The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-03-02
mas THE LAW BEEN vINDIoATEDq


HAS THE Law BEEN INDICATED 2
There srcms TO bc persistent movement
ON the part Of the Administration, the Repub-
IicHf PRESS. and some exceedingly tender
hearted Democrats and Conservatives, to
prevent gang Of notorious forge,s In
this State from being brought to JUS
fiep Indeed. IL seems that those COM
rerned In the movement to billdoze Gov.
Nichols into pardoning Tom Anderson. and
b prevent the trial of Wells and the two
Negro members of the gang, regard the
pr t,aecution uf these forgers as greater
crime than the offense they committed,
aud that to protect them from Justice, IL
ID right and proper to maign the whole peo-
plc III this State and backen the reputa-
tions Of Attorney General Ogden, Assistant
Attorney General Egan, Judge Whitaker,
and, lii fact. of every man In our midst, how
ever eminent and pure, who is concerned in
their prosecution The Secretary vi the
Treasury took the lead In this shameful and
pewardly business by publishing Judge Whit
aker to the country as d defaultef, when he
must have known that his statement was q
IL lie The New York Times and Cincinnati
. Commercial, with hundreds OF other Admins
tration papers, have glutted the beastly appe-
sites Of their readers for the filth of de-
famation. and day after day affirmed
that Attorney General Ogden and Judge
Egan two of the most spotless cit
isans OF the State-are corrupt officials.
guilty uf gross crimes. These interruptions
Journals have affirmed that the jury which
tried An derson was packed and that the prose-
cuton has been naltyolent persecution. and
every insult which fraternity of trained de-
famers could conjure up from their foul and
fetid imaginations has been heaped without
stint upon our people and State.
In the midst Of all this clangor we have not
heard one single plausible reason advanced to
show why Anderson should BIO pardoned, or
the prosecutions against his confederatps In
crime stopped. There have been mysterious
intimations from Washington. and even from
parties here, that there wns a secret compact
made III the apring Of 1877 for tho settlement
pf the title to the Presidency and the pacica-
tion OF Louisiana, and that the prosecution of
the four forgers Of the Returning Board IL a
violation Of that compact We do not believe
that there was any such compact: we believe
that all that can'be told OF the political nego-
Hations and wire pullings which transpired
in Washington and New Orleans has
been made public III all has not been told,
who are the custodans OF the dark secret
II the compact exists. who were the parties to
it and where did they find authority to enter
into Il secret political bargain by which the
four worst criminals in this State were to be
exempted from prosecution II any set Of men
entered into any such compact they acted
without authority and their contract is null
and void. Under our system Of government
the election of both national and State off,
Gials Is regulated by law. and there was no
power in any body Of men in secret conclave
to arrange compromise outside of the
law for the settlement of the Presidency
and the Louisiana case and which was cal
Culated TO strike down the administration of
Justice. As 10 the basis on which Mr. Hayes
title rests. we believe IL To be rotten with fraud
from centre to circumference But we deny
that the government of Louisiana rests upon
the compromising of felonies which have
filled the country with horror or, for that
matter, upon any basis other than the consti-
tuition and the laws OF the State and free
election by the people, Wedeny that the gov
eminent of Louisiana Is identified in its for
tunes with gang of rascais who have kept
the State in turmoil for years, and through
whose criminal practices the laws were for
four or five years paralyxed.
But we are told that the pardon of Antler-
son and the exemption of the others from pros
ecution would be great act of magnanimity
We shall not discuss that proposition. When
the question of nardoning Anderson comes
before Gov. Nichols, we are entirely satisfied
that he will deal with 1t according to his sense
Of right and that he will be influenced by no
secret bargains and by the interests of no
band OF political consprators and tricksters
Our own opinion is that Anderson
should be forced to serve out his
time In the Pententiary. and that his as j,
socates should be prosecuted with the ut
most rgor. The highest and most sacred I'M
terests OF society will be subserved by the
punishment Of these men, The conspiracy
by which Hayes was made President was
most daring and scandalous crime. and the
political events in this State during the re-
construction era are a record of eight years
Of successful vllainy. Can any rational man
hold with any reason that the lead
ers in all this rascalty are entitled
to the magnanmity of the people or de-
serve to be shielded from the law? If crimes
like these are to go unpublished the public
sense will become dulled to the shame and
criminality of acts which outrage civil lib
erty and hlacken the character of the coun-
try. intellect" says Carlyle built a SEN
ate-house glorious in its kind; and now it
costs her well nigh mortal effort to sweep it
clear of vermin.' Should the effort not only
be abandoned, but the vermin nurtured aud
protected .! aid e
louisiana
What the country now requires above all
things is reaction from protligacy and cor
ruption in politics to pure and health
full public opinion. This reaction can new
or take place so long as criminals like Sher-
man hold high public offices and Can