The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-09-14
or 1874 AND THE OUTRAGES
THAT LED TO THE
RISING or THE
CITIZENS.
THE ORGANIZATION or THE WHITE
LEAGUE-THE SEIZURE or ARMS
nv THE POLICE~THE N ASS
MEETING AND ARMING
or THE CITIZENS.
The victory The Hattie on the Icvec-
The Defeat and Nout Of the Police
The surrender of the state
House ana Arscnal-'The
Inauguration Of our
Government.
The Campaign.


The campaign Of 1874 threatened from the
very frst to be hard fought one. bitter II not
bloody. The Kellogg government born Of
fraud. stained itH hands In the blood nf our cit
isens. the very first month Of its life. score
OF difficulties followed in rapid succession a
disputed election In Grant parish was turned
into a battle IN order to IRE the Northern heart
beEat sympathy for Kellogg and his gang and
back his wild appeal to Washington for troops.
To that followed massacres of citizens nj Jeiler-
son Market and Jackson square, md military
expeditions to Baton Rouge and st. Martinsville
TO awe the people in the country into support
OF that government.
A strong effort waa made to create military
government, The whole Kellogg regime was
put on war basis. The standing army of mill
tin and Metropolitans was largely Increased ;
guns were distributed In the country parishes
and negro militia companies organised: a cav
airy force was projected, the nucleus Of navy
organized and cannon and Gatling guns innu-
tisarable purchased for use here. This Radical
army was frequently drilled was taken on ex.
petitions TO the country and paraded on our
streets. fully armed. on every possible OCCASION
TO inspire awe and fear.
Tho white League.
Early in June number of citizens. members
OF the Crescent City Club. II political organiza-
tlon that had taken part In previous political
campaigns organized themselves into the Crea-
cent City White League. and called upon all
persons Interested in the preservation of white
civilization from the Attenuation threatened
It under Radical rule. to Join with them In
this fight for the whits people Of Louisiana.
The White League. full account of whose or
ganization will be found In another campaign
rapidly spread through the city and soon num-
has
character. The State convention Of 1874 re-
sponded to the appeal of the White League and
the platform began with the words: We. the
white people Of Louisiana
The Ratification Meeting.
The campaign Of 1874 was inaugurated In
New Orleans on the night of the Ist of Septem-
ber. The nominations for Treasurer and Con-
gressmen had been made but few days before
at Baton Rouge, TO indorae and ratify these
September ! was selected as the time and
Canal street. opposite the Varieties Theatre, as
the place for a grand mass meeting Of tho peo-
pie. Fifteen thousand turned out. The meet
ing was orderly. quiet. peaceful: yet such was
the moral effect Of this outpouring that the dis
tant roar Of their cheers terrified the frightened
Kellogg. who crent from his house to the police
station for protection Some rockets, sent Off
in honor Of the occasion. alarmed the police
WHO W1Ee Htstuy edlifu IN from tnnlT DeHES 10
the stations. where they stood armed with rife
and cannon. ready to attack the citizens sh ,uld
any outbreak take place. There was none.
The crowd was enthusiastic. but. at tho same
time cool and determined
On the outskirts of the meeting. Justin Bour-
donnay. a member of the White League. wus
most foully murdered by Radical Desperate
and paid hanger.on Of Kellogg: yet. such was
the calmness Of the crowd. that although there
were fifteen thousand of Bourdonnavs friends
around. who felt that Kellogg would pardon the
murderer las he attempted to do), they refranod
from what almost any other crowd would have
demanded, an immediate vindcation of Justice
Lynch law.
| Thus began the campaign of 1874 In New Or
leans. The first blood was split by the Radicals
The Kellogg Governments.
There was no need OF blood to arouse the
popular feeling. Every deed of the Kellogg
government. from It's very inception rallied the
people against it. His false title. his lies. his
standing army. tax seizures. illegal and arbi-
trary arrests, military expeditions to the coun-
try. the abolition OF courts pardons, murder,
rapine and theft-all these had made our peo-
pie desperate and determined. There were no
courts to appeal to. they had been abolished:
no law. 1t had been murdered The only reme-
dy lay in arms.
The registration offices were thrown open nj
the beginning of September and then the Radi-
cal plan OF the campaign became only too evil |
dent This was to throw such difficulties in the |
way of the registration Of white citizens as to
practically disfranchse them; and. at the same
time, produce some popular uprising. which
the Radicals hoped. with their State arms
backed by United States troops, to defeat and
break thereby the spirit of the people and the
opposition to the fraudulent Kellogg govern |
,ment.
From the first they meant that the campaign
of 1874 should be a fight of armed forces not |
contest of votes.
An appeal based on the Coushatta affair was |
made by Kellogg, through Laundalet Williams, |
early in September. for more Federal troops for |
use in Louisiana. These. of course. were prom
ised him. At the same time his own forces were |
largely increased in number. particularly on
September 4, when they were joined by large |
numher of levee hands. thieves and convicts,
'samiliarly known as The Mulligan Guards" |
and drilled each day to make them thorough |
soldiers
On the other hand companies of citizens were |
organized in all portions of the city. There |
were no lack of men-everybody offered him
self freely to Louisiana-but weapons were
sorely needed. The police were armed with the |
finest breech-loading rifles supplied by the |
United States government as the States quota
of arms. while the citizen soldiery had old shot
guns rusty Belgian rifles, and many not even |,
these.
The Seizure of Arms.
On September s. two boxes of second hand
Belgian rifles. intended for the citizen soldery.
were seized by the Metropolitans as they were
being conveyed to 0livier's gun store on Canal