National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-05-29


sary, as they had been in resisting the author
ity OF the Union from 1861 70 1863,
They knew, by the tidings daily received
from the committees sent to Nicksburg, Mobile,
and New Orleans. as well as from other
sources. that the political rights Of Republicans,
of whatever color, In certain Of the southern
states, were ns little respected rs they were
before the war, and rs dependent on national
protection as they had been during the war.
They knew that, Oh the lith Of the preceding
Sheh had been n poweT and G TccoSmS s By
the President, with the assent of Congress, and
by all the world except the White League. for
nearly two years, had been oycrthrown by
They knew that the streets of New orleans
had on that day been stained by the blood OF
twenty or more people, including a number of
the pOlcc-slain IN the defense OF that lawful
government.
They knew that this fragrant domestic VIC
lence had been suppressed by the constitutional
action of the President, invoked by the state,
and that II he had failed in this sworn duty no
would have been guilty of high crime for
which he would have been subject to impeach-
mVnt.
They knew this September revolt had been
preceded IN August by tho Coushatta massacre,
when six northern young men had been muir
dtred In cold blood, after having been prom.
isCd safe conduct from the thriving little town
their capital and enterprise had built, and
from which they had been banished by the
cdct of a blood.thirsty mob, because they held
The state.
They knew that Judge Woods of the United
States circuit court NOV Justice OF the Su-
preme Court of the United Statcs) had, IN his
charge to n Jury in New Orleans, in March OF
that very ycar, given n statement of the COlfux
massacre OF the preceding April, as follows:
lie said that he would only state some OF the
facts agreed on by both sides lie invited cor.
rection by counsel II he should inadvertently
state as a conceded fact any matter that was
disputed. lie declared that OF the negroes who
defended the officers OF the law, against a mob
which sought TO drive them out, "most Of those
who were not killed were taken prisoners"
Thitty.scyen were taken prisoners, kept under
guard until dark, and then led out tao bV tlGO
and shot The dead bodies OF all the killed
were left unburled by their murdercrs They
were buried two days later by a deputy mar.
"Ihesc persons found flty-nine dead bodies.
They showed pistol shot wounds, the lrut
mUorftI In the head and nt1a Of them IN hc back
y nc head" only two white men were in
such was the condition of afluirs when Con-
greSs met in December, 1874 Such were the
facts, as well known to Mr.: Blaine aud his little
Coterio of followers rs the fact that he was
speaker of the House. The President in his
mess age gave COngrtss very full information
on the condition of affairs In the south, and the
press OF the country teemed with daily dis
Patches on the subject. But Mr. Blaine finds no
room in his history for any word concerning II.
re Is as silent concerning the bloody deeds of
his lnw.bicaking allies of that period rs are the
graves of their victims 1t was another scene
in the drama ofwhch he could not safely speak.
Again he had but to step on the ice TO go
through ana so again, periorce, he must
dodge.
NR. BLAISE's ALLIANCE WITH THE DEMOCRATS.
The plain English of this is that Mr.. Blaine
served the White League Democracy of Louis.
lana. and their fellows in other states. on
every vital question from the beginning TO the
end of the session. When so much of the
Presidents message as related to southern
affairs was referred 10 special committee of
seven. he appointed four for tho Democrats
ENttr
made report withdrawing the White
Leagues, and going further even than was
necessary for their purposes In assuring the
House that they were what Kit" the "Ar-
kansas traveller" calls perfect gentlemen"
Only the Republicans were capable of doing
wrong and incapable ofdoing right. In their ro-
| port they declared that IL was violent asSump-
lion for The Republicans to say that enough col
| oTed voters to change the result had been pre-
| vented from voting at the Lutte election by tho
recollection OF the Coliax and Coushatta kill
| ings, md other riots, (Which occurred years
| before" The statement that they made any
| such claim was as false as that tho "killings'
named occurred years before" The Coliux
massacre occurred about a year and a half be-
fore, viz, April 10, 1873, and the COushatta mas
| sacrc occurred only a little more than two
months before, viz, August %, 1874 This UNI
mistatements of fact, made their remaining
| statements unworthy of belief. The report
was signed by Charles Foster, William Walter
| Phelps, Garrison N Potter, and Samuel Mar.
