Show special message of pres president 1 f grant washington iq i r 1 13 the presidents president s special ecial message begins by saying that to fo state that lawlessness turbulence and bloodshed have characterized the political affairs of louisiana since its organization under the reconstruction reconstruct loh acts is only to repeat what has become well weli known as part of it its s history the fraudulent election of 68 and the bloody riots of 66 ho he says show that disorders there are not due to any recent causes or to any late action of the federal federal authorities preparatory to the election of 72 during which he says a shameful aud undisguised conspiracy was waa formed to carry the state against the republicans and to accomplish which tho most glaring frauds and forgeries were committed in the returns after many negroes bad been denied reg rog latry and others intimidated from casting their votes he then briefly reviews the history of Kell keli kelloggs action in tile the U S circuit bourt court against warmouth and others and or of the temporary restraining order issued by that cour which order was treated with contempt and disregarded by those to whom it was directed these proceedings proceed ingiS he says bays have been widely denounced as an unwarrantable interference of the federl federal il judiciary with tile the state elect elections lons ions but he argues argued that they were ea strictly in accordance with the constitution and its amend ments with the decisions of the supreme court thereon ant ani with the provisions of an act of may 1870 to prevent a denial or abridge ment of the right of suffrage on account of color ac and concludes that if kelloggs Kell keli bill in the above case does not present a case fyr for fsr equitable interposition by a V U S court under the ac act t as provided th therein egeln no ho such auch case can arise under it the president holds that the hight eight of the U B S courts to interfere in in various ways with wilh state elec 1 eions so as to maintain political equality and rights therein irrespective spec tive of race or color while comparatively new now and to some perhaps a startling idea i results as clearly from the th amendment and the acts passed to enforce it as does the abrogation of the states laws upholding slavery while asserting r the jurisdiction of the cour court t in this case however he says it seems that some of th the e orders made by the judge in that and the kindred case of antoine against warmouth tb were held to be illegal but he be adds it is not to be forgotten that the manifesto of his court donned denied had been contemptuously defied and were made while wild scones of anarchy were sweeping away all restrain restraint tL of law and order doubtless the judge of this court made grave mistakes buethe but the law allows a chancellor 19 great 1 eat pat latitude not only in punishing 1 gahose those who contemn his bis and injunctions but in the consummation of wa a which ho he has bas judicially forbidden What whatever eiver elver may be said or of these matters the president s it was only made known to him that the process of the U B S was resisted and aud he acting in accordance coid coia cor dance danco ancor ancel with law ordered the army to td see such process executed and as the result kellogg blared governor and be hein heln in thedis the discharge of his duty under s sec c 4 ar bicle 4 of the constitution had recognized him as governor As to whether he was selected wa elected he ha says may be a question ay as the whole election was a gigantic fraud and there areno are no rp reliable liable returns of its result the president then quotes from the reports of the senate committee on elections in 7 that the manipulation of the election machinery by bi warmouth and others was equivalent to votes and that to recognize the mcenery government would be to recognize a government based upon fraud in defiance of the wishes and intentions of the voters of the state and says the great crime in louisiana about which so much has been said and done is that one man is holding the office of governor who was cheated out of twenty thousand votes against another whose title to office is based upon fraud and in defiance of the wishes of voters the president then refers to the outrages committed on the republicans in various parts of the state and the displacement and murder of kellogg officials by the supporters of mcenery Me Enery rehearsing the story of the colfax massacre and the coushatta hatta troubles at length and concludes that while it would would be unjust to a great part of the people of louisiana to say that the murder of sor white republicans is not considered by them a crime it is true that the spirit of hatred and violence there is stronger than law and consequently the perpetrators of these crimes went still unpunished the Pr president eident therl then takes up the condition of affairs in the state last fall and recounts the history of the september riot in new orleans and quotes from newspaper zer ger articles and proclamations of the people of shreveport to show the spirit of the white leaguers and of the opponents of kolo rolo 99 he next refers to the action of the Te turning returning boards beardi and says bays he has no information of th their theiu e r P proceedings ro cee ce except what Is i fo found lill lili d I 1 in their pubs published wed bed report but it t I 1 ia 8 matter of public information that a great part of the time taken to canvass the votes was consumed by the arguments of lawyers law several of whom represented each party before the board he says 1 I have no evidence that the proceedings of the board were not in accordance with the law under which they acted whether in excluding from their count certain returns they tiey were ri right g it or wrong is a question that depends upon the evidence they had before them but it is very clear that the law gives them power powe r it if they chocie to exercise it to decide that way and erlma prima facie the persons whore whole whom they return aa als elected are entitled to the offices for which they were ere candidates respecting the alleged interference of the military hith with kith the organization of the legislature of louisiana on the uh insl luht he says 1 ci I have no knowledge or inform atlan which has ilas not been received by me since that time and published my first information was from the papers of the morning of tho the ath of january I 1 did not know that any such thing was anticipated and no orders nor suggestions 11 were ever given to any military officer in that state upon that subject prior to the occurrence I 1 am well aware that any military interference by the tilo ollI officers cers or troops of theu 13 ls with the organization of a state legislature 3 or any of its proceedings or with any civil dopart department part ment of the government is repugnant to our ideas of ef government I 1 can conceive of no case not involving rebellion or insurrection where such interference by auth authority y or of uhe the be general government