The daily gazette., 1876-07-29
The ARMY IN LOUISIANA.

II the Legislature of the State of
New York had once been driven from
its halls at the point of the bayonet by
tho order of drunken Federal Judge,
with the support and approval of the
National Administration, and if the
State Govcrnmen had afterwards been
organized and sustained by the mere
power of brute force; if another elecA
tion were at hand and there was pro.
spect that the people would elect a
ticket opposed TO the wishes and in
tcrests OF the party in power, which
controls the army, and if General
Hancock should issue such an order as
| the one which follows, placing such
discretionary power in the hands of a
subordinate stationed in the interior of
the State, there would be little doubt
as to its threatening character. But
the order in question is issued in
Louisiana, where such conditions pre-
cedent as we have detailed have exis>
ted. and Is directed by General Augur,
the officer in command, to Colonel
John Is. Brooke, stationed at Baton
Rouge. We find It in the New Orleans
Republican of recent date, and the
minatory paragraph is as follows, the
italics, of course, being our own;
1.-The District Commander is authori-
zed to move his troops to any point
within the limits of his command,
,ohenerep an has judgment, i. is in the
interest of peace and order, which he
is expected to preserve, as far as it can
be done, by the use of every legal
means within his control"
The military district over which
Colonel Brooke has been placed is
composed of the parishes of East
Feliciana, West Feliciana. East Baton
Rouge, st. Helena, Livingston, and
Tangipaboa, Pike, and Amite, of Miss
sissippi. Sub commander of troops in
this district are, in turn, required to
report to Colonel Brooke at frequent
intervals, giving him such informa-
! ''tion concerning their commands, and
"of matters in their vicinity, as NAV
"be useful to him." An innocent di.
rection, perhaps, had not the army
been employed for six years past in
/ these two States for but little other pur-
! pose except in the interest of the ADJ
ministration party.
Why should Colonel Brooke or ether
army officer, in time of peace and in
a sovereign State, be authorized to
move his troops to any given point,
and, by inference, to employ them
whenever, in his judgment, it is in
the interest of peace and orderr' In
deed. Colonel Brooke is explicitly in
formed that lie is expected to preserve
peace and order, las far as it can be
dome, by the use of every legal means
within his CONTROL" A United
States officer or soldier is, legally, no
more than any other citizen in the ex.
ercise of such functions as are here re-
ferred to, and they, as are all citizens.
are subject directly to the command of
the regularly qualified civil authority.
In the light of the past no one will
imagine that General, Augur's order
contemplates any such subordination
to the civil authorities. The Federal
troops are plainly expected and COM
manded to act as special police, and
we do not think it is forced inference
TO believe that they are to be used to
influence the coming elections in Mis-
sissippi and Louisiana. The order
under which Colonel Brooke's troops
VIII act has doubtless been issued 10
all commands under General Augur's
jurisdiction. The national election
may, and perhaps will, be determined
by the result in these to State. That
there is to be desperate effort off on
=, the part of the Administration at
Washington to carry such OF the
Southern States as may be controlled
by the bayonet, we do not doubt, and
this extraordinary pronunciamento
from the commanding officer at New
Orleans looks very much as if the at,
tempt had been inaugurated.
The Americana are. Justly, yery
jealous of any interference of the mil
itary in civil affairs. If New York or
Massachusetts or Pennsylvania is to be
hotly contested between the two par
ties in the coming election, anything
that has the appearance of employing
the army In police duty would not be
suffered in the remotest degree. Such
an order as the one we print, issued in
any one of these States, would be re-
cleved with indignant surprise and in.
slant protest. 1t would happily, not
avail in these States, but event have
shown that such interference has great
and decisive influence in the South.
But if the employment of the army in
New York or Massachusetts would be
repudated by the common voice of
the people, why should it be suffered
in State which has equal rights and
privileges with any north of the Sec
tional liner it must be understood that
Louisiana and Mississippi will not
venture, as any Northern State, to re.
sist by any show of force such en-.
croachments upon their rights. Moth
ing could better please their enemies
or prove more Immediately disastrous
to their best interests. And it must
also be understood that their only hope
is in the united protest of the people of
of the North, who have an equal inter-
est with them in preserving inviolate
every infringement upon the constitu-
tional safeguards of the people. Not
to mention the paramount danger of
permitting the military to subordinate
the civil power in any section of the
country, and in a time of absolute
peace, the will of the majority in