The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-02-17
A Question for Republicans.

We desire to ask those persons who
profess TO be Republicans from convie-
ton, what course they would advise the
Conservatives to pursue towards Mr..
kellogg in view. of the developments
made in the report of Mr.. Aldige's com
mittee. Here we have u dc faeto Coy
ernor caught in the act Of violating the
express terms Of q law that he fathered,
and exerting the utmost pressure upon
u hesitating Treasurer. by threat.
promise and otherwise" TO in
ducc him to participate In an act
which tho law in question declares to be
a felony. namely. tho diversion from
their proper destination Of large sums
Of money set apart as n sacred fund for
the payment of the interest on State
bonds. Mr.. Kellogg has always pro
fessed the greatest anxiety to guard
most zealously the credit and financial
honor Of this State, and now we find him
the leader in conspiracy to seize upon
what in equity would be called the
property Of our foreign and domestic
creditors and to use 1t for tho pur-
pose of surrounding himself with u
chosen band Of merccnaries to protect
him against imaginary attacks. The
credit and honor of the State may suf-
fer, the honest. hard working employees
of the government may starvo or sub
nit to the INSCRIPTIONS shaving of
their warrants by money brokers, but
the political bummers who act as n
body guard to our pusilaninous execu-
two and take rapid flight at the first ap
proach of real danger, must be sup
ported in luxurious idleness at any sac
riiice
We therefore ask honest Republicans
to take u calm and dispassionato view
of the situations to weigh the facts dis
closed In the reports Of Mossrs. Aldige
and Dupre with strict impartiality; to
divest their minds of all suspicion and
fear Of violent intentions on the part of
the Conservatives, and to say upon THEN
honor and conscience whether in any
State of this Union, under such circum-
stances, II would not be deemed the
positive duty Of House Of Representa-
tives to call the Executive to u strict
account for willful violations Of the
letter and spirit of the law, and to re-
move him if found guilty. Surely there
can be but one opinion in this matter.
If such acts are allowed TO go unques-
toned, there is no limit to the extent to
which the law may be deiied and vio-
lated by ruler who governs one part Of
the people with the support Of Federal
bayonets, and the other part by appeals
to race prejudices and by the employ
mcnt of threats and intimidation. In
any Northern community Mr.. Kel
logg would long since have been i'm
peached and removed. Are our rep
resentatives to be turned away
from the only course which their own
duty and the rights Of their constitu-
ents leave open to them, by senseless
fear lest their action may be designedly
misinterpreted by those who are directly
interested in casting Odium upon their
conduct in political matters? Has Secre-
tary Bristow been deferred from prose-
cutting Gen. Babcock by the cry raised
by Administration organs that his in
dictment and trial are Il part of a con-
spiracy of rebels to break down the Re
publican party and to seize upon the
Government?
We can assure our representatives and
the honest republicans in the Legisla-
ture that, whatever might be the senti-
ment Of the people Of the United States
in regaiIos to an Impeachment of Mr..
Kellog.cbn political grounds alone, they
will fully indorse and approve any le-
ultimate action that may be taken to
yindicate the sanctity and majesty of
the laws, particularly OF laws designed
to guard the financial credit of the
State.
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