The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-04-22
The Peoples Forbearance.

From the St. Louis Republican

What is now being perpetrated in this
country by the Radicals is the work of such.
an odious and despicable tyranny, that a
decent man would rather be the victim
than the inAicter thereof. Perhaps this is
not sentiment resulting from that great
evangelical virtue which knows how to
tiud comfort even in the most responding
condition, nor is it the ontcry ofdespair to
palliate belief in the inability of the
country to free itself from this despotisp.
For we do not intend to make our friends
believe that we are so tender-hearted as to
prefer unjust suffering ourselves to q de
served cbastisemeIt of onr enemies, nor do
we for single moment doubt the approach
of the time when the country will shake
off its burden. But me mean to say that
all the momentary advantages which the
ruling party may draw from it's cruel dom
nations are such q miserable equivalent
for the odium Incurred by that party. that
the people can a thousand times better bear
Tor a while to be the victims Of that in
iquity than accomplices i'll its perpetra-
tions. ,v .sE.4l, ,,e>sf
Were it not a forsakcn party. but The
people themselves, laying the axe to the
root of our Constitution; were it not the
few, but the many, disgracing their coun-
try by the present mock-trial of the Presi-
dent; were it not those only who cali
themselves the representatives of the peo-
pie, but real majority of this nation who
insult the. conquered Southern States by
imposing the rule of adegraded barbarous
race over their own kind-we might admit
that we were reaching the last Of this Re-
public. aud that the Government which
we once thought the hope Of mankind is
nothing but an immense despotism. -, -
| For if the people themselves were direct
ly responsible for what is now going on,
we would not even try to extenuate their
crimes by stating them as resulting from a
transitory disease or alteration Of mind.
What may be justly attributed ton tran
STORY ailment in individuals is always the
symptom of the incipieDt decadence Of ma
tions When tile Roman republic was at
the verge Of turning into a monarchical
empire, there were millions Of corrupt and
corruptible mentor one of the avengers OF
the republic. The rich and the highly ed.
ucated were bFibed by treasure and valua-
BILE positions; the soldiers by money and
land grants; the masses of the people by
e. tiya!s and public dinner parties in the
streets of.Rome. Every body with few
exceptions, was readyrt to sell his part in
the republic; some took more, some took
less for their SHARE All seemed to long
for servitude; all preferred to intrust the
management Of State affairs toa common
master, rather than take the trouble of rnl
ing themselves. To be free seemed to be
a burden to everybody, and they chose te
obey rather the Whims ola despet sthantd
live under government of law, which
for n whole century, was disregarded BY
everybody in power M gEY 80 -.
/ We are yet far from such an awful
condition ofthings. Our official world
perhaps is as corrupt as it can be
most of our representative bodies arr
in the market to the highest bidder; the
people submit to legislative outragei
| with much more forbearance than w
had ever thought it possible, and thei
indifference to the usurpation OF thei7
rights seems often very alarming. Blu
though a. host Of perhaps forty thou
sand corrupt officers are a great curse
to the nation, they yet are only the one
thousandth part Of the whole. tnt
though the seeming submission of thu
people to their vi]laneous conduct may
be esteemed symptom of weakness
the forbearance of the people thus fa'
is anything but an approval. Th'
elections of last fall were proof OF it
and, if all signs do not deceive MS, tn
next elections will demonstrate still
better that our conviction is based upol
% true knowledge OF the people,
1t is peculiar to all reyolutionar,
parties to hurry events, and, for thos
who are in the wrong, time Away
marches on too slowly. 1t the Radical
cannot wait to the end of the regnla
term, to have new President, the PEG
, EpIe can wait for their revenge at tn
polls We would live in thesmost hor
i rid chaos, if the people in their oppo
sition to Radicalism should follow tn
practice of the Radicals, and If the
also should abandon the lines draw
by the Constitution tor their legitimat
action. Woe to the country il we. d
E not interpret in its true meaning tn
seeming fOrbearance OF the people. 4.