The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-08-24
THE PRESIDENTS ORDER.

ia
not In the spirit OF the Enforcement Act,
and as clearly an authorization Of the
use of the army in our elections? And
second. what influence the Presidents
order. il carried out In the spirit In
which it was issued, will have upon the
CANVASS? ru.r .f ant e#.f9.
The questions OF our correspondent
are very easily answered. There Is no
similarity whatever between the LORD
resolution and the Enforcement Act.
In the first place, the latter
was an act or law OF Con
greys, while the former WAS merely
a resolution or expression OF opinion OF
no binding force or effect. The Enforce
ment Act was u vital part OF a plan to
control the Southern States In the In
terest of the Republican party, and WIS
especially intended to give the Federai
courts o. jurisdiction they never had be-
fore, and to authorize tho Presl-
dent to use the land and naval
forces of the Government in control
ling elections in the Southern
States. In express language the
act in question confers Jurisdiction
upon Federal courts, and authorizes
the President to use the land and naval
forces to enforce the provisions OF the
act This authority Is given In two
separate sections OF the act-the spirit
Of both Of which IL to subordinate the
civil authority, in all matters to which
the act appertains, to the military. Any
one who will read the Enforcement Act
will observe this fact. Upon the other
hand, tie Scott Lord resolution Is a
simple declaration that all persons who
have been, or may be hereafter, guilty
Of violating the laws or OF preventing.
by violence or intimidation, any one
from exercising his political rights,
should be punished by the civil courts
having Jurisdiction.
The Enforcement Act was a law
designed to subvert the civil authority
In the Southern States; to revolutionize
our theory Of government and establish
over this section a military despotisin.
The Lord resolution was very clear
declaration i'm favor of those fundamen-
tai principles of society which every
civilized man must fully indorse. The
Supreme Court has virtually declared
the Enforcement Act unconstitutional,
null and void. No enlightened court can
ever render u just decision which will be
In conflict with the enunciations OF the
Lord resolution. The Enforcement Act
was crime against those eternal laws
of Justice which are our rule and birth
right. The Lord resolution was pro-
nouncement of principles which every
enlightened community must accept
and act upon, or resolve itself into a
state Of anarchy. 1t our correspondent
will read the Enforcement Act, the Lord
resolution and the decision OF the
Supreme Court OF the United States
In the Grant parish cases, the difference
between the act and the resolution will
appear very plain to him. II, besides.
he keeps IN mind the spirit In which
both wa past, he will recognize in the
act the purpose to commit cruel crime
against. eight millions OF American
citizens, and i'm the resolution an utter
ance wisely designed to set that eight
millions Of people right before the
world upon question of vital import
ance to the whole country.
What effect the Presidents order will
have upon the canvass in Louisiana 1t
il difficult to predict. Ii Gen. Grant
shall send troops here, or shall use
those already here to dragoonade the
Democrats, as he did in 1874, we think
there will be two results. In the first
place IT will incense the people and i'm
part an intense bitterness to the can
vass In the second place 1t will result
in giving the Democrats and COnserva-
tives largely increased majority. The
whites may be driven from the polls by
actual armed violence on the part Of
the troops, but nothing short Of
armed violence can, or ever has,
inundated them. The outrage
will simply arouse their passions
and determine them to carry the cleo
ton. Every man will come to the front !;
we will hear no more complaints Of the
Indifference of good men to politics;
we will have no more discussions over
ward club squabbIes every man will
work with the colored people; the wo-
men will cheer them on and denounce
the man who shrinks from his duty as
citizen. For every cowardly white
who, terrified at the glitter OF a
bayonet, sneaks like q cur out OF the
fight, we will get ten negro voters.
There will, unfortunately, be intense
bitterness, a clamorous and excited
canvass, and the INSCRIPTIONS
rascals who hold the election
machinery may make the excite
ment a pretext on which to throw out
precincts and parishes enough to reverse
the result of the election. But that we
will carry Louisiana by ten thousand
more votes il Grant sends his troops
than we will otherwise, we think there