The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-03-03
THE LOUISIANA CRISIS.

and Hayes and Wheeler be formally
declared President and Vice President
elect of the United States. But in
our own State the crisis is yet to come,
and it is an open question, and one
fraught with grave Importance to the
people, whether it will come and go
again leaving behind no flow of blood
or sacrifice of human life. AS the
M oment approaches when the armed
truce maintained by the supporters of
rival State governments will be sus-
pended by the action of the federal
executive, the eyes of the people of
Louisiana turn towards the State cap
ital with far more solicitude than that
with which they have watched the
national contest.
Especially is this the case with the
friends of the Nichols or Democratic
government, who have displayed a
depth of feeling in this contest I'M
equalled in any of the political cam
paigns since the war. They were favor
able to Tilden, of course, but are quite
ready to accept the election of Hayes
even by the self-same title upon
which the Republican State govern
ment depends-if assured that Gov.
Nichols will be recognized, or at least
unmolested by federal authority.
In common with many other ADLER
advocates of the Republican cause,
the CHIEF has labored earnestly to
convince the white people of this State
that their interests would be best sub
served by the success of the Repub-
lican party. 1t is needless to remark
that the effort has resulted in almost
total failure. We do not propose at
this time to enter into an examination
or rehearsal of the multifold causes
which have produced this effect. 1t
is sufficient for our present purpose
to cite the notorious fact that the
white people, comprising vast ma
jority Of the educated and property
holding classes, are banded together
in almost solid phalanx in warm sup
port of the Nichols government and
opposition to that headed by Gov.
Packard. Enormously, IA we think,
they regard the overthrow of Gov.
Packard's authority as absolutely
essential to their own welfare and
that of the State, and declare their
readiness to go to any length OF make
any sacrifice to accomplish this OBJ
ject. The unaninity of sentiment
upon this point leaves little room to
doubt it's candnr or intensity. II it
prevailed only among the hahitual
fire. eaters and political blowhards, it
might be regarded as braggodocio and
buncombe but it is openly avowed
by the heretofore peaceable and law
abiding class, led by prominent mer-
chants and business men, many of
whom in 1872 and 1873 gave support
and sympathy to Gov. Kellogg, re-
fusing to countenance the violent pol
icy of the extremist McEnery.
We advocate the supremacy of law
at all times and deprecate the policy
of violence which has blackened the
fame of Louisiana and retarded her
progress almost beyond calculation !;
but we can not avoid the conviction
that the recognition of the Republican
State government by the federal ad-
ministration will be the signal for an
armed revolt, the ultimate result OF
whieh-ignoring intermediate conse-
quences-will be the establishment OF
| d military Cover nmeDC.
President Grant has reiterated his
purpose to leave the settlement of the
question to his successor, and from
this time forth the matter may be con-
sidered in the hands of President
Hayes. Numerous prophesies as to
his probable manner of dealing with
it have been made, differing as widely
as the opinions and political sympa-
thies of the authors. Representative
Democrats at Washington, and also
prominent national Republicans who
oppose Gov. Packard, claim to have
! positive assurances from the intimate
friends and advisers of Gov. Hayes
that the Hampton and Nichols
governments in South Carolina and
will Ila Al