Self-Government in Louisiana (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from Self-Government in Louisiana The Senate having under consideration the resolution submitted by Mr. Schurz on the 8th of January, detecting the Committee on the Judiciary to inquire what legislation is necessary to secure to the people of the State of Louisiana their rights of self-government under the Constitution Mr. Pease said: Mr. President, the subject under consideration has developed one of the most reraai kable, and I may say anomalous discussions known in the annals of congressional debates. On the 5th instant the Senator from Ohio Mr. Thurman introduced a resolution calling upon the President of the United States to inform the Senate whether any portion of the Army or any officer or soldier thereof had interfered, intermeddled, or in any manner controlled the recent organization of the Legislature of the State of Louisiana; and, if so, by what authority such military intervention had taken place. For one week we listened to a series of speeches from the democratic side of this Chamber, arraigning the President before the American people and the world; denouncing him as a tyrant who had trampled under his feet the Constitution he had solemnly sworn to uphold; as ruthlessly striking down the liberties of the people with the mailed arm of military power. Why, sir, from the fearful pictures drawn representing the dangers which menace our free institutions growing out of the Presidents action in Louisiana, characterized by one Senator as worse than oriental despotism, by another as Ciesarism, I confess that I was somewhat startled, and felt like joining Senators in their righteous indignation and appealing to the American people to rise in their majesty and hurl the despot from his throne. The senior Senator from Delaware portrayed the President as having already folded around himself the robes of a military dictator, erected his throne, and, Cromwell like, ho might at any time march his soldiery into this Chamber and disperse the Senate. From the consternation depicted on the countenances of our democratic friends it seemed as if they had indeed seen the mysterious handwriting upon the wall, and that the days of the Republic were numbered. The President was not the only victim of this wholesale denunciation, but vials of democratic wrath were poured out without stint upon the heads of the Secretary of War and the Lieuteuaut-General of the Army, the gallant soldier and noble hero, Sheridan. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.