Year: 1879

wAsHISGToS. Jan. ., 1872
THE BLAINE INVESTIGATION -REpuBLIcASs OF


THE COMMITTEE ONLY ANXIOUS ABOUT THE


soUTH-ANrEcEDENTs OF DISTRICT ATTORNEY


LEoNARD-cHA2cE FOR A BREAKUP OF PAR


TIES IN LOUISIANA


The republicans the Blaine Committee have so
far shown desire to investigate only Louisiana and
South Carolina. and they especially Gesirous 10
look at Louisiana This is a virtual admission that
the outrages and wrongs charged so broadly
upon the whole Southern States are really
local and not general and the fact that they have oc
CURED only in those two States which were longest
deprived of local selfsovernment and held By fed
era intervention. will he regarded an additional
proof of the evil results of this unconstitutional
policy. United States District Attorney Leonard,
whose letter to Attorney General Deyens gives
rather startling acco0nt of murders and out
RACES which lie asserts committed in
fourteen out 6f the seventy-ive parishes
Of Louisiana is that Leonard who was held up to
public execlaion by the republicans in 1875 as the
most bloodthirsty and wrcck,ess bull-doAr in all
Louisiana. He printed newspaper ut Shreveport
in 1874. in which he constantly urged that if
certain republicans were nominated to Office they
should be killed at once. And when lie
called to testify before Congressional
committee i'll 1875 he boldly admitted and defended
his course. Later he was one of the conservative
leaders who most readily accepted what was called
the "Wheelcr Compromise" He is shrewd and
active politician and belonged at that time to that
branch of the conservative party in his State which
called itself whig and did not conceal its suspicion
and dislike of the democratic branch His appoint
ment was, on the whole. the best and perhaps the
only good one made by President Hayes in Loui-
siana, for Leonard is bold and honest, and he
is really of whig antecedents and affiliations. AS a
politician he is not scrupulous and private let
ters from Louisiana report that his activity in cleo
ton matters has relation to the question of the
United States Senatorshp and may result in creating
division in the conservative party of the
State. which has been held together by the demo-
cratic leaders only with great difficulty.


1t is freely admitted by Louisiana democrats that if
the President had given the federal Offices in the
State to men of character and influence the demo-
cratic party would have split in two before the re-
cent election and the State would have been carried
by the republicans by HANDSOME majority. There
is reason to believe that the investigation
now going on under Governor Nichols and
by the federal authorities will at last force division
of the democratic party and lead large number OF
influential whites property owners and order loving
people, to abandon the organization with which they
have long unwilintly acted and unite in new party
which, if the administration give it only moderate
encouragement, will form new, honest and useful
republican party in the State. What mainly
delays this consummaton now is the fact
that the federal officers in the State with the cxcep
tion Of Leonard men Of no character odious to
the people, without influence, and yet insisting upon
being the heads Of the party. 1t may be added that
such division of the whites into two parties is de-





classes. and is opposed only by the unscrupulous
democratic and republican politicians. both Of whom
know that in such redivsion of parties they will
certainly be left out.