732 



PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 



white Kepublican is not considered a crime in Louisi- 

 ana, would probably be unjust to a great part of the 

 people ; but it is true that a great number of such 

 murders have been committed and no one has been 

 punished therefor, and manifestly show that the 

 spirit of hatred and violence is stronger than law. 



Eepresentations were made to me that the presence 

 of troops in Louisiana was unnecessary and irritating 

 to the people, and that there was no danger of public 

 disturbance if they were taken away. Consequently, 

 early in last summer, the troops were all withdrawn 

 from the State, with the exception of a small garrison 

 at New Orleans barracks. It was claimed that a com- 

 parative state of quiet had supervened. Political ex- 

 citement as to Louisiana affairs seemed to be dyin<* 

 put, but the November election was approaching, and 

 it wa* necessary for party purposes that the name 

 should be rekindled. Accordingly, on the 14th of 

 September, D. Penn^ claiming that he was elected 

 Lieutenant-Governor in 1872, issued an inflammatory 

 proclamation, calling upon the militia of the State to 

 arm, assemble, and to drive from power the " usurp- 

 ers," as he designated the officers of the State. The 

 "White Leagues, armed and ready for the conflict, 

 promptly responded. On the same day the Governor 

 made a formal requisition upon me, pursuant to the 

 act of 1795, and section 4, Article IV., of the Consti- 

 tution, to aid in suppressing domestic violence. On 

 the next day I issued my proclamation, commanding 

 the insurgents to disperse within five days from the 

 date thereof; but before the proclamation was pub- 

 lished in New Orleans, the organized and armed 

 forces, recognizing a usurping Governor, had taken 

 forcible possession of the State-House and tempora- 

 rily subverted the government. Twenty or more 

 people were killed, including a number of the police of 

 the city. The streets of the city were stained with 

 blood. All that was desired in. the way_ of excite- 

 ment had been accomplished, and, in view of the 

 steps taken to repress it, tne revolution was ap- 

 parently, though it is believed not really, abandoned, 

 and the cry ol Federal usurpation and tyranny was 

 renewed with redoubled energy. Troops had been 

 sent to the State under this requisition of the Gov- 

 ernor, and, as other disturbances seemed imminent, 

 they were allowed to remain there to render the Ex- 

 ecutive such aid as might become necessary to enforce 

 the laws of the State and repress the continued vio- 

 lence which seemed inevitable the moment the Fed- 

 eral support should be withdrawn. Prior to and with 

 a view to the late election in Louisiana, white men 

 associated themselves together in armed bodies called 

 White Leagues, and at the same time threats were 

 made in the Democratic journals of the State that the 

 election should be carried against the Eepublicans at 

 all hazards, which very naturally greatly alarmed the 

 colored voters. By section 8 ot the act of February 

 8, 1871, it is made the duty of United States marshals 

 and their deputies, at the polls where votes are cast 

 for representatives in Congress, to keep the peace 

 and prevent any violations of the so-called Enforce- 

 ment Acts, and other offenses against the laws of the 

 United. States ; and upon a requisition of the Marshal 

 of Louisiana, and in view of said armed organizations 

 and other portentous circumstances, I caused detach- 

 ments of troops to be stationed in various localities in 

 the State to aid him in the performance of his official 

 duties. 



That there was intimidation of Kepublican voters 

 at the election, notwithstanding these precautions, 

 admits of no doubt. The following are specimens : 

 On the 14th of October eighty persons signed and 

 published the following at Shreveport : 



We, the undersigned merchants of the city of Shreve- 

 port, in obedience to a request of the Shreveport Cam- 

 paign Club, agree to use every endeavor to get our em- 

 ploye's to.vote~tke People's ticket at the ensuing election, 

 and in the event of their refusal so to do, or in case they 

 vote the Radical ticket, to refuse to employ them at the 

 expiration of their. present contracts. 



On the same day another large body of persons 



published, in the same place, a paper in which they 

 used the following language : 

 We, the undersigned merchants of the city of Shreve- 



Eort, alive to the great importance of securing good and 

 onest government to the State, do agree and pledge our- 

 selves not to advance any supplies or money to any planter 

 the coming year who will give employment or rent lands 

 to laborers who vote the Radical ticket in the coming 

 election. 



I have no information of the proceedings of the Ee- 

 turning Board for said election which may not be 

 found in its report which has been published, but it 

 is a matter of public information that a great part of 

 the time taken to canvass the votes was consumed by 

 the arguments of lawyers, several of whom repre- 

 sented each party before the board. I have no evi- 

 dence that the proceedings of this board were not in 

 accordance with the law under which they acted. 

 Whether in excluding from their count certain re- 

 turns they were right or wrong is a question that de- 

 pends upon the evidence they had before them. But 

 it is very clear that the law gives them the power, if 

 they choose to exercise it, of deciding that way, and 

 prima facie the persons whom they return as elected 

 are entitled to the offices for which they were candi- 

 dates. Eespecting the alleged interference by the 

 military with the organization of the Legislature of 

 Louisiana on the 4tii inst., 1 have no knowledge or 

 information which has not been received by ine 

 since that time and published. My first intima- 

 tion was from the papers of the morning of 

 the 5th of January. I did not know that any such 

 thing was anticipated, and no orders or suggestions 

 were ever given to any military officer in that State 

 upon that subject prior to the occurrence. I am well 

 aware that any military interference by the officers or 

 - troops of the United States with the organization of a 

 State Legislature or any of its proceedings, or with 

 any civil department of the government, is repugnant 

 to our ideas of government. I can conceive of no 

 case not involving rebellion or insurrection where 

 such interference by authority of the General Gov- 

 ernment ought to be permitted or can be justified. 

 But there are circumstances connected with the late 

 legislative imbroglio in Louisiana which seem to ex- 

 empt the military from any intentional wrong in the 

 matter, knowing that they had been placed in Louisi- 

 ana to prevent domestic violence and aid in the en- 

 forcement of the State laws. The officers and troops of 

 the United States may well have supposed that it was 

 their duty to act when called upon DV the Governor 

 for that purpose. Each branch of the Legislative As- 

 sembly is the judge of the election and qualifications 

 of its own members, but if a mob or a body of unau- 

 thorized persons seize and hold the legislative hall in 

 a tumultuous and riotous manner, and so prevent any 

 organization by those legally returned as elected, it 

 might become the duty of the State Executive to in- 

 terpose, if requested by a majority of the members- 

 elect, to suppress the disturbance, and enable the 

 persons elected to organize the House. Any exercise 

 of this power would only be justifiable under most 

 extraordinary circumstances, and it would then bo 

 the duty of the constabulary, or, if necessary, the 

 military force of the State, to act ; but with reference 

 to Louisiana it is to be borne iu mind that any at- 

 tempt by the Governor to use the police force of that 

 State at this time would have undoubtedly precipi- 

 tated a bloody conflict with the White League, as it 

 did on the 14th of September. There is no doubt 

 but that the presence of the United States troops upon 

 the occasion prevented bloodshed and the loss of life. 

 Both parties appear to have relied upon them as con- 

 servators of the public peace. 



The first call was made by the Democrats to re- 

 move persons obnoxious to them from the legislative 

 hall, and the second was from the Republicans to re- 

 move persons who had usurped seats in the Legisla- 

 ture without legal certificates entitling them to seats, 

 and in sufficient numbers to change the majority. 

 Nobody was disturbed by the military who had a 



