The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1869-01-14
TEE "sUE MURPHY CASE,

i
of exclaiming, and have been deferred fror
the impatient ejaculation only by the secon
thought that the party by name of Murphy
reierred to by the telegraph. was, in reality
piaintlfi, not defendant, suing, not bein
sued. Further reflection upon the facts 0
this case reveals features in it of a curiou
political significance and gravity. This Muir
| ply, it seems, is plaintiff in a sort of collec
tive sense. The reason why she has cut 81
large figure in the eye of Congress is tina
she is construed by that body as a noun O.
multitude. She personifes the plaintive 10y
atty OF the whole South Her plant covers
damage suffered, and indemnity demanded
by that virtuous, patriotic and disinterested
class of the population to the amount, as
stated by Senator Fowler, who advocates her
collective cause, of thirty million dollars.
And, according to Senator Spencer who also
backs this multitudinous plaintiff, the cause
IS one on which pivots the success or failure
OF reconstruction and, what is still more
1 fearful to contemplate, the rejection of the
claim, logically extensible to thirty million
dollars, would destroy the fidelity of the
Southern loyalists to the Radical party. eff
the claim was ignored, said he, "reconstruc-
ton would be failure Southern low
alists, if treated as enemies of the conn.
try, will abandon the party" That is
to say, If they are not excepted from the
mass of their fellow-countrymen for
the smiles and bounties of the govern
ment while the majority of the Southern
people are reserved for its frowns and penal
ties, its extortions and expressions, they will
throw up the profession of injured, INDECENT
and mendicant loyalty with digust, as vain
and Improbable pursuit Spencer thou rea.
soonest well. We give thee credit for speaking
frankly from the fullness of thy personal
knowledge as to what constitutes the SOY.
ereign inspiration of Radical loyalty. Thou
knowest that thy party, North and South. is
held together by the cohesive power of public
plumber; thou knowest it by both the induc-
tive and deductive process of reasoning-by
arguing from the parts to the whole, |
or from the whole to the PARTS
To be sure, if Southern loyalists
are treated as enemies of the country. in
other words, as the mass of the Southern
people are now treated, it is downright alb
surdity to expect that they will persist in
their loyalty and Radicalism. And why. we
would ask, In the name of common sense
and dollars and cents, should they do so ?
The Radical laborer in the loyal vineyard at
The South is surely worthy of his hire. II
ais vocation as Radical and loyalist, consid-
red from bis and his party's point of view,
not good for special remuneration at the
expense OF his unfortunate and helpless South
IN eountrymen, we should like to know
vhat in the thunder it is good for? Business
S business The loyal claimants whose dues
or the single item of incidental losses
y the war come to thirty million !
ollars, as testified by Senator
'owler, expect cash down and no grumbling. 9
hey are net to be put off with temporizing {
nd evasive palaver. No fine words to en-
ellish sentimental loyalty will satisfy them. c
hey want good, fresh butter and plenty of I
, for their little dish of parsnips They t
i'll not serve delinquent or bankrupt pay s
lasters If the Radical Congress fail to pro- (
lde ways and means for making their pres v
at political position remunerative they will r
oapdon it, says Spencer-and he knows
nd no longer fight the odious battle of
le Radical party against the section and \
le community in which they live. il
The fact is that this case of the Murnbv- 81
legrammically Sue Murphy"-who is con- a
construed intoa noun of multitude n
egnant with claims to the potential amount el
thirty million dollars, is but one of many Il
ustratlons daily cropping forth of the great Ii
cret of the strength and the weakness of the OF
ldical party. The whole organization is W
sed on rapacity, its supreme aim being to
cure peculiar benefits to its adherents. at
sacrifice of the rights and interests of III
her people and to the constant detriment of az az
national prosperity and credit. The party III
wing paid through the freedmens bureau 1t
the adhesion of one portion of the South ~
negroes, and for the adhesion of nc
other portion of them along with the tn
petbaggers and scalawags by the 20
itical and official monopolies pro- on
ed tor IN the reconstruction acts. il is ie'
found that these adherents must be con. pa
nally bought in order to secure their con-
nal reliability For party steadfastness in VIII
b people is quality which, like gratitude CRY
seated In lively sense of benefits to be dif
ferred, not in the recollection of benefits no,
ady received. But can the Radical party but
avs command the resources which are ma
essay to create this clement of adhesive "
stancy9 VIII the country always submit are
'e harried and despoiled by partisan and the
ndering legislation for this vile purpose? ref,
doubt it. We believe that at this mo. Co,
It the party is on the brink of bankruptcy lar
"1en ~ can no longer pay Its corrupt, iror
Eish and beggarly followers then farewell mo,
its greatness. ret,
ere the six per cent lavee ho,,. Ill, Mid
when thew conld hava boo,, - "a 80" sior