The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-10-03
ENOUIR Err.
RICHMOND
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1904.
LOUISIANA REMoNSTRANcE.

LOUISIANA REMONSTRANCE.
The Inhabitants of Louiiiana have made q
fo'enin appeal to the wifdom of Congrefs. They
have demanded the eitabliihment of free and
independent fovereignty. They have founded
their claims upon the imperfcriptibe rights OF
man, as well as upon the faith of an invioable
treaty. Thefe men have right to be heard
We owe it to them, to ourfeves, and to the
great cauie of republican government, to lifteu
to their complaints, and cheerfully admit or diff.
paflionately refufe their afpiring pretenfons
1t would be an injury forever to be lamented, il
the fame men who had 70 ably indicated their
own iuf privileges, and had encountered 70 ma
ny hazards in their defence, fhould throw the
leat unneceiary refraint upon the liberty OF
others.
The complaints of the inhabitants of Louiiia-
M are certainly unfounded. They with to pof-
ieis free and fovereign government, when they
are not qualified for its enjoyment. This truth
may be demonstrated by innumerable facts in
the biRory fnau, as well as by the political DEF
tiny of 70 many nations-ft feems to be one of
the general iaso5 of our nature, that we cannot
tuddeDly pats from one extreme TO the other,
without dilturbing the neceGary harmony and
tone of our feelings. The wretch that is near
ly frozen to death, mutt be gradually accuftom-
ed to the genial influence of heat. The man
WHO'S almoft perilhing from the want of food,
mutt not be too fuddenly fated with nourifh-
ment. Few men, who have felt " the filings and
arrows of an adyerie fortune" have been able to
prcferve their ufua virtue, uncontam;nated by
an unexpected profperity: & the 1ave whole
manacles are too fuddenly knocked off, will foou
carry his liberty to licentioufnefs, and prove
himfelf worthy of new chains. The fame prin.
ciple equally applies to political foceties. II
has long been maxim among us, that the inha.
btants of Turkey would be unable to recover
at once from the oppreffions of their defpotifn,
and acquire the neceiiary habits of a republic
The melancholy deftiny of the French, who had
no fooner deftroyed the trappings of their mo-
narchy, than they plunged into all the exceffes
of anarchy, has already furniihed the world with
memorable lenon.
The application of this principle is Efficiently
obvious. The inhabitants of Louifana have ne
yer been familiarized to the forms of free con-
ftitution. All the colonies of France and Spain
have exhibited the principles of defpotic go
vernment. They have been governed by Off
GERS in whole election they had no influence ;
and by laws, over which they have fcarcely ex-
ercifed any controul. LouiGana, and particu.
larly New Orleans, have difplayed the fame
monotonous character. The representative
principle had never been introduced among
them. The whole machine of government was
in the hands of the mnilters of foreign mo-
march. Their power extended to amoft every
action of the individual, and under the fanGtion
of a monopoly the very fhambles of the town
were laid under contribution. Meanwhile
the people had none ofthofe inftruments among
them, which conftitute the true balance of a def:
potic power. The prefs had not yet difperfed
among them the difcuflons and the leiTons OF
realon. Inftitutons for the inftruaion of their
youth, had never flouriihed. They had no pub
lie colleges, only one public fchool, which was
at N. Orleans, and few private fchools for chill.
dren. " Not more than half of the inhabitants .
Jays our official documents, " are fuppofed to be
able to read and write, of whom not more than
200 perhaps are able to do it well.''
Is it on iuch fociety as this whole chan.
!!s!G Ss 1Spiavity wuuiu iuun ne iucreaied by
the rapid emigration of needy fpecuators or Ii.
centious politicians is it on fuch focety as
this is, that an enlightened philoiophy would
confer the undiminiihed boon of free govern.
ment
Such was not the fituation Of the American
colonies when they became fovereign and indie.
pendent ftates. Mof of them had been the fci
onS Of a free country. On the face of their char
tiers was expreGed the right of reprefenta
tive legillation. This principle was praGtifed
and it was familiar to them. When our depen
dence upon the Britifh throne was removed, ma
ny ofthe mott important features of our confti
tuition remained. The Representative fyften
was the fame. The judiciary fyftem was not
| materially altered. With few notification
in the executive branch, the form of the confti
| tuition was the fame, tho the fpirit of our law
was widely different. ThetranGtion was therefor
| eaiy, from the colonial to the independent go
vernment. We psfied fmoothly and eaiily from
the one to the other, without the necefity of re
linquihing many old habits or of contracting
many new ones.
| Not only were we qualified for the enioynen
OF freedom by familiarity with its forms, 5u
by an ardent attachment TO its principles. w
had inherited portion Of it from our forefa
! theirs & we had been accultomed TO venerate it
maxims. During the period of the revolution
new events had occurred which gave new ener
gy 70 the national feeling. The heroes who fell Of
the field OF battle, had confecrated its principles
The generous fympathies. which the hazard
Of the war produced between us the deteftati