The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-01-21


! very naturally greatly alarmed th-
j cuiured voter. b.. sEctiOH S Of the
act Of February 25.n, 1871, it is made
the duty uf the United States Mar.
shsIi aud their deputies st the pjlls
where gutes are cast f1T r pres -uta-
tives IN Congress, ~ keep the peace
aBd prevent any violations Of tbs 50
called enfOrc-msGE acts and utner
Otieuses against the laws of the UHi-
let States, ami up q a requ.siticn Of
the Aaisnal Of LJuisit ia, and in
view &! said srDei organ uiZ4tiOu aud
Otner p9TtentIuus circumstances,
caused detscIments of troops to be
statiOgsd in various localities in the
state tO aid him in the performance
of his official duties and the enforce
ment Of the State laws. That there
was intimidation of fRepub!ican voters
at the election notwithstanding these
precautions, admits Of no doubt. The
following are specimens of the means
used: On the 18th of October, eighty
persons signed and published the fol.
lowing at Shreveport "We, the
undersigned merchants OF the city OF
Shreveport, in obedience to q re-
quest of the Shreveport Cam
paign Club, agree to use every
endeavor to get our employees to
vote the peoples ticket at the en-
suing election, aud in the event of
their refusal SO to do, or in case they
vote the Radical ticket, to refuse to
employ them at the expiration of
their present contracts" On the
same day another large body of per-
SONS published in the same place q
Daper in which tbeyr slso@i- ta-o rJfIUYf-
fng language: 1--WE, the undersigned,
merchants OF the city of Shreveport,
alive TO the great Importance OF se-
curing good aud honest government
to the State, do agree and pledge our
selves not TO advance any supplies or
money to any planters, nor to any
| planter, the coming year, who will
give employment or rent lands to Ia
borers who vote the Radical ticket in
the coming election"
have no information OF the pro-
ceedings OF the Returning Board for
said election, which may not be
| found in the report which has been
published but il Is 8 matter of pub
lie information that a great part of
the time taken to canYass the votes
was consumed by the arguments of
! lawyers, several of whom represent
ed each party before the Board. 1
have no evidence. that the proceed
/ ings of this Board were not in accor-
dance with the law under which they
acted. Whether in excluding from
their court certain returns, they were
right or wrong, is question that de-
pends upon the evidence they had
before them, but it was very clear
that the law gives them the power, if
they chose to exercise il, of deciding
that way, and prima facie, the per-
sons whom they return as elected are
entitled to the offices for which they
were candidates.
Respecting the alleged interference
by the military with the organization
of the Legislature of Louisiana on the
4th inst, have no knowledge or in
| formation which has not been reeeiv-
ed by me since that time and publish
| ed. My first Information was from
| the papers of the morning of the 5th
of January. did not know that any
such thing was anticipated, and no
orders, no suggestions were ever Civ
en- 10 any military officers in that
State upon that subject prior to the
occurrence. / am well aware that
any interference by the officers or
troops of the United States with the
organization Of State Legislature or
any of its proceedings, or with any
civil departments of the government,
is repugnant to our ideas of govern.
ment. I can conceive of no case not
| involving rebellion or insurrectiOn
where such interference by the au-
thOrities of the general government
ought to be permitted or can be justi-
fed but there are circumstances con-
nected with the late legislative i'm
br0gliO in Louisiana which seem to
exempt the military from any inten-
tiOnal wrong in that matter, know
ing that they had been placed in Lnu-
isiana to prevent domestic violence
and aid to repress il. The officers
and troops of the United States may
well have supposed that it was their
duty to act when called upon by the
government for tnaI purpose. Each
branch of a legislative assembly is the
Judge of the election and qualifica-
tions of its own members, but il
mob or body of unauthorized persons
seize and hold the legislative hall in
tumSltuOus and riotOus manner, and
SO prevent any organization by those
legally returned as elected, it might
become the duty OF the State Execu-
| tive 10 interpOse, if requested by a
majority of the members elect, TO
suppress the disturbance and enable
| the persons elected to organize the
| House. ANY exercise of this power
would be justifiabIe only under most
extraordinary circumstances, and it
would then be the duty of the Coy
ernor to call upon the constabulary,
or, if necessary, the military force of
the State. But with reference to
Louisiana, it is to be borne in mind
that any attempt by the Governor to
use the police force of that State at
this time would have undoubtedly
precipitated q bloody conflict with
the White Leagueas as it did on the 18th
of September. There is no doubt but
] the presence of the United States
troops on that occasion prevented
blOodshed and the loss of life. Both
parties appear to have relied upon
them as cOnservat0rs of the public
peace. The first call was made by
the Democrats to remove persons OBJ
noxiOus to them from the legislative
| hall, and the second was from Re-
publicans TO remove persons who had
usurped seats in the Legislature with
out legal certificates authorizing them
to seats, and in sufficient number to
change the majority, Nobody was
disturbed by the military who had
legal right at that time to occupy a
seat in the Legislature. That the
Democratic minority of the House
undertook to seize its organization by
fraud and violence; that in this at
tempt they trampled under foot the
law that they undertook to seat per-
sons not returned as elected members
so as TO create majority; that they
acted under precOncerted plan, and
under false pretenses introduced into
the hall men to support their preten-
siOns by force, ii necessary, and that
conflict. disorder and riotOus proceed
ings followed, are facts that seem to
be well established, and am credi-
bly, informed that these violent. pro-
ceedings were a part OF a premedita-
ted plan to have the House organized
and in this way recognize what has
been called the McEuery Senate;
lAlGn " NcpooC 0ONGAhbA AACAlO-Ef anu
so reyOlutionize the State govern
ment. Whether it was wrong for the
Governor, at the request of the major
ity of the mem Oers returned as elect
ed to the House, to use such means as
were in his power to defeat these
lawless and revolutionary proceed
ings is perhaps a debatable question,
but it Is quite certain that there
would have been no trouble il those
who now complain of Illegal interfe-
renee had allowed Il e H Juse TO be or
ganized in lawful and regular man
ner- When those VINO inaugurate
disorder, war and anarchy disavOw
such proceedings, it will be time
! enough to condemn those who try
such means as they have to prevent
the success of their lawless and des-
| perate schemes. Lieut.. Gen. Sheridan
was requested by me to 90 To L9uisia-
IA to observe and report the situation
there, and if in his opinion il was nee
essary TO assume the command,
which he did on the 4th inst, after
/ the Legislative disturbance had oc-
CURED at O'Clock P. NJ, a number of
hnr-a altar ff1a Ffaturia1 n as-G No r.ar-