The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-01-21

Since Sheridan's letter d Grant has been
very generally published, aud this exposition
Of facts may, possibly, mislead few Of its
readers, it may be well to say. and, even at
the cost Of tedIousness, repeat it, that the
Constitution of the United States. By the
fourth section of article four, authorizes the
Legislature of State at any time, and the
executive Of q State only "when the Legis-
latpre cannot convene" to apply to the
United States for a guarantee against do
mestic violence" Whether it was either
strictly legal or strictly wise for the Legis-
lature of Louisiana, under this authorize
ton, to call upon a military officer Of the
United States to act ''as policeman, even
when no other policeman was at hand, may
be question.
AS stated by the World, there can be no
question that when the officer (DeTrobri-
and) thus called upon ''by committee of
five members" 4" responded to the call, en-
tered the House, and asked the acting
Speaker OR. Wiltz) whether it was not pos
sible for him to preserve order without ap-
pealing to him (Gtn. DeTrobriand) as a
United States army officer, to preserve or
der" that officer distinctly recognized the
Legislature of Louisiana as in session. Re
ceiving the assurance from the Speaker that
his Intervention was necessary to ''preserve
order" Gen. DeTrobriand, according to
Sheridan, proceeded to the lobby, and adj
dressing few words to the excited crowd,
peace was at once restored"
The Legislature, thus relieved from the
disturbances sin the vicinity" thanked
''Gen. DeTrobriand for his interference in
behalf of law and Order" says Sheridan,
''and the General withdrew"
What brought him bde9
Did he return at the request of the
Speaker, whom he had previously recog-
nized, or of committee Of the body then
and thererepresentlng for him the sovereign
State of louisiana No. lie returned, as
Sheridan has irrevocably confessed, ''at the
request of the Governor" for the purpose
of aiding 'the Republicans" of the As
sembly by ''remO0ing from the floor Of the
House, under directions from the GorernOr of
the State, those persons scho had been illegally
seated and soho had no right to Be there
Here is the plain, final, fatal storyi It
comes to us now, not from the ''liars" OF
the Associated Press; not from the ''Iiars"
of the Cotton Exchange and the banks Of
New Orleans; not from the 'liarsp of that
tgyUl,;to T ar-,,oy3 ,,b;oh n, NJ Tb.1,,, "a
Mr.. Potter and Mr.. Foster have testified,
is public and open organization of respect
able citizens bent on keeping order; not
even from those most conspicuous Of all the
'liars" iE Louisiana, the bishops of the
Roman Catholic, the Protestant Episcopal
and the Methodist churches, and the Rabbi
of the Israelites-it comes to us from the
man who has branded all these citizens of a
great American commonwealth as 'Iiars, y
and who has demanded that they be de-
livered over to him to be murdered at his
pleasure az ''bandItti." It comes from
Lieut. Gen. Sheridan himself. What, now,
have the decent citizens, the property hold
ers, the freemen of America to say to this
shameless avowaI9
We were informed, IN a report of sundry
interviews" at Washington with members
of the Cabinet, that two at least of that
body, Mr.. Fish and Mr.. Bristow, most
emphatically declare themselves to have
been misrepresented by the dispatch in
which Mr.. Belknap made such insolent
haste to assure Sheridan that ''all' the
ministersof Grant thoroughly approved"
his base and brutal language about the citl-
zens of louisiana We are now assured, so
far as such report can assure us, that when
Mr. Belknap sent this dispatch he was stat
ing what he knew was not true. 1t is well
for the good name of Mr. Hamilton Fish
that the infamous imputation thus put upon
him is baseless. It is well for Mr. Bristow
also, of whom, from the first hour of his
accession to the Treasury, good men have
been eager to expect something better than
= subservient mediOcrity, that he, too, is
reported as victim Of the official mendac-
ity and impudence Of his colleague. Now
that the course, not of Sheridan, the tool
and subordinate only, but Of Grant, the
chief, has been made public by Sheridan
himself; now that we have the testimony
cf Sheridan himself to show that Grants
lawlessness of action has been equal to his
own lawlessness of speech, we can assure
Mr.. Fish and Mr.. Bristow that If they feel
as free and high4spirited men ought to feel,
and resent as free and high-spirited men
ought to resent, the degradations ought to
be inflicted upon them by the dispatch of
Mr. Belknap, they have not another hour
to lose in clearing themselves of all respon-
sibility for the CRIME imputed to them by
the confession of General Sheridan.