The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-08-28
A Word Of Caution,

ted stas' The Repnbliean party in the north,
bIlls an and Que whose advice should always
vest DID Odd on account of it's age aud the
be peo ability displayed in its editorials,
rnarhsea; aters the following word of caution
adn aha Republican party of the South; we
70 o. ~ HAT no apology is necessary IN laying
iet s,r u our readers the matured Opinions OF
distinguished an advocate OF the purest
50 aiS a,iicon principles. The Tribune says:
Re lPNsa Republican party has "a responsible
in tbe country, in the matter of recon-
ity " stinn which it cannot shirk nor escape.
st racew .yohpson organized governments
ANU .,,o rebel States, and offered them to
ID tn r.ass and asked their recognition and |.
COrsl .once as legal State governments.
aecep .,oss refused them, and proceeded to
Cons,t. o far the establishment OF govern
leglsaia;n those States upon wiser and JUS
nien nl,,;nciples. In this action the people |
l ,st sustained Congress. The congress
lonal plan would have been much nearer
SU nractcal result had not the President, by
aa.ppb bSiI objections. interposed delays.
asVn Iast session of Congress was necessary
lh ~, n order to remove the obstacle raised
1n'{ Trecutiye obstinacy. In the execution
W s. L nlan of Congress there would be no
u msinulty. had not the President arrayed
,u inlfi In hostility to it. and encouraged
Ihn rehelsto resist it in every possible form
sno 1 now now that Congress has protected the
an ur,. from Executive hostility, the John
@Oin robels refuse to take part in the cleo
S S.uas So While they may no longer seek to
ssnF the ballot-boxes with Illegal votes
s sSav can refuse to be registered. refuse to
, .nts and refuse to take any part In the
s susi of rcorganizing the government
D Dsfher States. This, we regret to say, is
.hs ' strongest policy that can be resorted
t M order to embarrass, if not defeat the
luo - of reconstruction. 1t leaves the
Suhole business to one class Of voters 1t
; SaJ abandonment by theminority of their
I,;neinles. and surrender to the majority
r absplute control. Southern politics will
y, become lop-sided-the restraining
n ~ Of the minority will be gone, and
tbsre will be serious danger to the Ship Of
State -. ..;o, ,,,
now he performed by the enfranchised ne
rroes and by the comparatively few white
Non who have emerged from the oblivion
thew enjoyed during the war. Among
these white loyalists are many OF the pu
rost and best nienin the country, but Their
orc also MANY who cannot be so classed
In fact the virtual abandonment OF all OF
nosition has produced at the South JUS
What Il would naturally produce in an
other part of the country-a number G
Jomaoopues. who, in their rivalry, haste
70 outbid each other with the most lnsan
and extravaganza propositions. lhey an
more dangerous and detestabie al IN
Sonth at this time than they can ever b
hereafter, because their appeals are az
dressed to q people who have just emerge
from bondage and degradation, and VIII
are keenly alive to all things proposed II
REINFORCEMENT of their condition. Ihes
NEGROES have been and are now wlthol
land; the policy, ifnot the law OF their La
owners. denies them the ownership,
even the privilege of leasing OF otherwl
oecupying land. While struggling Wi
noyerty under this system OF exclusion
pronosition by one of these demagogues
place in the Constitution provision co
fiscating the lands OF the late owners, a.
apportioning them among those VINO ma |:
no lands, is received with favor Whl
nodes no good to reconstruction or to t
General peace and welfare of the COUNT
There are other propositions made by the
demapogical white knaves equally dang
ous and repulsive. They propose that
offiees and honors of the State shall
conally divided between the woraces; a
they then propose to so limit the eligibi.ll
If The whites as to keep the offices fall
10 The share of that class among thems
YES, They propose to avenge the Wror
of slavery by the political disfranchl
ment of all who ever owned slaves, and
punish treason against the United Sta
Nv excluding all white men from OH
save their own immaculate tribe.
at should be proclaimed to every N
ut the South, white and black, that
Republican party, representing the peoo
Of the country; desires the speedy est
lislment of governments in the rebel Sta
and that the recent legislation OF Congl
had that end in view and no other. L
CONGRESS. while guarding on the one hs
ogoinst the exclusion of the. blacks TT
chill and political rights, will never 9
can't To the exclusion from such right
any other class of persons who may not
nni,er fine exclusion of the Federal Con
tntion applicable to all the States.
nroposition to apportion the offices betw
the races is theoretically and practic,s
as odious as to the total exclusion Of cit
race. Elections must be free, ana the
ter must be no more compelled to vote
aneero than compelled to vote for WI
man The idea Of confseating the pro-
tyof any person by State for an Ole
arainst the United states is not relievet
its responsiveness to Justice and proprl
because originated by Andrew John'
Andrew Johnson, when he promised
negroes of Tennessee that the land
other property of the rebels should be
yidsd among them, was but anticipa'
by a few years other demagogues as
scrupulous as himself If there be n
stitutional or statutory provision IN
State excluding any freeman from
ownership of real estate or any other
full property. let such provision be obllt
ted; hut if the Conventions abont to
elected in any rebel State propose to
sent aConstitution to Congress which
confscate the property of any citizen
offences against the United States, OF
dertake to divide and apportion the p
erty Of one class of persons among O
classes, the people who propose that !
ofa Constitution should be made to k
beforehand that it will not be accepte
rcorganized by Congress, but will b.
pudiated as promptly as if it re-establis
slavery in any other form.
What the country wants is, not
there should be Africanized, nor pure W
nor Republican, nor Democratic State
ernments in the rebel States, bnt gov
lnents rejecting the popular will, an
curing to all freemen, with out distlnt
ofraee or color, an equality of civil
political liberty They are not t.
/ eyenging tribunals, nor prospective c.
llSilments; they are not to punish o
grade aman because he is black, or bee
! no white. They are to be governn
\ that are just, and founded upon prime
| ofrepublican liberty, as guaranteed
7 protected by the national Constitu
When they depart from these plain an
telligent propositions, to reach ate
4 uemes that are heretlcal in theory an
apocal in practice; they become ht
d . the well-grounded philosophy OF
7 government, and become yiolatire Of
principles of the Republican party.
/ we repeat the warming to our Req
| can friends in all parts of the country,
| Tue greatest danger to the success of
4 suGetion in the rebel States is to