Year: 1875

ciary" in charge to jury. Of Republican
citizens. III"


We had stated that the seizure of the
State government was not justified by the
charge that the government "contem-
plated a domiciliary nocturnal search"
for the arms of citizens.


The preparatory defamation charges
that "the usurper" had "put arms into
the hands of the negroes, by thousands,
at the expense of the State This means
that the executive had complied with the
law. The constitution makes it the duty
of the General Assembly to organize the
militia of the State. 1t gives the Cover
nor power to call the militia into active
service for the preservation of law
and order, or when the public safety may
require it. The Governor of Pennsyl-
vania has just exercised similar prerog-
ative. The Legislature of Louisiana had
thus organized the militia, the Governor
had issued arms and was prepared to en-
force .aw and order, as the constitution
required him to do. Thus far, he was
within the letter of the law. The asser-
tion that the Louisiana militia was, in
effect, Black League, would be no JUS
tifcation for White Leugue, armed and
drilled, for the peaceful conduct of an elec-
ton, but handy to depose an administra-
tion by force Of arms upon the charge that
there was an intention to in 7ade the rights
of gentlemen by a nocturnal domicilary
search for their private arms. This
charge we now regard as not proven and
withdrawn, no other proof being offered
than the illegal seizure of arms sin stores,
in vehicles and on shipboard belonging
(is it the stores or the guns?) to private
citizens" There was no impropriety, of
course, in private persons having broken
into stores and seized the arms of other
private persons, for which legal act the
city now stands as defendant in damages,
and the Bulletin calls the direction of its
slush nozzle upon an antagonist, the
assumption that all it assum es to be no.
toriously known is proven, and all the
fact and reason employed in its refutation
is argument? 1t matters little. The
Democratic partisan power is omnipotent
here. 1t has driven away trade and
silenced freedom of speech. 1t was very
w nf fr,,l 10 .kc
name. 1t borrowed the aid and apparel
OF Fusion and Conservatism. 1t now
throws off the garb, and assumes that its
allies are its bondsmen under q soon
tract" to wear its livery and do its bid
ding. What need has this force for a
government? Why need it respect law :?
Is it not supreme? Dare any citizen MUIR
muir at its orders without prescription of
business and character? Can any antag-
onist reply without insult, Oh any friend
dissent without censure?


1t is fortunate for Louisiana that the
people of the United States have more
respect for the dictum of Judge johnson
than for the lawless doctrine of the Bul-
letin. If the people of the United States
should decide that every community
should judge of the law and redress its own
grievances by force-if the great principle
of obedience to law which holds forty mil
lions of voters and warriors in order be re-
pealed, where would be the White League
of Louisiana How was it when that law
was temporarily suspended during the
war, and the bands of military discipline
could not repress the acts which all re-
gret? 1t is class which does not num-
Der four hundred thousand people that
would set up its opinion against that of
forty millions of people.


1t is well to hector and insult every one
in this little out of the way community,
but if the American people should adopt
the doctrine taught by the Bulletin, and
were capable of abusing it, the doom of
any class upon which that lawless wrath.
should be concentrated, would be as fearful
as it would be irreparable. We have no fear





that such Red Republican and Communist
doctrine will ever be adopted by the people
of the United States. We feel as safe
from lawless violence among law abiding
people, as we do that the principles of
gravity and attraction will continue to
hold worlds in their proper orbits; but if
this government should fall into chaos,
and the principles of free government
perish from the earth, it will be when any
part of the people by simply denounc-
ing the government as ''illegal" and a
'usurpation" will thence derive a right to
overthrow it by force of arms.


THAT WHISKY ROTTLE