The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1877-05-25
Chr Rmtlana 9aiIg @lobe
FRIDAY, MAY %, 1877.
THE LAST LOUISIANA MURDER.

THE LAST LOUISIANA MURDER.
A story comes from Louisiana to the eff
feet that one James Laws, colored repub-
lican, of East Feliclana.-one Of the cele-
brated "bull-dozed parishes" called
to his door, on Saturday of last week, by
"crowd of bull-dozers' and instantly shot
dead. "Gove1nor" Packard states that the
reason for the assassination was, that Laws
had presided at the only republican meet
ing held in that parish during the campaign
preceding the presidential election, and
had, also, testified before the Howe senate
investigating committee giving the names
of prominent citizens who had threatened
his life, and who had, as he believed,
caused his store to be burned.
If the story is true, it dlscloses a no
worse state OF affairs than has been alleged
to exist in Louisiana, and particularly in
East Feliciana parish, for years. "Gov-
ernors" Kellogg and Packard were con-
tinually complaining of these kind of "out-
RACES" and while they had the full ma
chinery of justice in their hands; while
they had complete control Of tie mlIit of
the state, and had only to say ego" and
they went, or "come" and they came while
the courts were filled with men of their way
of thinking, district attorneys " ere their
creatures, and the police their tools; and
while both grand and petit juries were
selected by officers of Il cir own choosing,
and we're 'packed" 80 as 10 convict any
man desired by the dominant party; yet
no attempt Was made to punish these "bull-
they were allowed to go scot tee, Kellogg
and Packard exhausted all Their energies in
b,seeching al med assistance and protection
from the general government.
Coneededly if these ''outrages" were
committed the government OF Kellogg and
Packard showed itself utterly owerless to
deal with them. So far as preventing them
was concerned, or so tlr as any attempt was
made TO arrest and bri & to justice the Of
tenders, there might as = Ell have been no
government at all. Neither did the Grant
policy of armed Intervention tend to put a
stop to these "outrages," or, perhaps bet
ter, reported "outrages. The duty of the
army, under that policy, vas not to pro-
tect the citizens from violence; net to pre-
vent these go called political murders, nor
to arrest the perpetrators and bring them
to justice not to insure domestic peace
and tranquility, nor yet to prevent domes-
tic violence; but simply and solely to boil
ster up so called state governments, and to
enable certain { flee holders to make pre-
tence of holding their offices.
Reports of these real or pretended out
RACES have been repeatedly diuned in the
ears of the American people for the past
five years or more, as an excuse or justifi-
cation for military interference on the part
OF the general government-ald but for a
belief that there was certain sort of foun-
dstion for the reports, this interference
would not have been submitted to-but as
soon as President Hayes determined to
withdraw the army from Louisiana, and to
permit the people of hat sale to care for
themselves the same as the people of YER
mont are permitted to control their own af-
fairs, all reports of "outrages" CEASED, and
the state seemed as petceablc and quiet as
any one of the New England states, until
Governor" Packard launches the story Ct
the "bull-dozing" of Laws in he much
Duii-uUled parish" OF East FeIiciana.
This shooting of Laws msy be true if
30, we trust that Governor Nichols will
show the country that Louisiana is able to
protect even the humblest of her citizens
and that he will take prompt measures to
arrest and bring to condign punishment
the perpetrators of the cowardly murder.
Only in this way can he convince the coun-
try that the present domlnent party in
Louisiana is worthy to be trusted, and that
the welfare of the whole people of the
state is safe in their bands. 1t is not
enough to say, that these outrages we're
unchecked, and assassins were not brought
to justice, under Kellogg and Packard
they were confessedly incompetent, and il
is high time change was made for the
be ter.
The whole affair, however, has decid-
edly "hshy" look. The reported fact that
coffin filled with rifle cartridges was
openly placed at the door of Dula by a
"crowd of bull.dozers," accompanied by
the threat that they would soon return and
put their threats into execution"-we are
not told what these "threats" were-is
most too absurd for belief. We hardly
think It is expected that reasonable persons
will believe it. The further fact stated
that Packard had e'nt certain 'etters of
Laws and of Sheriff Weber, killed in an
adjoining parish, "to General b. f. Butler
for campaign use" seems to give coloring
to the whole story and, at least, indicate.