New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-02-04
Il ssEEEsA.F, PUBLIC WRONG

Ezzsass
4 GIsIl4a.r 1'U ssLIC WRONG.
public wrongs bear little OF no relation to private
Rror d. Through individuals however, a sacred prin-
cipleon which rests the very supeistrlcture Of re-
publican utions may be violated and outraged,
aud may form precedent for still more outrageous
Of tyrannical power which, if it did not
extend beyond the individuals themselves would be-
comparatively harmless In the one case, the wrong
inflicted upon general principle, Injuries the whole
commonwealth. In the other the individual wrong
perpetiated only injuries one or more persons, and
there ceases its deleterions influence 5s5G
o., in other words the individual is nothing--the
principle rything And, where principle is out
ragged, through an individual the individual becomes
merged IN the principles not the principle in the in
dlglduai He IS the mere exponent of an idea, not
the idea chasing, golden though it may be-
perhaps, OF the natchess diamond. but not the lia-
8mond ITSELF We may truly admire the skill Of the
artist IN dressing up his Jewel to the best advantage
but, after all it is the gem that forms the centre of
attraction ## ss8 III III 1s 5S I +
In this light do we regard great public principles
and grounds like these have We condemned and do
condemn the action Of the Senate in ejecting Aessrs
Burke, Michel and Burthe from seats to which they
had been duly returned according to the laws of the
State, apon testimony wholly ex parte, and without
allowing them the smallest chance to bring in eyi
dence on their own behalf, and in behalf the great
party Of which they were the chosen standard bear
ers They had an indefeasible right to fair and i'm
4 partial hearing. They were hardly vouchsafed the
| shadow Of hearing! They had right to vindicate
the justice of their claim, but were refused even the
semblance of an opportunity. They had q right to
present facts, evidence and argument sustain them
.seves, but when they asked permission SO to do an
arbitrary majority refused They were not allowed,
even chance granted the vilest felons brought
4 before our criminal courts. S#
Here, we contend, a great principle founded in
justice, equity and natural lawwas violated set at
naught and trampled under foot as Of little worth
spurned and despised In doing this, the majority of
the Senate set fearful precedent which may yet re-
turn to plague the inventors in tenfold ratio and
which may be referred to in justification Of retala-
tory procedures future occasions of the kind. This
is the way evil breeds another, and act of es
potsm leads to other acts Of despotism, until the
laws of the land the rights Of the people, justice and
truth, crushed under the jaggernautic wheels Of
\ wrongful precedent set by tyranncal majority for
the veret purposes of temporary partizan advantage
The address to the g People Of New Orleans and
State Of Louisiana which appears in our columns
this morning signed by the illegally and unfairly
elected Senators, fully sets forth and exposes the m
heard of uncalled for, and unexampled tyranny of
the party majority Of the State Senate. The force
and power Of the document is only eq1alled by the
courtesy and dignity with which it is written. There
is no partizan clap-trap about the production. It
tesa Straightforward story illustrated by truth and
evidence, and marches directly to conclusion which
not call upon our readers to pay heed to it, for
that would be q matter of snpererogaton. The adj
dress possesses merit enough and truth enough to
command its own audience and to compel the glayest
consideration. +@
The developments made are of d remarkable char
aeter and must astonisI while they admonisf, the
people to guard against the evils which flow from ir
restricted and Irresponsible party dominion; must
teach them to distinguish between the name and the
thing to look at the difference between profession
and practice see beneath the rosy crowned wreath
Of universal liberty, about which so many boasts are
made the sharp thorns of unlimited tyranny to be
not deuded by shadow when the substance is any
thing but its resemblance and to take practical
common sense view Of things as they are--without
theoretical references as to what they should bein
order to improve upon the future and thereby guard
against the evils of the past. 4
Ancient history tells US that classic Athens once
became weary Of the domination Of single tyralt.
Accordingly the people banded together and expelled
him from the country They then elected thirty ma
gistraes nhs stead to manage their governmental az
fairs Very soon they found, to their sorrow, that
each one of these magistrates was q worse tyrant
than the one they had banisled and that instead Of
lettering their condition they had multiplied the evils
under which they had formerly labored, more than
thirty fold They had plenty Of liberty in name, but
none of itin fact. There were corresponding fea-
lures between the theory and the practice. Accord
ingly the Athenians soon established the original or
derof things to escape from despotisn Of their own
making. ,5
The parallel may not exactly hold good as regards
Louisiana but there can be no doubt there is much
aptitude in the ustration considering the political
| circumstances of the State as they now stand Let
| the Legislature go on as it has commenced, and in
stead of tyant, or thirty tyrants, will have
more than hundred and twenty tyrants all irres
ponsible, all rrestrcted and ali hiding themselves
under the folds of outraged constitution telling
we are the freest enjoy the largest liberty and ought
to be the happest people the surface of the globe
while at the time they practicing upon us
the worst and meanest species Of constituencies and
I grinding tyranny.
Without further remarks, at present we again COM
mend the address to the studious consideration of
readers If there is not matter for reflection in it, we
are unable to understand the true meaning of the
term. 4.
@ Charity Hospital Report.
One Of the most suggestive and important panph-
let's we have for a long time seen is the report of