The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-06-07
NOW If WAk,

| the Congressional CUmmittee etAteu
that iii 1874 United States Marshals,
with blank warrants In their pockets.
traversed North Louisiana, giving out
that they were going to arrest certain
citizens. and that In consequence many
persons fed their homes and stayed
away from the polls. "A member Of the
COMMITTEES asked the witness Why the
threatened parties, II they were inno-
cent. ran or
We propose TO answer this question In
our own way; and We may possibly give
the distinguished gentlemen composing
the committee some idea Of the manner
Ia which Federal authority Ia North
Louisiana has been exercised.
The query Of the committeeman was
very proper. This Ii supposed to be
| free. enlightened and Christian country,
Ia which the law Il justly administered,
and In which accused parties are al.
lowed fair aud impartial trial, and
humane treatment while under indiet.
inent. In such countries honest
men are not frightened At false
charges, and they do not flee their
homes and seek refuge from constables.
sheriffs and marshals In the ewamps.
In all such countries the honest citizen
fevcrences the courts and regards them
AZ his beet and Hurest protection. 1t was
very natural. therefore, We repeat. for
stranger to our State, when he heard
that citizens Of North Louisiana fled
| from their homes aud families at the
approach Of United States Marshals, to
ask why they fed. II they were innoeent7
Unfortunately, the superstition that
Louisiana Il 4 free country, or that 1t IL
wisely, humanely, aud impartially gov
erned. Il very great error It was not
because the threatened citizens OF North
Louisiana feared Justice that they fled
ut the approach Ut the Federal officials
they left their homes and took refuge III
the swamps, or In other localities. to
escape the relentless persecution Of the
Federal power. Time and again they
had seen their fellow-citizens. innocent
ofany crimes except those Of being Dem
ocrute and of opposing the iniquities
OF the Radical thieves and Adventures
who swarm the State. arrested and
taken to New Orleans to undergo the
nockery Of trial They saw industri-
Gus and peaceabla citizens, charged with
being engaged In the Colfax riot. hunted
down by Federal officials and soldiers,
arrested, taken to New Orleans At the
very time their crops were needing their
attention, refused bail bya United States
Judge, incarcerated for weary months In
miserable dungeon with the meanest
fare. and they knew that those OF the
prisoners who were engaged In the riot
acted III defense OF their lives and prop
efty. aud that several Of them had no
more to do with II than tho mem
beers Of the Congressional Committee.
He saw the wives and children OF these
innocent men suffering for the neces-
saries OF life, and their little properties
going to ruin, while the authorities OF
the Republic locked the dungeon doors
upon them az mercilessly as though
they had been the vilest criminals. AT
the same time they saw the men
who instigated that riot I'M
molested and holding important
public offices; they saw Register
holding the Office OF Parish Judge
they saw Ward. disporting himself ms
member OF the Legislature. and Flow
ers rallying the negro hosts. They had
come to learn, by sad and terrible cxpe-
rience. that the Federal Courts In Louis.
lana were organized to convict Southern
white men. that the Federal District
Attorneys had been appointed to perse-
cute Southern white men, and that
United States marshals and deputy
marshals were appointed and sent out
TO hunt down Southern white men as
though they were murderers and
thieves. They had seen nearly two
hundred negroes brought down from
Grant and Rapidcs parishes, kept here
for days and trained by District Attor-
ney Beckwith aud others to swear to
the most damnable lies against the
Grant parish prisoners. They had
seen the passage 81 this army Of negro
perjurers, paid, also their per diem
and expenses by the Federal Govern
ment, and they had seen the Federal
authorities refuse to make adequate
provision for the witnesses for the de.
Tense, and the impoverished prisoners
left to their own resources and the gen.
erosity OF their friends to defend them
selves against vindictive Court, q
savage District Attorney, q stocked
Jury, subsidized witnesses. lying and
malicious press and the denunciations
OF the whole country.
And yet, these things were OF the past
and might have been forgotten. Indeed,
when Merrill and his marshals and
rough-riders arrived In North Louisiana
In the midst Of the canvass Of 1874, but
few felt apprehension at their presence.
But when the deputy marshals thieves