New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-02-04

we'll AhONh W WIS AAAAo VIC SOhuhS OHA
selves this morning to brief classification
OF its enemies. These are nominally many,
as one might Judge from the long array OF
names in the columns Of the Camp street
| Journals, or from the sleek and well-dressed
crowd that pours ont Of the st. Charles
after adjournment on committee nights the
real heads, however, of the opposition are
few. Eliminating from the parlor P CON-
mittee a few laxative young lawyers who
will answer for small ward purposes, and
as sort of filling and foil to the heavy
weights at public meetings, larger num-
Der of merchants who don't think or say
much, but who are expected to respond
handsomely for party purposes in return
for the honor of their present appointments,
a few venerable lay figures for purposes Of
reference, some dignity and department
Iaen, and others more or less laJnidpped in
for various minor purposes, and we come
to the real leaders, who, over the shallow
and temporary grave of former animosities,
have Joined hands for the nonce in presence
Of a common peril
Now these last are not to be despised.
With good working intellects, more or less
prestige in society, well-bred and plausible
manners, consciences relieved by long
training of all superhuous weight as to
scruples, the experience OF veterans in
party discipline and management, and in
political warfare generally, from Grant
tactics dowR 10 bushwhacKing, not to men
tiOn street firing and paving stone barri-
cades-with all this we say these men have
the stimulus that is born Of desperation,
the highly intelligent consciousness that
their present venture is decisive, that is
now really neck or nothing " with them.
Successful in the approaching contest, and
they regain something of their old footing
Of authority aud command; while defeat
means political death which will know no
second birth.
Lei us now look at the materials that
these chiefs are striving to organize and
Inspire.
Throwing out of our calculations for the
present the Free Ldnces, the mercenaries
who fight exclusively for pay, and a few
malcoatents and deserters from the Radi-
cal ranks who find their rallyiDg point just
now ia Exchange alley, and we believe
that pArlOr P's levies, the volunteers at
least must be drawn from two classes of the
community,
First, there is the class that has its rep
rssentatives in every quarter Of the state,
but who like the Indians are passing grad
uslly away, who are as sincere as they are
stupid In their hostility to all progress;
who BOurbon-like in all these sad and ter
rible years have learned nothing, and for
gotten nothing.
These people are hopelessly welded to
the old order of things. Such has been
their education, aRd such their family asso-
Citations, dating back in many instances for
generations, that it ia impossible for them
TO lock on the progressive movements of the
dsy With oOmposure, and they are as honest
In their bitterness and malignity as are the
owls Who fly shrieking from the dawning
sunlight into the forest and the night.
This class, though not formidable in
point Of numbers or mental activity, has
still great deal Of prestige and influence,
By reason Of the somewhat tattered gentil-
iiy ana social distinction that still attaches
90 1t, with the second and much larger
class, snd that is aths snobs, the people
whose social position is undecided, who
are just hanging on the verge, as Andy
would say, of fashionable society, who have
no family history Of any consequence be-
hind them, but are weak almost to lunacy
in their ambition to be thought genteel, and
think il necessary accordingly to affaat a
horror and scorn of radicalism, to show
how aristOcratic and high-bred are their
tastes and natures
Many of the men OF this class are sensible
,.s:ssS; .;,. te zee sa aes.isa The sheddyneas
of tbs course, but they can not face tho
chatiering aAd lamentations Of their wives
and daughters, who at once get frantic with
thO lear that anything like independence Of
thought or sympathy with reform win peril
Tie statue they have acquired or are strug-
Cling to acquire among their fashionable
nsighbors.
To Ae snobs also belong a number Of
tradesmen and mechanics some Of them, to
their shame be ii said, Of Northern birth
ands edueasion, who are either financially
toe weak or timid to BE- oatspsken, or who
would sacrifice the honor Of the very moth
era who bore them to the thrift that fol-
lows fswning.v
We must net forget among he sNobs q
spriokliog Of young men clerks, appreR-
tees, students, and others las The play-biIls
have 10, whose secial aspirations are none
the less ardent that thsif brains are hardly
worth mentioning, whose great study au1
ambition II Is 70 dress, dance, ETC., them
solves into society, and who would no mora
face ana ecatend againsi that sociesy's lash
iona5Is pfeiuaiOes than young calves would
against q locomotive.
We might cohsinue ihe analysis of ihepa
Two classes, but it is needless for the
rouEhs and shenldsr-hitlers, the mes who
Piled 80 aevisiahIy well their clubs, pistols,
aad knives On the s0sh Of July, weFe neEved
p tkeiF work not merely BY native cruelty
and feleoily, but slao By genuine hatred Of