New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-19
THE TACTICS OF CHIvALRY.

THE TACTICS OF CH1vALRY.
The force attempted by the Ku-Klux
had failed ignominiously. The govern
ment had prosecuted to imprisonment
many dupes of the modern chivalry who
prefer bomb proof positions and block
ade profits to the glories Of the open
field.
The first attempt to secure our State
government against the will OF the ma
jority, was made by q combination in
tended to effect Republican division,
and employ the election machinery for
Democratic success. This having failed.
because Congress regarded the election Of
1872 null for the fraud with which il was
conducted and certified, the tactics were
changed.
Discarding this pusillanimous policy,
our chivalry, organized for just such
capture" of the State government by
force of arms as the revolutienists in
Mexico propose at present, finding them
selves in the presence Of the fighting de-
partment of the federal government, mod
ern chivalry always prudent, retired. It
has made several Intellectual efforts to
stimulate its followers to acts Of violence,
but has been prevented by the interven-
ton of commerce which commanded the
peace with yardstick.
A new and more effectual strategy was
then adopted by the chivalry Of the chap
paral and woodpile. It was copied from
Mississippi and introduced under tie per-
sonal auspices of the triumphant Demo-
cracy of that State. It consists in so ter
rifying the unarmed voters before the
election, that there will be no need OF
violence at the election or of frauds after
the election. With the slight though i'm
portant improvement of picking off or
driving away the Republican leaders, the
process is succinctly this: To employ
any occasion of stolen hogs or cotton seed
to whip or shoot q negro on suspicion.
If this restoration of degrading mark Of
caste exasperates the negroes to resentment
or retaliation, then send the fiery cross to
the clans in the adjacent parishes or
States, bring together q band Of violent
men, armed and mounted, tell them that
there was q plot of murder and rapine,
and turn them loose upon the timid and
shrieking negroes By the time force
stronger than their own shall have
arrived at the scene all will be quiet. The
blow has been struck. The lesson has
been given. The colored voters, with
their women and children, have seen the
terrible masked avengers, and the bodies
of half q score of their husbands, sons
or brothers lie weltering in their blood.
Is this not a sufficient warning? If the
sheep have been slain and scattered by
the wolves, will not the faintest yelp at
midnight make them shiver and break for
safety and shelter? Such is the tactics Of
the chivalry of Coushatta. It is based
on the instincts of the most rapacious and
stealthy Of the animals. We rather think
this sort of chivalry is Southern, for it
abounds in-Sicily. 1t is the political
| vendetta. It never forgives. 1t never
pardons. It is never satisfied save in the
destruction of its victims In this case
the vendetta is after the colored Republi-
can majority. ...
We can but admire the cunning with
which these tactics of the raid are
planned. In other parts Of the Union the
election machinery and conflict is post
poned to the business interests of society.
Nominating conventions are appointed,
assemble and prepare the tickets Of the
contending parties. The election takes
place. Persons interested in the results
carry their contests before appropriate
tribunals. The people 60 back fraternally
to work for the common welfare. Before
the electoral canvass of other States be-
gina the canvass here is finished. A
Democratic caucus has nominated for
assassination the Republican leaders. A
monitory hecatomb of colored laborers
has satisfied the colored voters that on
election day the pillow is much safer
place than the polls. The election has
been decided in advance. The official
crop is ripe, and the chivalry of the mask
and rifle has nothing to do save to gather
the harvest at a nominal election.
In proof of this perfected system we
give an undisputed fact from the New Or
leans Times, with the comments of that
journal:
A very reliable citizen of Bayou Sara, in
response to an inquiry from the Itmcs, tele-
graphs that there has been no fight at
Laurel Hill, and that all is quiet at Bayou
Sara. We do not believe the disturbance
has reached the warlike proportions repre-
sented. but there is undoubtedly a good deal
of shooting and numbering, anu q very dan
gerOus and unfortunate condition of affairs
there. Whatever the cause or pr0vocatiOn,
q condition of lawlessness and anarchy ex-
lists there which it would be dishonest and
puerile to attempt to disguise.
Here is the "quiet' of Coushatta. Slain
and scattered, there is no resistance on
the part of the victims. Dispersed into
the distant parishes and adjacent States,
there is not an armed man visible.
Utterly ignorant of who these disguised
strangers" were, the local population
would be discharged under any liberal in
depreciation of the reconstruction act.
With profound quiet, entire ignorance and