Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-01-09

( pear either with or without arms on tbs
] occasion, and this determination wa
= publicly known. The committee haC
/ the chief of police, Saturday nigh
: late, before them, and he had tes
! titled that he bad no d finite knowl
I edge of threaie- 81 dsnter, and Il
| allay feelings Of apprehension they sub
sequently questioned in public we'll
known citizen, an officer Of the league
who testified that the league would no
ASSENT ble anywhere on Monday. Ht
thought the committees presence ID
New Orleans had done one good thing
il had exploded the dead mystery Ol
this White League. 1t was not secret
il was not political; it was not an or
ganization of the State; it mum bered buj
twenty-eight hundred in the city; its
constitution was published, so were al
its resolutions; its deliberations are pub
lie, and there has been M meeting al
which reporters and citizens have not
been present. Its only act of apparent
llawlessness was that of September l4th.
For that it offers the Justification that
all beyond the les ,ue of its arms was un-
premeditated Its officers are all men
Of character and property, and it Intends
to act only as q superior police IN the
interests Of law and order. Touching
the Republican legislature organized af-
ter the Conservative memoers with
drew, Mr.. Phelps did not yet know
accurately OF the facts. 1t seemed from
Tumor that on the first rOli-call fifty
| three members were present, when fifty
! four were necessary for quorum, Ii
the testimony tonight elected that fact,
its organization was of course as incom-
plete and Illegal as that of the Conserva-
tive body. Mr.. Phelps thought the evil
dence, as far as taken, showed that there
were left in the State no white men who
supported the Kellogg government un-
! lees they were office-hOldeTS or relatives
of office-holders. There was many white
Republicans, but they had failed at the
ia-t election to support the kellogg go
vernment, and had either stayed from
| the polls or voted the Conservative
ticket. OF the few still cliDgiDg to the
present government, one after another
was quitting Dis hold on the principle,
as one such said on the stand, that "a
rat deserts sinking ship" There was
no greater insecurity TO life and proper
| ~ here, Mr.. Phelps ihought, than before
the war. The Louisianians always lived
on street broils. Just now each scene i
magnified, and, besides, northern people
should remember that the police have
yielded any pretense of parOling the
streets. To sum up, Mr.. Phelps thought
matters were not nearly so bad as both
sides wanted to make them out TO be,
and that if any one would convince
Louisiana that il had the officers in who
were elected by msjority vote, they
would submit. Both sides wanted
peace.
BRUTAL SHERIDAN.
New York Tribune Editoriall
Attorney General Williams is report
ed to have disciaimed all connection
with the affair, and to have announced
Isis purpose to c0nfine his attention TO
the civil duties of his position, leaving
the military functions which he has ex
ercised SO vigorously to tie discharged by
the President in person, or by Lieuten-
ant. General Sheridan. The latter
officer has added to his laurels as a civl;
administrator by dispatch TO the ste
retary OF war, urging the passage Of a
bill by congress, declaring the White
Leagues "banditti," and turning them
over ior trial to a military commission.
Or, better than that, he thinks that if the
President would issue proclamation
declaring them banditti, no further
action would need to be taken, "except,"
he adds significantly, "thst which would
devOlve upon ne" The wild alb ur-
dity Of this proposal is apparent
enough to any one who reads the calm
and truthful statements OF Congressman
Phelps, an administration Republican,
concerning the objects of the White
League and the character Of its mem
L. a,,l
judgment upon the people Of the south
in his dispatch published yesterday, in
which he charged them in the most
sweeping manner with being rebels and
murdeTeTs. Having pronounced iIdg
ment, he desires TO be appointed eXecu-
toner. With such a man, in command,
and such material as the Kellogg ring to
work with, no one can predict what
scenes of violence may be precipitated
The only reliance for peace is upou the
patience and discretion OF sOrely tried
people.
M'DOWELL OVER THE SLAUGHTER.
In the enormity of the outrage in
louisiana, people are apt to overlook the
extraordinary means 10y which il was
attained. General Mcdowell is in com
msnd of the entire southern military
district. General Emory and the other
officers in Louisiana are his subordi
mates. They had discharged their du-
ties to bis entire satisfaction, and apPar
emily 10 that OF the President. If they
could not be trusted in the graver emer-
gency, it would have been entirely pro-
per and natural to order General M
Dowell himself TO the spot. The army
has no safer officer, and the government
10 more loyal supporter, while the south
would have accepted his decisions with
out question. But if for any incompre
hensble reason the President preferred
that General III DOwell should not con-
troll within the sphere of his own COM
manG, it would then have been natural
that the general OF the army, himsel
familiar with Louisiana matters, should
be sent from st Louis to New Orleans.
Why shove M'DOwell aside, step over
head, and transport Sheridan
from Chicago to the gulf? The manner
of this military interference is as bad as
It's matter.
POTTER AT NEW ORLEANS.
New York World.l
The manly and high-spirited refus al of