The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-09-25
The Reaction.
[From .t.he NeW YORK IExnrass, s,

4l-zE Y aE-s-r - j. 1. i
We may expect to live long enough to
hear and seesagood many persons who are
Just now acting with the. Jacobiu patty
declaring that they nererIsbelopged to It,
never voted with It, nor fof Il, and never
had any sympathy with its ends, its aims,
nor its principles.
That is always how great revolutions end;
the revolutionists denying that they ever
had a hand in the excuses, the outrages
and the tyrannies that Liberty had commit
ted in her name, through their agency Or
instrumentality. u
1t was so at the end Of the old French
revolution. and so also at the end of the
later revolution in.l849. Fellows that had
been first among foremostin backing up.
Robespiere Danton, Murat and tie other
Radicals of that day, when the tide 9began
to turn, were quick to turn with IL, And
none were louder thar they in lying pro-
testations that they never had been Ex-
tremists-had never committed excesses
themselves, and had never eeantenanced-
the commital of them by others. In fact,
to put faith in their protestations Under the
changed or changing circumstances in which
by the revolution Of public opinion, they
found themselves placed, one would have
supposed that they had always been con-
servatives-friends of law and order, and
good goyernment--never, Jaco bins, Anar-;
chists, Terrorists, Thieves. " - ~ rs
:. English, las well as French history, affords
abundant Illustrations Of the same thing.
Macaulay tells Of fawning creatures, who,
while theStuarts were playing the role of
tyrants, were their readiest and most obse-
quious supporters, but who, when the tide
turned !; had the impudence to assume the
role of advocates and defenders of public
liberty, free government, the rights Of the
people, etc u - 60 W ti'fst
One cannot help recalling these admoni-
tons ofhistory, as in some sense applicable
to men and parties Of our own time and
country. We have been passing through a
fearful revolution, in this country, these six
or seven years past ito speak more particu-
larly, ever since the Jaeobins rode into
power with Lincoln and Hamlin, on the
shoulders of old John Brown;) but all the
signs now indicate that the revolution is
over, aud that the inevitable reaction is not
only begun, but acquiring fresh momentum
every day.9aiaa 81 is9
The elections in Connecticut, California
and Maine, are but the FIST mutterings Of
the storm which ere long is destined to as
thoroughly sweep from existencethe wicked
men who have SO long had our country by.
the throat, as ever the Jacobins Of France
were swept from existence. Some ofthem,
we observe, as ifalready deserving the COM
ing doom, are making pretensions OF con
servatisnl, as if in order to escapeit. We
expect to see the number of these bypo-
critics daily increasing, and as the tide rises,
it will not be according toprecedent if we
do not find them soon protesting against
the "radicalism'' and the "extreme views"
which govern, or. govern their fellows, hut
which no less governed them, as long as it
paid .,a,4 u. csg;g i F.,lE Il {
/ That now is the philosophy Of the pecu-
liar phase Of history upon which the Ameri-
can people appear at present to be enter
ing. We think it is phase watching, and
studying, as it progresses, from stage to
stage, toward the grand elimination, which
| is to witness, at no remote period. the tri-
umph of Right over Wrong, and the rescue
of Liberty from the debris Of Despotism.