The Negro and the Nation: A History of American Slavery and EnfranchisementMerriam, George Spring
History
The Negro and the Nation: A History of American Slavery and Enfranchisement
Merriam, George Spring
African Americans -- History; Slavery -- United States -- History
The case of Louisiana was widely different. In that State the corruption
of the Republican managers was flagrant; it extended to the manipulation
of election returns; and the Federal Government interfered freely, and
with notable results. A knot of knavish adventurers were in
control,--Henry C. Warmoth, William P. Kellogg, F. F. Casey, and United
States Marshal S. B. Packard. Casey was the President's brother-in-law,
and General Grant was almost as incapable of believing a relative of his
to be a bad man as he was incapable of knowingly supporting a bad man.
Casey was made collector of New Orleans, and was allowed to hold the
Republican convention in the custom-house, with United States soldiers
guarding the doors and regulating the admissions. As he and his crew
were wrecking the finances of the State, there was in 1872 a general
combination against them of the better elements,--they preferred the
name "Conservatives" to "Democrats,"--and they claimed to have elected
their candidate, John McEnery, as governor. Warmouth, who had been
governor for a four years' term, had quarreled with his confederates
over the division of plunder, and gone over to the Conservatives. He
controlled the State returning-board, to which the laws intrusted a very
elastic and dangerous power of throwing out returns from districts where
intimidation was proved, and undertook to declare McEnery elected. But
there was a split in the board; then two rival boards, one awarding the
governorship to Kellogg and the other to McEnery.
The imbroglio was suddenly ended by the intervention of a United States
judge, E. H. Durell, who issued a writ at midnight, directing the United
States marshal, S. B. Packard, to occupy and hold the capitol, and
ordering a detachment of United States troops to support the Kellogg
government. This fixed the character of the State for the next four
years, by perhaps the most lawless act done under the name of law in
this whole troubled period. It was perhaps only the overshadowing
interest of the Presidential campaign that prevented its reversal by
Congress,--that, and the lingering disposition of the North to pin faith
on whatever wore the label "Republican."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account