The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1866-08-29
PEACE.

The President has issued his proclama-
ton announcing the restoration of law and
order in the State of Texas, and informing
the people that peace is now restored from
one end of the Republic to the other.
While it may be true, as it was undoubt-
edly true more than year ago, that the
last Confederate army in the field has sur
rendered, and that the Confederate Gov
eminent has been dispersed, it is a mock
cry Of words to tell us that peace now
reigns at the South. For more than a
year the dominant party in the Congress
of the United States has waged more
savage and relentless war upon the people
of the South than at any epoch during the
period when the "grand army of the I'm
ION was shooting off the heads Of our
people withIeaden bullets. Though they
tell US that we have never been out of the
Union, our representatives are spurned
from the Halls Of that Congress which
assumes the right to lay taxes on our pro-
perty for the support of the common gov
ernment. Though the President processes
to give us civil" governments of our
own choosing, its requirements are die
tated from Washington, and the "civil !"
Courts can take cognizance only of such
cases as the military may choose to hand
over to them. Though the civil Courts
are said to be in full operation, citizens,
who were never in the military service Of
either belligerent, have recently been tried,
convicted and executed by an irresponsible
and unconstitutional military commission.
Though the people have given every midi
cation Of "loyalty" and obedience to the
laws, military force is stationed in every
important town to overawt and humble
the people, and to keep them in subsection.
An Ubiquitous act of Congress is in full
operation to Cypress the people by taking
cases out of their own Courts and handing
them over to the imported tools of Radi-
cal Congress, at the instigation ofevery
peuurer who may see &c to require it,
A Bureau" is established in every coun-
ty to interfere with the contracts between
employer and servant, swindling both, un-
der pretease Of protecting the rights Of the
emancipated slaves. We fear, therefore,
that the President has raised false alarm /;
that he cries apeace when there is no
peace"
How long this state of things is to con-
tinue we will not attempt to conjecture.
1t is true the Presidents hands have been
tied by a Radical Congress, and that he
has been able to do but little for our amel-
still we think he might have
done much more His friends say that
our time will come when the Conserva-
tives shall have carried the Northern cleo
tions; that as soon as he can secure a
working majority in Congress, he will carry
out his policy and restore the South to its
rights even if it has to be done at the
point of the bayonet. If, on the other
hand, the, Radicals are successful we may
look for continuation of the present state
of affairs to an indefinite period, and fur
ther oppression Of the Southern people al
most beyond the point of endurance. How
then, are the coming elections
in the Northern States. The Philadelphia
Convention, if its action shall result in a
Conservative triumph, will entitle itself to
the lasting gratitude of the orderly people
of the country.