of free government with
out being stgmatized, and rightly stigmatized,
an act of revolutionary violence, and through,
owing to the peculiar condition Of the Southern
States and to the multiplicity ofour State LeGis-
| laturcs, II may seem an event OF less moment in
Louisiana in our day, Than il has seemed in other
| places and at other times, IL assumes charac-
| ter of the utmost gravity when we remember
that if it be permissible in Louisiana, whether it
shall take place or not in New York or Massa-
chusetts becomes question not of legal right,
but Of executive discretion: Therefore.
Resolyed, That for this reason above all we
cmphatically protest against II, and declare our
solemn conviction thai il were better that legis-
lative bodies should be forbidden to meet at all
| than TO be forbidden To meet under their own
| rules and surrounded by their own officers, be-
cause nothing is more dangerous Or demoraliz.
| ing than arbitrary rule yelled by constitutional
forms, and that the citizens of New York, with
| out distinction of party, here assembled appeal
| to their fellow citizens of the whole country to
unite with them in this protest.
And whereas the recent dispatch Of the Lieut..
| General of the Army addressed to the Secretary
| of War, suggesting that Congress should pass
an act, or that the President should issue proc
! lamation in imitation of the dragonades Of Louis
| w., declaring an indeterminatc number of his
| fellow citizens "banditti" and authorizing him
| to put them down with armed force, might be
passed over as hasty and ill-conceved language
of q soldier who however gallant in the field, al
lowed himself to remain ineSeusably ignorant
| of the usages and laws of his country, were it
| not that ii has received the prompt approval of
| the War Department, accompanied by en- init
| nation that the President and other members
| of the cabinet approved OF it; therefore resolv-
ed that we cannot refrain from expressing our
heartfelt reprobaton of the dispatch ITSELF OF
| the atrocious imputation il casts on n large
body of our countrymen, and Of the Executive
sanction which 1t has received
| ReSolgcd, That the manner in which the fed
eral troops have been employed in Louisiana
| constitutes an abuse of authority which Is dan
| gerous 10 public liberty IN an equal degree in
I every part of the Union.
Loud and long-contnued applause followed
each clause which denounced the conduct of the
military authorities in the State Of Louisiana;
Mayor Wickham put the question on the
| auOpLlOn Oh the TesOlUllrns, anu tneN were cur
ried amid the loudcst uproar and perfect storm
of yeas.
This meeting, from the number of promi,
nent Republicans who took part in it, and
the large number Of men Of ali parties who
attended it, is fair index OF the sentiment
of the North in regard to the imperilled lib
critics of this country. Ii the cry Save the
Union" could so wonderfully arouse the
North and West in 1861 surely the cry, "Save
your liberties" will stir up many more,
North, South, Fast and West, to stand in the
breech against tyranny and military usurpa.
| tion