The Portland daily press., 1875-02-12
Louisiana.

Louisiana.
The special committee on Louisiana affairs
have completed their investigation at New
Orleans, and returned to Washington. OF
course all statements as to the conclusions to
which they have arrived are mere matters Of
conjecture. The committee as whole is
composed of very able and conscientious
men, and its recommendations will undoubt-
edly have great weight in the House of Rep
resenta.ives and the country. If the Re-
publican party of Louisiana has resorted to
fraud and corruption in order to maintain
its supremacy in that disorderly state, the
committee should not hesitate to say so.
The great Republican party of the nation
does aot take its lessons or policy from that
fragment located in Louisiana or any other
one state, and it is to be hoped that no COM
mittee, or any other person will attempt to
commit the party to the support of Louisiana
Republicans, unless, upon investigation their
action has been in accordance with those
great principles which the party has ever
maintained. The bare fact that an organiza-
ton of men exists in the state of Louisiana,
under the name of Republicans, is not
enough to secure the endorsement of all
the country. Of one thing there can be no
doubt-and that is that deplorable state of
affairs exists in the state of Louisiana. The
only real question for the committee to con-
slider is how far Congress can exert its au-
thority to reduce the elements of anaichy to
peace and order; and it is a difficult ques-
tion.
50 much by way of introduction to the
publication of some extracts from letter re-
ceived by gentleman of this city from
friend, an old resident and intelligent citizen
of Louisiana, who, as his letter indicates, is
not identified with the Republican party.
The Louisiana muddle appears to become
more and more muddled every day. At one
time 1 thought had the run of it. and sup
posed 1 knew something about it; but it is get
ting too ramtied for me to keep the track OF it.
The general opinion seems to be that Congress
will do nothing in the matter, and in that cass,
things, Tin business point of view will
90 from bad to worse. Both parties here
are equally corrupt, and if by any means
military government could be established aid
maintained for the next ten years-or until the
present crop of politicians were extinct-there
would be some chance OF securing domestic
tranquility and a renewal of former prosperity.
do not believe that ordering new election
would do any good, as the lust for office and
the perquisites thereof is the ruling motive of
both parties. The action of the conservatives
$50 called) at the meeting OF the legislature,
when Notwithstanding the frauds of the re-
turning board, they could have controlled the
House and secured good legislation, proves this.
1t is we'll understood here that the coup Getdt
attempted by Witz in the House on the 4th if
successful, would have been followed next day
by a similar movement in the Senate-then
Kellogg, Anthoine & Co. would have been i'm
peached, the state government Overthrown and
McEnery installed governor. The movement
| failed, and the conservatives, who were elected
| to carry reform measures, by the abolition OF
sinecure offices, reduction of salaries, &c, so
as to reduce taxation, band together and re-
| fuse to take their seats!
When up to the plantation four weeks ago,
| / was informed that the Warmoth and Pinch
| back politicians were busy with the negroes,
under the idea that new election would be Or
| dered by Congress. and that Henry G. Dibble
was mixed up in the matter. The programme
was that Warmoth was to be elected Govern
| or. Dibbles card some ten days afterward
| showed that the report was well founded.
| Warmoth has been a leading spirit with the
McEneryites for the past two years. The same
intimacy between Warmoth and McEnery,
| which l have before mentioned to you, still ex-
| ists-and my opinion is that Kellogg with all
his faults is a better man than either OF them
| Kellogg think means well, but he is not an
able man, and not qualified for the difficult po-
| sition in which he has been placed. He has
| committed some serious blunders, and made
| any number of promises which he has not full
| filled. In extenuation it is known that the
Republican party in this state is split into at
| least three Observation-Disclosures and the negro,
| the Custom House, and the Senator West
wing. In the contest for Office and public plum
| der, these parties fight against each other but
| combine to thwart any reforms that Kellogg
| proposes. The old union men of this state, as
| well as those who have no faith in the Bour-
| bon Democrats and White Leaguers, and who
would have supported good Republican ad-
| muistratior, stand aloof from Kellogg, on ac-
| count of the odium, which the negro and car
| pet-bag politicians have brought upon the par
| ty. With the exception of U. S. Marshal Pack
| ard and Gen. Longstreet, ! know of no Repub-
| lcan politician or Office holder, state or feder-
| al, who is not charged with both public and pri-
vate rasca'ity. There is no charge against
| KelOgg'S private character, other than as a
| politician he cannot speak the truth, that is,
lie has not kept his promises, but he has been
influenced by men of notorionsly bad charac-
| ter.
| You should read Kellogg's statement before
the congressional committee. 1t is very val
liable paper, as it commences at the beginning
| of the trouble; and without going back to the
| Wells administration under Andy Johnson's
reconstruction policy, and tracing the bribery,
corruption and fraud then introduced down to
| the present time, the Louisiana question can
| not be fully understood.
| Upon the subject of ostracism and intimid-
alton, the following is very significant, as
showing that threats of personal violence are
not the only means, effectually used to sup
| press the truth:
You may have noticed that several parties
| have declined to testify before the investigating
| committee, alleging that it would be danger
| Gus fer them to do so; and that the conserva-
| tive lawyer r. III. Marr pledges the faith of his
| party that they will not be molested, it they
come onward and testify in regard to in timida-
| ton. Now party feeling is running about as
| high here as ever it did, and although man
might 60 forward and testify without any dan
| ger to life or limb, he would be socially 0stra-
cised, his friends would give him the cold shoul
der, his business would suffer, the ''ladies'
| would cease to visit his family, and his Chill
dren would be insulted by their schoomateS
| The term Yankee is still used as a term of re-
proach and is freely applied to all who do moi
acquiesce with the popular hurrah, or at leas
are prudent enough to keep quiet and say moth
| ing. Under these circumstances no one tex
| cept poltician) will volunteer to give his tes
| timony, or even if summoned a witness
would be willing to tell all he knows.
A CORRESPONDENT of one of the New
York papers brings serious accusation
against Gen. Schenck. He intimates tina
the General is scoist in the art of poker
PLAYING, founding this charge on the omission
in the now famous rules Of any mention o
that important feature of the game known to
the initiated as the 'straddle." This is
grave charge to bring against man wh'
claims to be an expert, charge from whicl
we trust Gen. Schenck will be able to clea
himself The same correspondent furnishe
bit of pathological information. He say
the word "ante,' a term used in the sinfu
game, is from the French entire.
A GHOST has appeared in North Carolin;
which there is reason to suspect to be tn
shade of Punch's organ-grinder who refuse'
to move on under shilling. This ghost stop
in front of the cabins of the negroes and per
sists in making al internal noise until tift
cents is given to him. He then takes his de
parture. Either the shrinkage of values ha
not yet affected the land of shades, or th
| Ghost nresumes upoG the fact that labor com