ont ent out ou ought bt to be b permitted permit tedor or ean eart b be justified J but hut tb there are circumstances connected with the late legislature imbroglio em broglio in in Loni loui louisiana slana siana which seem to exempt tho the military mis from any intentional tent ional wrong in the matter knowing that they had been placed in louisiana to th prevent domestic violence and to aid to repress it the stationing of troops in various ou parts of the Sta state teto toto to sustain the IT S Mars marshals hals hais in their duty of keeping peace at elections is j justified asti by section eight elicit of the act of at feb 71 by which the 17 S marshal is empowered to call for broo troops 1 s to aid in the enforcement of the state jaws V and the tho president drelden t says the omm off meers leers ani adf troops of the US may well have supposed that it was was their duty to act when called upon by the government for that purpose the president admits that each branch of the legislature is 19 judge of the election and qualification of its members and he states the remedy of the governor in case the legislature is sought to be obtained possession of by bs bobi mob which is first by calling on the local constabulary stab andia this is insufficient on the militia but he says that in this case neither neiler course was practicable without involving bloodshed and both h p parties at t les ies relied r elie elle d upon ri the U S troops as conservators conservatory conserva tors of the public peace the first call was made by the democrats to remove persons obnoxious to them from the legislative hall the second was from the republican sto remove persons who had usurped seats in the legislature without legal 0 certificates and in sufficient sunni clent number to change the majority majoria y nobody was disturbed by the military wha whick who had bad a legal right at that ti time me to occupy a seat in the legislature referring to the action 0 of the conservatives in organizing the legislature he says col coi 1 am credibly informed that these violent pro prot r feedings were part of a premeditated plan pian to have li ve the house organized and in this way to recognize the mcenery senate then to depose governor kellogg and to revolutionize the state government whether it was wrong for thel gover the request est of the majority of the niom members returned as elected to use such means as were in his power to defeat these lawless and revolutionary proceedings is perhaps a debatable quest questin question ln but it is quite certain that there would have been no trouble if those who now com complain plain of illegal interference had allo ailo allowed wed the house to be organized in a lawful and regular manner in reference to Sheri dans presence in new now orleans he says he was requested by me to go to louisiana to observe and report atlon there and if in his opinion it was Ws necessary to assume command which he be did on the fourth dinst after the legislative disturbances had occurred no party motives nor prejudices can reasonably be imputed to him but honestly convinced by what he be has seen and heard beard there he has characterized the leaders of the white leagues in severe term terms and has suggested summary modes modest of procedure against them which though they cannot be adopted would if legal soon put an end to the troubles and disorder in that state the president says pays he habs haas n no 0 desire to have the U S troops interfere in the domestic concerns of louisiana or any other state and he has always avoided ordering OT or permitting such interference except when it seemed his imperative duty and he would rejoice if all the necessity for the presence of the troops in the south could be removed but he adds III 1 I legret regret however to say that this sta state tc of things does not exist nor does its existence seem to be desired in certain localities and as to those it may be proper for me to say that to tile the extent that congles Con gres gros has conferred power on me to prevent it neither mans white leagues nor any other association using arms arnas and violence to execute their unlawful purposes cau cna be permitted in that way to govern a any 11 y part of this country nor ii or cani can I 1 see wl with th indifference union men or republicans public ans ostracized persecuted and murdered on account of their opinions pur as they now are in some local localities ties the president says that aliat the inaction of congress in louisiana has has in his opinion added to the troubles there he then reviews the action of mee mcenery nery and penns supporters in september last in deposing lel lei kellogg and hs presidente president action in reinstating kellogg and E ays bays that though the insurgents were dispersed they have never disarmed nor not abandoned their organization if on and are liable to be called ou out t at any hour to resist the state government under these circumstances the same military force has been contin continued tied in louisiana as was sent under the first call and under the tile same general instructions he says tc 1 I repeat that the task assumed by the troops is not a bie ale pleasant amant one to them that the army is not composed of lawyers capable of judging at a moments notice of just how far they can go in the maintenance of law and order and that it is impossible to give specific instructions providing fo for nor r all possible contingencies that may arise hence the troops are bound to act upon the judgment of the commanding officer officers upon each sudden contingency that may arise or to wait instructions ns which co cond could coad ad only reach them after aften the threatened wrongs had been committed which h they were called to prevent f the presie Presle president ent calls the attention of bf con COD congress gress gregs to the fact that upon his recognition of the Kellogg government ern ment he reported jt it to them and asked action in the matter otherwise he should regard their silence as an acquiescence in his course no action was taken by congress and he has maintained maintain pd the p position 0 then occupied he conci concludes u des PS follows clif if error has haa been committed by thearty the army in these matters it lt ilas lias always been on the side alde of the preservation of good order the maintenance of law and the pro lection of life and reflects credit upon the soldiers and if wrong has resulted the blame Is with the turbulent elements surrounding them I 1 now earnestly ear bar nestly ask that such action be taken by congress as to leave my duties perfectly clear in deal deai dealing lilg ilig with affairs in louisiana giving the i ass abs assurance urance at ae the same bame time that whatever may be done by that body i in the premises will be elii exe ecu acu eluted ted according to te the spirit and letter of the law without fear or favor I 1 herewith herewith transmit copie cople copies coples s of documents containing more specific information as to the su subject abject matter or of the resolution signed U S GRANT |