The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-08-21
The Election.


General Sheridan, in date August 18th
1867, has issued Special Orders No. 119
hereby giving "notice that an election
will be held in the State of Louisiana
on the27th and gsth days ofSeptember
next, to determine whether a conven-
ton shall be held, and for delegates
thereto, for the purpose of establishing
a constitution and civil government for
the State loyal to the Union"
we cannot find room for the order; it
is too long and uninteresting to bore
our readers with. Rapides will be
entitled to three representatives.
a propos Of this election so-called,
the following article from the National
IntelIigencer will find endorsement
from every decent and intelligent white
man in the land. f
The elections in the Southern States
are made, not by the people of those
States, but by Congress, through the
military power, and by the aid Of the
army of civil officers retained there by
the Government. The elections which
follow registration are merely matters
of form, for the registration decides and
controls the election. There will be no
elections in the excluded Southern
States-none that are worthy of the
name. The Government-that is to
say, q Congressional cabal-Tmight as
well elect the officers of all the States,
and their Senators and Representatives
for Congress. This would probably
be a better process for the subsection
of the Southern people than the plan
adopted, which is to place the elections
and the State in the hands of the ne
groes and the comparatively small num-
Der of Radical demagogues who are del
egatedto lead the negroes into the Rad
ical path. Thenegroes, who will be the
chief power in the South, will profit by
their tutelage, and adopt apolicy that
will best suit their own condition and
habits, and the Radicals of Congress
will from necessity, if not from choice,
conform to and sustain it.
After the example set by Tennessee
no one will deem an election worthy o.
a struggle. Few Of the white men
even Unregistered, with the exception
of Radicals, will attend the polls, fol
the elections will be a mere farce.
The blacks will frame the State con.
situations to meet their own views anl
interests, and therewillbe no objection
then to their recognition by Congress
The blacks will demand and receive {
share in the State and Federal Office!
land emoluments. The blacks will pro
vide in the State constitutions and law
that they shall share in public office
with their Radical associatesin proper
ton to their relative numbers in eacl
! State. The negro-Radical Legislature
will provide for the education of th
blacks at the expense Of the landowners
A tax upon lands, for this purpose, viii
be made equivalent to Mr.. Stevens
scheme Of /" mild confscation. Th
State governments will be conducte'
| upon the most profgate, Radical seal
and the expense of maintaining them
: instead of being fourteen millions
! year, as at present, will be double 0
three-fold that amount, and it must b
betrayed by confscation Of the proper
ty of the whites, or by appropriation
J by Congress. The jlaw-givers are nc
going to work either for the ex-rebe]
! or their own Radical white associates
So far from taxing themselves, they wi
! oppose any system Of taxation ths
$ does not tend to their own immediat
: benefit. j, a ses.F ,9
The Radical repudiators Of the Mort
Q will soon find that their natural allie
are the negroes Of the South.
! ANOTHER THREAT OF CoNFIsCAT1o,
+ "A dispatch from Washington say
= A recent letter from Hon. Thaddet