The Portland daily press., 1875-02-09
A New Orleans Merchant on the SituG-
tiOn.

We are permitted to publish the following
extract from private letter written under
date of January 20, 1875, by prominent
merchant of New Orleans to his brother.
The writer is a very shrewd observer, per-
fectly reliable and entirely free from par
tisanship. His view of the situation Is much
more likely to be correct than that Of any
publicist of either side. He says:
1 have been intending writing you q few
lines on the situation here, but have not yet
had time, will try to now. First 10 regard TO
Sherman am entirely satisfied from what
have seen and heard myself, aud from what
have of the personal experiences OF E. and
others, that he (Sheridan) did not oyerstate the
lawlessness existing in this state at all. knoso
that his dispatch describing the state of affairs
here was substantially correct though poltic
man would no doubt have werded the dispatch
es differently. But while it seems clear that it
is absolutely necessary for the protection of
union men and the negroes that Sheridan and
Grant should be fully supported, and that U. 8.
troops he kept here as long as matters remain
as they are at present, think that IL Is
equally clear that the Kellogg government
what the McEnery government would be.
The cause of the troubles lies in az antagonism
between two extreme classes-the old slave
holders, including all the brain Of the rebel
lion, representing capital in large part, on enc
side and the poorer whites and the negroes on
the other. The former have suffered severly
from Taxation aud bad legislation, and their
passions are reused to such an extent that they
are entirely desperate and in this condition they
are struggling for the control of the govern
ment. If they obtain it the condition of the
other class will be much worse than either, un-
der present circumstances, and Republican
would have about as good show here as an abb
oltiouist did before the war. On the other
hand the negroes have been given the ballot,
as a means of self protection. They are mere
children in civil polity, and under the teachings
of Warmoth, his followers and other rascals,
it Is not to be wondered at that this city and
state are saddled with debt that they are un-
able to bear. The present conflict Is extremely
ruinous to all the interests of the state, and
everybody in it, and is altogether irrepressible,
except perhaps through some such radical
measure as suggested. 1t seems to US here also
that Congress has shirked its duty in not meet
ing the Louisiana case taking no action itself,
and a large part of 1t condemning Grant and
Sheridan for taking the only action they possi-
bly, could take under the circumstances. So
far as the military interference" on the 4th of
JAN is concerned, it is thought by all Union
people here that Wendell Phillips hit the nail
directly on the head in his speech in Faneuil Hall
and these people who went against secession and
were Union men throughout the war, are now
looking anxiously for every indication of pub
lie feeling in the North, in the strong hope that
Sheridan may be sustained. OF course you
know that have no particular bias on either
side but have tried to state the case Just as L
see il after careful examination.