Feliciana sentinel. [volume] (St. Francisville, La.) 1877-1892, 1879-02-15
PERSECUTION, NOT PROSEC UTIoN.

1
tho partisan purposes of the prose-
cutions under the election laws in
this State, the course tina! is being
pursued by the United States Dis
trict Attorney. in refusing to set
the cases of the prisoners indicted
for trial. is alone sufficient to put e t
rest any amiab'e surmises one might
happen to entertain on that score.
The city is already full of the VIC
Tins Of this INSCRIPTIONS party.
persecution, dragged from tho re-
hottest parishes, and the list is be-
ing daily swelled by the addition
to it of numbers of the very best
aud most Influential citizens of our
State. Among them are men of all
stations in life, generally white men,
with here and there well known
and influential colored Democrat,
but from all alike, without refer
ence to their ability to furnish it,
the same excessive bail is exacted.
These prosecutions are conducted
by the Wholesale, and the particu~
lar investigation which each indi-
vidual has the right to demand, and
which courts are accustomed to
make in case of application to bail,
in order to determine the probable
degree of guilt and the ability Of
the accused to furnish bond, is re-
fused. They are all lumuped togeth~
err and the same bail exacted of all
the rich and poor, the principal
and the accessory, alike. But even
after this bail is given it merely
releases the parties from actual i'm
prisonment. They are compelled
to remain here in the city dancing
attendance from day to day on the
| court, at great expense and to the
! neglect of their business at home.
The instances are exceptional when
this outrageous and unnecessary re-
quirement will not operate ire
pasable and heavy loss to the vic
Tins of this prosecution. 1t is not
necessary at all to the fullest en-
forcement Of the law, and is merely
an act of gratuitous and wanton
persecution, the purposes of which !
it is not difficult to discover. If |
the attainment o. the ends of JUS
tice were the sole motive that
prompts the Federal officials in the
conduct Of these cases, it would be
easy enough to fix the day of trial
| in each of them, and allow the par.
ties indicated to go home, to re-
turn at the time fixed to stand trial.
There is not the slightest appre~
hension that a single pris under
Indictment will attempt to escape
trial, but even if they were, they
arc all under heavy bonds. But to
bring these men to trial, to enforce
against them the law only, is not
the sole or the controlling motive
of these prosecutions. They have
another object outside of the courts.
which can be obtained only by. this
unscrupulous abuse of power. That
purpose is to inaugurate, through
the courts and by a provision Of the
laws, the most Infamous system Of
intimidation that has ever been at
| tempted even in this State. JUS
tice under the law is not what is
sought for, indeed, it is safe to as
sumo, under the construction of the
Supreme Court in the Grant par
ish case and in view of the recent
expressions Of opinion in Congress
during the discussions of the Ed
monds and Morgan resolutions,
that the Attorney General himself
does not expect single conviction
in these cases that will be sustained.
This is doubtless the reason of the
extraordinary exactions of the Dis
trict Attorney in keeping those
prisoners in the city and refusing
to set their cases for trial. The
intention is to submit them to as
many hardships as possible, to ruin
| A.