The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-09-09
An Open Confession. /

E.t ,
The Southern white people who wer,
engaged in the rebelli9n-and it is the hall
1t OF the Dcmocratic newspapers to speal
OF them as exclusively constituting "ths
South a conquered peoples-[ Cincin
natl Commercial "
Plainly, it is false. They arc not con
quercd people. You'know they are not d
conquered people. That is merely new
cry you have got up to idelude tho North
and to divert attention from yonr wicked
and dastardly scheme, first to set the ne.
groes oyer the whites, and then to set a
dictator over MS all.
The faith of the country stands pledged
to the denial of the falsehood contained in
the above, The Republican party itself is
committed to the, contrary The war was
.waged, so Lincoln said and SO the first war
Congress- said, in no spiritlof conquest, but
for the restoration. of the Union, If the
people of the South arc q con1uered peo-
pie, the Union is not restored. .Ifthe coun-
try permits them to be treated as q DON.
.guered people, it will not be long before
the spirit of subjugation pushes its limits
SO as to include not only the Democrats of
the South but tho Democrats Of tho North.
If III 1861 it had been proclaimed that
the war was begun for the conquest of the
lSenth, and not for the restoration of the
Union, no army could have been raised to
fight it. Tho people of the North would
haye turned deaf ear, to every appeal for
troops, They would have said, ,"Let the
South 60" But radicalism has steadily
encroached upon itself and the country,
and from restoring tho Union, has got as
far as negro asccndancy and military pros
cription. 1t now declares that the people
of the South are a conquered people" and
its next assumption will be that tho Dem
ocratic party is a conquered party, and in
this way twill excuse any and every out
rage it may see fit to perpetrato against
free government and civilization.
This it is which we are charging upon
the Radicals every day. and this it is which
tile extract from The Commercial half con-
fesses. b.
The people of the South are not conquer
ed. If they are conquered, the balance of
the people may as well go ont and dig a
grave for the remains of republicanism on
this continent. 1t is only by treating the
South as conquered territory, and by that
rule taking license gradually to steal upon
the liberties OF the rest, that despotism can
make any Roadway among, u.s. This the
Commercial knows, and it is to push for
ward an advance principle of radicalism
that such articles are gradually cdging
their way into the radical organs. 20
If the people of the South are conquered,
goodbye, to that ptre, beneficent, equal,
i ts and just system, Of government
which an parties profess to admire, but
which is thus stigmatizcd by the Cincip.
natl Commercial. -ss9!8en is sH9u8asls !
But the people Of the South are not a
people. The Democrats party
look to it that they are not even
as conquered people. 1t means
to compel the Radicals to abide by their
original CONTRACT 1t means to restore the
Union, as it was. It means to put the
Constitution in the ascendant. 1t means
10 create rule and measure by which ev-
cry State and every citizen shall square
his conduct. 1t means to give us freedom
and to give us peace by making the man
Ddious who dare proclaim that tho people
pt tho Sonth, OF of any part of this broad,
land OF liberty, arc "a conquered people,
Journal.