The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-11-26
SCRURz IN HIS PRIME.
His Dszvneiations Of Packard and the Louilian,
Returning Board in 1876.
A SPEECH THAT WAS PULL OF PROPHECY AND
TIMELY WARNINGS.

0rom the congressional Record January II, 1851
ask what kind of logic, what statesman
ship is it we witness 80 frequently ON this
floor, which takes the statistics of popula.
tiOn of a State in hand and then proceeds
to reason thus: So many colored people, 80
many white, therefore 30 many cOlored
votes and 80 many white votes and there
fore so many Republican votes and 30 many
Democratic votes; and if an election does
not show this exact propo ion, it must be
necessarily the result of fraud and intimi
dation and the National Government must
inte' fere. When we have established the
rule that election returns must be made or
corrected according to the statistics of pop
uIation. then we may decide elections be-
fore hand by the United States census and
laet gears Tribune Almanac, and save our
selves the trouble of voting.
INTIMIDAT1oN OF VOTERS
Intimidation of voters! doubt not, sir,
there has been much of it, very much.
There has been mach of it by terrorism,
physical and moral by the discharge Of
employees from employment for political
cause, but, apprehend, not all on cne side.
I shail be the last man on earth to say q
word of excuse for the Southern ruffian
who threatens q negro voter with violence
to make him vote the Conservative ticket.
know no language too severe to condemn
his act But l cannot forget and it stands
vividly iD my recollection, that the only act
of terrorism and intimidation 1 ever hap.
pened to witness with my Swn eyes was the
cruel clubbing and stoniDg "f a colored
man in North Carolina in 1872 by men of
his own race, because he had declared him
self in favor of the Conservatives and if
the whole story of the South were told it
would be discovered that such a practice
has by no means been infrequent.
But there was Intimidation of aDOtk er
kind.
PACKARD AND HIS DRAGONS.
1 caunot forget the spectacle of Marshal
Packard, with the Dragons of the United
States at the disposition of the chairman of
the Kellogg campaign committee at the late
election in Louisiana, riding through the
State with full aesor tment of warrants in
his haud, arresting whOmsoever he listed
! cannot forgot tha' as to the discharge of
laborers from employment for political
cause O most seductive aud demoralizing
example is set by the very highest authority
in the land. While we have law on our
statute book declaring the Intimidation of
voters by threatened OF actual discharge
from employ ymeDt punishable offense, it
is the Dotorious practice of the Government
Of the United States to discharge every one
of its employees who 0ares to vote against
the Administration party; and that is done
North and South, East and West, as far as
buc dLU VI Ludb OONcIuWoDI TchCucS' 4
have always condemned the intimidation of
voters in every shape, and therefore have
been in favor of genuine civil service re-
form. Bot while your National Govern
ment is the chief intimidator in the land, !,
you must not be surprised if partisans on
both sides profit littlefrom it's example.
FEDERAL UsuRPAT1oN.
The Federal oficeholders in the South
became more than ever the center of par
Snfr fri hn
and Packards carried off State Senators in
United States revenue. cutters and held Re-
publican conventions in United States GUS
tom houses, guarded by United States SOL
diers, 10 prevent other Republican factions
from interfering. Nay, more than that, the
same Packard during the last election cam
paigu in Louisiana, being at the same tune
United States Marshal and chairman of Kel-
logg's campain committee, managed not
only the political campain but also the
movements of the United States dragOOus
to enforce the laws and to keep his political
opponents from intimidating" his politi-
cal friends. More than that, in one State
after another in the South We ga " enter.
prislpg politicians start rival legislatures
and rival governments, much in the way OF
Mexican prOnuDciamentOs, calculating on
the aid to be obtained from the National
Government; the Attorney General of the
United States called upon to make or IN
make governors of States by the mere wave
OF his hand, and the Department OF Justice
almost appearing like the central bureau
fer the regulation of State elections. And
stiIl moIe than that, We cav Federal
Judge in Louisiana, by midnight order,
universally recognized as gross and most
upjustifable usurpaCiOD, virtually making
State government and Legislature, aud
the National Executive with the army sus
tanning that usnrpatiOn and Congress per-
mittiDg it to be done.
PACKARD IN TWO CHARACTERS.
Neither do think that you can convince
an intelligent public opinion that the Kel-
lOgg party did carry the State of Louisiapa q
by coma Jfde vote at the last election, and
that the unconstitutional employ ment of