D
| ocrats.
The minority of the committee-Messrs
IIoar, Frye, and Wheeler-presented a report
| wholly at variance with that of the White
| League majority, and In accordance with the
| evidence as well as with the current and es.
tablished history of the times, They gave, as
| their conclusions from the facts, that the
| white mems party III Louisiana was deter
mined to take the state government by force
| and fraud, and to do so would not stop at muir.
| der, fraud, or civil war. They recommended
| the recognition of the Kellogg government
They recited the history of the numerous pc
| liticnl massaCres since the war, and vouched
| for the substantial truth of Gen. Sheridan!
| statement which had so intlamed the unholy
| alliance.
This Endorsement of the White Leagucrs, BY
the majority of Mr. Blaine's committee. was
oil course. in Harmony with the object for which
| they were appointed, viz, to check the risinl
demand of sincere Republicans throughout thu
| country for energetic measures for the safety
OF Republicans In the south. Il was intended
TO satisfy as many ms possible, first, of the tOta
| depTayity of all southern Republicans blacl
and white, and second, of the Christian meek
| ness and brotherly love of all Democrats, L
whose kind forbearance the wicked Republi
cans were indebted for their lives, which really
they were not clearly, entitled to. This wa
the Republican gospel. according to James q
tlaine, out of the mouths ofhis two tru,teC
followers and spokesman, Charles Foster, o
Ohio, and VIM. Walter Phelps, of New Jersey
and likewise of the New York Tribune. Blu
not word can be found In Mr. Blaine's his
tory of any such committee or any,such reports
The Congressional Record is better authority.
THE NEW YORK "TRIBUNE" AS A WHIT
| LEAGUE ORGAN.
This Is proper place at which to arrest tn,
readers attention 10 the attitude at that tim,
| of the New York Tribune, edited then rs nov
by Mhitelaw Reid. The ordinary outpouring
OF Democratic newspapers in the south nat
been weak and insipid rs compared with tn,
rawlings of this shameless apostate lie coult
not restrain his rage when any blame was laiC
at the door of southern whites for the murde
OF Republicans. lie prated, in set Democrat,
phrase Jan. 8, 1879, OF the "ill.feelng between
the races engendered by n partisan % admin
istralion Of the state government In Missis
sippi,' and Of 1.-THE colored people melted Il
excuses and the white people goaded to inJu
dicious C?) means of redressing their wrongs.
So Abel goaded Cain to his injudicious act-st
goads the lamb the butcher who leads him u
the slaughter. The Vicksburg massacre, ther
under investigation, was the subject OF the Fri
Juns's comment on 'inJudicious means"
On the same day the Tribune was furiou
with rage at the news from New orleans. Al
event had occurred there which was destined
to play an important part In the discussions o
the winter. II drew line between the two
contending political forces OF the day; On thu
one side OF that line were the southern rev
olutionists, unable, as In 1851, to control by
ballots, and determined, as then. TO control b!
bullets rather than submit to adverse MAORI
ties at the polls, With them stood men, Still
claiming TO be Republicans, but who were M
more worthy of the name than were the cop
perheads OF the war OF being classed as UnioI
men.
wHITELAw REID, THE DoUGHFACE LEADER.
The leader of this class was Whiteaw Reid
Let no man deny the leadership TO him. IL,
had been admitted into full fellowship with
the Democratic party AZ the last preceding
presidential election, and had succeeded thi
last Democratic presidential nominee as edito
of the Tribune, which had been the leadlnl
organ the Democracy in that campaign. 1
was too late for him to gag at anything thu
southern Democrats might do. lie had M
ioothold unless he could show that all tales o
southern Outrages were false lie could no
shake OIL his political partners of 1872. But HI
had natural desire TO induce the Democrat!
again TO accept candidate Of Republican
antecedents. In order that, In the even
Of success, he might be near tn
throne. 10 this end he plunged wildly In 4
the support of Blaine and All others who Tor an!