The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-07-22
Relief Against the Reconstruction
Infamy.

The carpet-bag Senators and Repre-
sentatives from the reconstruct,
States are fast taking their seats il
Congress and in a few days all sever
Of these States will be recognized b,
the Radical Congress as "in the Tn
ion." The Radicals will take care
however, to retain the bayonets to up
hold their model governments of
Republican FORM" which are suppos
ed to rest upon the will of the people
Now that the South has had State gov
ernments forced upon her-govern
ments which cannot be perpetual-th'
question arises how and when we ar
are to get clear of them.
If we should elect a Democrat,
President and Democratic Congress
no change could be made in the gov
eminent of the South within the mex
two years by Congressional enactment
for Che reason that the Senate, during
that time, would be overwhelmingly
Radical, with or without the Southern
Senators. IF we wish to rid ourselves
of the Reconstruction incubus within
that time it is plain that we shall have
to resort to other and more violent
means.
The plan laid down by Gen. Blair in
his recent letter is decidedly the best
and most practicable that has been
suggested. If the country should go
overwhelmingly Democratic, with a
Democratic Executive and Democrat
ic House of Representatives, thus en-
phatically condemning the reconstruc-
ton enormity, it would be simply alb
surd to permit Radical Senate to
thwart the clearly expressed will of the
people. If, therefore, the President
elect should withdraw the military
from the South, ignore all the work of
reconstruction as unconstitutional and
void, order elections for members of
Congress by the white men of the
States, who would be admitted by a
Democratic Congress, the work of I'M
doing the Radical outrages would be
simple, quick and complete. The Sen
ate would soon come into terms. If
not, it would be harmless in the face of
the Executive and a House, fresh from
the people. This is Gen. Blair's plan,
but we fear that our Northern friends
could not be brought up to such a rad
ical reform as this.
Another plan is to await the decision
of the Supreme Court on the constitu-
of the reconstruction acts, and
to base all future action on this decis-
ion. Apart from the difficulty (Which
we have already experienced) of get
ting a decision from the Supreme
Court, such decision would bind nei-
Their the Executive nor Legislative de-
partments OF the government, and
would end in no practical results. If
the Supreme Court should decide that
The State governments are unconstitu-
tional and void, and the Senate should
vote the contrary and admit the South
ern Senators, there is no law to make
The Senate adopt the ruling of the
Court, or take away from it its consti-
5utional right to judge of the qualifica-
ion of its own members. This point
vas clearly decided by the Supreme
Court in the Rhode Island case arising
,ut of the "Dorr Re5ellion.n Chief
Justice fancy, (good Democratic au-
hority) in delivering the opinion of
he Court said that when Congress by
The admission of members decides a
State government to be constitutional,
such decision is binding not only on
he Legislative, but on the other de-
,artments of the government, and the
supreme Court cannot afford any relief
n the matter. eve quote from memo
y, and while we give the substance OF the
lecision we do not pretend to accuracy
n the language.) This is sound Demo-
ratio doctrine and was settled nearly
seventy years ago by the celebrated
'ase of Marbury VS.. Madison, which
rev out of Mr.. Adams midnight y
1t was the Federal
,arty, under such Federal jurists as
MARSHALL and Story, which attempted
o set up the Supreme Court as an ar
liter over the other departments of the
government. When, therefore, the
Democracy attempted to make capital
tut of the "Dred Scott" decision, and
to get favorable decisions
more recently, it strayed from the old
[effersonian and Madisonian land
marks, and launched upon dangerous
waters which may yet overwhelm it as
t did its opponents in times that are
buried with many of their "obsolete
deas." If, therefore, the present
House of Representative is legal
body (which we deny) it has already