The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-04-05
SHALL THE Law BE ENFORCED Z

repeating the charter OF the Louisiana Lot
terry Company, and making II a mlsdemeanor
punishable by fine and Imprisonment to deal
In lottery tickets. went into operation. -Four
days have elapsed and though the lottery
offices have been kept open as usual, tickets
sold and the daily drawings made, not one of
the parties engaged in the business. and hence
In flagrantIy violating the law, has been ar
rested. We believe that no similar instance
OF imbeclity ON the part OF State and city
government can be pointed out We have
Governor drawing an enormous salary, whose
duty 1t Is to see that the laws are faithfully
executed. We have an Attorney General,
whose duty, as defined by the 184th sec
ton Of the Revised Statutes, In this
matter ls very plain. We have justices Of
the peace, courts and grand iuries and dis
trlct attorneys. al Of whom are directly re-
sponsibe for the execution Of the laws and
the dlspensation of Justice We have also
an expensive city government; city attorneys;
chief Of police. with captains, corporals and
d large body Of patrolmen. costing the city
enormous sums of money. In short, we have
complete and perfectly organized State and
city government, and yet plain, simple
| criminal statute passed at the imperative
command Of the people, remains unexecuted,
| and is daily and hourly violated on every cor
ner of the streets with absolute impunty.
We call the attention OF the authorities,
from the Governor down 10 the policemen. to
this fact, and we call the attention of the peo-
| pie to this gross and criminal neglect OF the
authorities OF all orders and ranks.
| 1t is true that the Lottery Company has
| filed bill In the United States District Court,
praying that tribunal to prevent the enforce
ment OF the law. It Is also true that the Judge
OF that court Billings, has from the bench
promulgated a threat that he will punish the
whole State and city government, from Gov.
| Nichols and Mayor Patton down to the con-
stables and policemen. If they venture to en-
force the law without his permission. It is
also true that the Lottery Company owns
Billings, body and boots. by right OF pur-
chase and that he will certainly obey mplic-
lily the instructions of the company and Its
attorneys In all matters which come before
him, and which interest that institution.
But are The State and city authorities to be
overawed and deferred from the performance
OF their plain duty by Judge Billings; in
other words, has the government of LOUISE
ana and New Orleans passed into the hands
| Of the United States District Court2 This is
the question that Is asked everywhere upon
the streets of this city. and, II prompt action
be not taken by the authorities to enforce the
plain provisions OF the law against lottery
dealers, 1t Is o question that will be In the
next week asked In every parish, town and
nelghborhood of the State. The constitution
atty of this penal law Is question for the
State courts TO determine. If the decision Of
the State courts be against the lottery deal
ers, and the case Is really one arising under
| the constitution and laws OF the United
States, they can reach the Federal courts by
writ Of error. But beyond question. 1t Is
the imperative duty Of the executive
and police officers OF this State and city
To enforce the law until it Is declared uncon-
stitutional, and the public look to them TO do
IT. The domination Of the Federal courts
over the people and laws Of this State has be-
| come scandal and a disgrace to the admins
| tration. Hundreds Of our citizens have been
dragged from their homes to this city to be
prosecuted by this court for the crime Of
being Democrats. Many more Of them
are to be here In dav or two to undergo
this humiliation and outrage. Several par
ishes have been nearly ruined by this lawless
and violent proceeding, and now Tensas Is to
be tried In the Customhouse BY this infa-
nous and wholesale prosecution of Democrats
many parishes were oyerawed In the late
election and number of the nblest and
most honored citizens of the State de-
feated for the convention by negroes and
- r..I,1 ho uf fhn,
who ruined the State Has the State
administration resented this outrage or
sought to prevent this crime against the dig
nifty and sovereignty Of Louisiana The
Governor did write u mild and pleading letter
to the fraudulent President. But 1t was not
the ringing and determined protest which
the Governor Of sovereign State should
have made against this gross invasion
Of the authority Of his own courts and
this cruel outrage upon his people. When the
President Of the United States sent an army
officer Of high rank to interfere between the
State Of Georgia and the Cherokee Indians In
the settlement Of the western boundary Of
that State. Gov. Troup promptly sent mes-0
senger to say to the Brigadier General that
II he did not leave the State without delay he
WOulu put Hill Ill lIOllS SfIlu IllIu DICK
to Washington. 1t Is needless to say that
Georgia settled her own trouble with the
Cherokees Something OF this spirit and de-
termination, 1t seems to us. should have been
| exhibited In Gov. Nichols letter to the Presi-
dent protesting against the outrage OF the
Federal court upon our people.
| But unhappily this Is not the only instance
of the want of vigor and determination on
the part OF the present administration in en-
forcing the laws. In South Carolina, Cham
berlain. Kimpton, Smalls. Patterson and
others of the robbers Of that State, are either
fugitives from the State or In tho peniten-
tiary. But In Louisiana what effort has been
made to bring to justice tho men who have
robbed the State Of more than hundred mil
lions Of dollars and Impoverished all her citi-
zens The members Of the Returning Board
have escaped the State prison TO become again
i tiff tat 4i,i,