The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-20
THE RADICAL CONSPIRACY.

THE RADICAL CONSPIRACY.
The present persecution Of citizens Of
Caddo, Natchitochea, Tensas and other par-
shes. for so-called violations of the Federal
election law, IL neither more nor less than
conspiracy deliberately entered into by the
administration to dragon public opinion In
Louisiana, and force tho return OF Repnb-
lican electors In the presidential election OF
1890. This has been sufficiently plain from
the moment that Attorney General Devens
issued his orders To the government prose-
cutting officer In this city, and numerous
proofs have since been furnished. The char
acter Of the gentlemen arrested, the mann or
In which the cases against them have been
worked up, and the perjured wretches upon
whose testimony they were indicted, all go to
show this. The fact that the prosecutions
have been urged from Washington indicates
the design OF the conspirators plainly. No
desire to protect the deienseess. to vindcate
tho law and 10 bring real offenders to justice
has been the handspring OF this outrageous
assault upon whole parishes and the whole
sale arrest Of their people. They grew out Of
the political exigencies Of the Repu lean
agents here are animated with the thought,
and with that only, 10 so terrify the citizens
Of the State AZ TO drive them from the polls
in coming elections, and thus leave the State
n prey to the robbers who have so long fat
tened upon the substance OF this people,
A correspondent Of the DEMOCRAT writing
| from Shreveport, whose communication was
| printed on Tuesday. has explained the man
ner In which Devens' orders have been car
ried out In Caddo parish. The victims were
selected even before the indictments were
| framed. or there was any reason to believe
that charge could he found upon which they
could be presented to the picked grand jury.
They were chosen with view to the accom-
plishment OF the ends OF the consprators sole
~, and without reference to their completely In
any violation OF law That was assumed, as
matter course, and the necessary witnesses
were expected to be prepared to perjure them
selves when the time for tho ARE SITS arrived.
There Is always plenty OF material OF this
kind in and around the Custom II ouse, and
the law officers OF the government
arc never ut loss when 81
| political crime is needed to further the
ends of the party. Thus IL was as our cores
pondent states, that the commissioners Of
election appointed In Caddo parish, with
scarcely an exception, have been indicted.
| For what2 For the manner In which they
conducted the election. Now 1t appears that
number OF these persons had nothing what
ever to do with the election. For various
reasons they were absent from the polls on
the day OF election, one Of them being sick In
| bed. And yet witnesses have been found who
have sworn that these gentlemen held the
election and deprived voters OF certain priv
ileges guaranteed them by the constitution
and the election laws Upon such
trumped-up charges and lusty lying
these citizens have been dragged
from their homes and business and brought
hundreds of miles away to this city, where
they have been subjected TO the alternative oil
finding bail among strangers or going to jail
pending their trial. They have already suf
fered In mind and purse, and must continue
to suffer, not because they have broken any
statute or otherwise failed In their duty Ms
good citizens but because they choose to be
| Democrats and exercise the privilege Of free.
men, contrary to the wishes OF Attorney
General Devens and District Attorney Leon
ard
The charge against many others Of The
political prisoners now awaiting trial In this
city are as baseleas as those to which allusior
has been made. They have violated no Law
either In letter or spirit. Their crime consists
IN being active and representative Demo
Gratis who have assisted, within the law II
wrestling certain parishes from the Republi
A. 4
shell. Il Is to prevent the interference o
these men In political affairs hereafter tina
they have been arrested and are to be put OF
trial. It does not matter whether they are
convicted or not, the object Of the consp!ra
tors will be attained If they are forced to de
sist from active participation In the next cam
paign by the experience they will have of tn
manner In which the Federal machinery il
used to harass and Cypress the political enc
mics Of the administration and Of the Radica
party.
A more shameless attempt to control pub
lie opinion was never made than that nov
being carried out In the United States Cour
In this city. That 1t will fail is certain; bu
II Is also certain that the selected victims will
} get scant justice and less mercy, unless fai
: trial Is demanded and enforced by the over
! whelming influence of public sentiment. TIL
cause Of these men Is the cause OF the entIr
! State. Let 1t not be said that they failed G
the sympathy to which they are entitled an
} the support OF q righteous popular sentiment
, In that case the defeat of the conspirator
will be accomplished In very short time.
The Stree pass" question has always been
| in