Richland beacon., 1877-06-16
THE L.1WLESS ELEMENT.

against the contract policy of the CITY govern
ment sbould call the attention of the public
10 the fact that we have among us lawle
element that claims 10 command society by
force of arms. Some of these men are re-
ported TO have denounced the government
and to have in,imated that, as they had aided
10 establish it, they would compel It TO do
Justice. This is but one evidence that the
Democratic party has availed itself Of law
less and needy element to overthrow the Re-
publican government in Louisiana, and that
they have employed this lawless aud desper
ate force TO establish themselves in power
Conscious of their force, and protected by the
withdrawal of Federal troops, it is not sur
prisng that such an element should assert It's
own supremacy, nor that the Democracy
should uemble in the presence of a spirit
which they have evoked and which they
can not control. We have ceased the useless
task 'of calling the attention of humanity 10
the violence pracrced neutrality-suspicious.
Republican physical resistance in the country
has ceased. Their offices have all been sur
rendered, but the evil Cf violence still exists.
Ii is turned from the more extreme to the
more conservative elements of society, and
many of those who triumphed in the idea tha,
the armed march Of the lawless elemen:
could bring a change of times with change
of government would now be glad to get
control of the Enfield rifles and the revolvers
which they subscribed 70 pay for. The Re-
pubicans are conservative people and may
be relied ON to maintain the laws against any
who may violate hem. A call for posse
comitatns or State militia will, Therefore, bring
to the aid of the legal authorities an additional
force adequate to the maintenance of order
and the execution of the laws and ordinances
of the State and city governments.-Ner Or
leans Republican.
Tha, lawlessness does exist, and has existed
in this State: as well as in others in this Union,
from its first settlement, we do not deny and
have never denied-hr to have done so
would have been unuue-and that it will
contiUue to exist TO greater or less extent,
until the coming Of the millennium but we
do deny that here is more here than else
where; that there is as much now as there
was under Republican rule; tina; tie peace Of
the State is in as much danger as it was be-
fore the Democrats obtained control of its
affairs; that the party emp!Yed lawless and
desperate force to establish itself; tha: the
democracy trembles in TIE presence of
spirit which they have evoked and which tLey
can not control" or that the withdrawal of
the Federal troops has given protection or
encouragement to the lawless or endangered
the peace of the State in the least. The
declaration of the Republican to that effect is
too transparent to have its desired effects ard
il had as we'll cease its call for Federal inter.
ference also.
The Government of Louisiana is as willing
and fully as capable of enforcing its laws,
preserving the peace, protecting its citizens
and Furnishing criminals as that of any other
State in the Union; and we believe it can do
so without in any instance calling out the
militia or invoking the aid of the Federal
army. The officers of our State are well
aware of the conservatism ~ of the Louisiana
Republicans and the efficiency and valor of
its posse eomifdfus, especially when placed
behind barricades in State House, under the
protection of Federal guns: and no doubt will
gladly appeal to them for their valuable ass
sistance in devourng militia rations and
drawing pay, when an emergency arises; ;
but We presume that emergency will scarcely
arise from quiet labor strike.
The seizing upon this incipient labor COM
motion in New Orleans, as a pretext for
waving the bloody garment before a once
credulous Northern populace, to help create
dissatisfaction with the Southern policy of the
Administration, is as absurd as it is contempti-
bic, knowing, as the editor of the Republican
does, that these labor strikes are of almost
daily aud universal occurrence, and that this
New Orleans demonstration was one of the
mildest of the kind that has been made. To
what political cause does the Republican at
tribute the miners strikes in Ohio, the engi-
neers' strikes on the different railways, and
the lawlessness Of theMolly MaGuires in
Pennsylvania and the Council of Nine in
California;
-SSO\s