New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-03
COUSHATTA REVIVED.

Dispatches from Coushatta indicate
that the Democrats have already begun
the campaign in their usual fashion. They
begin by MORALLY wounding Senator
Twitchell and killing his brother-in-law,
Mr.. King. And this, too, upon nearly
the same ground where the six Repub-
licans were murdered and robbed in 1874.
1t is noteworthy fact that this outrage
was preceded by a formal tender of
thanks to the Supreme Court of the
United States for having enlarged the
''noble men, who rallied to protect their
homes from violence-meaning the Grant
parish prisoners. With Democratic
House and a timid judiciary, the United
States government is almost as powerless
in 1876 as it was in 1860. There seems to
be no authority anywhere to punish
criminals, and the farce of accusation,
whether conducted in Washington by
committees, in Mississippi or Louisiana
by the legislatures or by the circuit courts
in revenue cases have no effect upon any
body except those who are frightened by
swagger and bluff Poor Belknap was
scared out of his Office and two or three
parties indicted here for conspiracy in the
whisky cases shave not been arrested and
tried" which means they have taken
themselves somewhere out of the storm,
others have safely passed the ordeal of
the "palladium of our liberties, and are
apparently safe.
Now all this condition of anarchy and
misrule, this contempt and disregard of
law, this defiance of healthy popular
opinion, can have but one result. If the
ordinary courts of law are unable to pro-
tect the lives Of peaceable citizens, some
other means will be adopted. 1t can not
be that q fair State like this will be given
up to the rule of common stabbers with
out provoking remedy that will be effec-
tual. What that remedy will be we may
not be able to state just now. In case the
law-abiding people of other States become
sufficiently aroused, we may be visited
with martial law until time can effect its
changes in the minds and fortunes of the
people of the unsettled districts. That
failing, or coming too tardy, the oppressed
classes may be driven to such state of
desperation as to either abandon the State
or changed from proverbial docihty into
a most dangerous element. Either would
be fatal to the interests which now in
stigate bad men to murder Republicans
and applaud the acquittal of criminals.
The history of the past teaches us that vio-
lence soon begets greater violence, and
that those who initiate wrong are almost
invariably the sufferers at last. In 1853
things had came to such a pass in this
city that respectable man whose poll
tics were unknown could not vote in this
city without first showing his ballot to
ward strikers placed around the polls to
scrutinize. For the seven years which
followed the Democrats we're served with
this same sauce which they had in
vented, until they were taught TO feel
keenly how unjust they themselves had
been. In the contests which ensued, the
State was entirely powerless. A call for
the militia on one occasion resulted in
the muster of one man, while thousands
rallied eagerly around the tandards of
the respective contending parties. The
war put an end to the strife for few
years, but it bids fair to be renewed dur
ing the coming campaign in all its fierce
ness. Unless there is sufficient loyalty
and justice in the State to check these
political disorders, one party or the other
will be compelled to look for help else
where. 1t is shame on the civilization
of the age that men in Louisiana hold
their lives at the caprice of private assas-
sins. Those who now set these bad ele-
ments loose and approve and applaud
their acts, may themselves be the next
victims. We already see indications of
such termination to the wholesale mis-
rule, helped on by perverted public
opinion, and shall not be surprised to
learn any day that the desperate victims
of violence have adopted desperate
remedy for their own relief.
WOE UNTO YE ALSO. YE LAWYERS.
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