The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1878-03-20
INDIGNITY LOUISIANA.

anu pollllclans are still engaged Will
T a virulent energy in Safeguarding
) the law officers of this State who
prosecuted Anderson, the Court be
tore which he was tried, and the jur,
| which convicted him. As Governor
NICHOLS has so far taken no step t,
/ interfere 10 the administration O,
justice, they have turned their mud
guns on him, and with as much vic
lence as upon the Court and law off
GERS, If these indecent assaults up
on the dignity Of this State were
confined to partisan press and g
body ofpoliticians they would scarce
ly deserve aspassing notice. Such is
not the case, however. The Secreta.
ry of the Treasury led press and pol
ltlcians in this disgraceful onslaught;
the President was indecent enough
to take sides with the arraigned and
convicted forgers, and we learn that
the Cabinet propose to retain Ander
son in his position as Deputy Col.
lector OF this port, even though he
60 the Penitentiary, and Wells and
kenner in their Offices, even thouea
they be also convicted and sent to
the State prison for an Infamous
crime.
We do not feel perhaps as righte-
GUS an indignation as becomes a tru
ly loyal spirit at this prostitution of
the civil service Of the National Gov
eminent. Stealing, swindling and
lying here, during the past fifteen
years, so permeated that service til at
they are now its chief characters
tics, and our indignation has become
exhausted. 1t is our duty, however,
to denounce the insult to this State
and to it's law officers and Courts,
Whichis meant by retaining in i'm
portant Federal offices in our capital
man sentenced to the Penitentiary
by our highest criminal Court, and
TWO other men charged with commit
ting forgery, now out of Jail only on
bond, and awaiting trial. By retain
ing these men in office the President
offers Intentionally a gross insult to
Louisiana. He means that he holds
the Judiciary of the State in con
tempt; that he regards the Attorney
General as a malevoldnt prosecutor
OF innocent men; that he believes the
jurymen who convicted Anderson
perjured them selves, and that Gov
ernor Nichols is an unfaithful pub
lie servant because be has not inter
fered to wrest Anderson and his
companions from perjured Court
jury and Attorney General. This is
the meaning Of the course of the
President; nothing else can be made
out of it; it is scandalous insult to
the dignity of Louisiana, to her Gov
ernor, Courts, Legislature and law
officers, and to the great mass of her
people, who demanded the trial of
these men and now approve the
result.
President Grant, when he broke
up the Legislature in 1875, did not
offer US so great an insult as Presi-
dent Hayes does by retaining in po-
sitions of trust and honor the crimi-
nails whom our Courts have SEN
fenced to the Penitentiary. Presi-
dent Grant never so fagrantly viola
ted the laws and outraged public de-
cency as President Hayes has, done
in this matter. Indeed, we believe
the world has never before been put
to the blush by looking upon a ty-
rant or a profligate ruler who made
high public officials of Penitentiary
convicts. Cicero, in his terrible cas-
tigation Of the brutal and Infamous
Verres, charged that he had given
public offices to unconvicted felons;
but we believe be never accused him
of honoring with public recognition
and rewarding with public place con
victed felons.
| Junius, in language fired by indig
nation until it is fervid with the elo-
quence of inspiration, charged Lord
Mansfield, the Dukes of Grafton and
Bedford, and other political charac-
tiers of his time, with every species
of political prostitution. But his
keen and tireless search never dis
covered that they took prisoners
from the docks, the jails and the
penitentiaries to bestow upon them
public honors and emoluments. So
scandalous thing was left for an
American President to do. This
deep disgrace was evaded by the