The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-05-18
The Monroe Codes Again ga Gem
Of PureSt Ray Serene"

OF the written Law OF Louisiana,
compiled under the auspices of Jno
Ray, the leader of the Radicals in
the Legislature, assisted by Mr..
Isaiah Garrett and mulatto joint
committee of the Black and Tan
Legislature of Louisiana. Our le
marks were not noticed in any 9th
er quarter that we are aware OF.
We are generally ahead Of every
body else in the State in denOnnc-
ing the wrongs on the people, but
our remarks are generally unbeed
ed until somebody is hurt by them,
when hulIabalooi raised long af-
ter we have ceased to discuss them.
1t was SO with our opposition to
Matt Wells in 1865, when we were
abused by every Democratic paper
in the State because we would not
support him, and because we would
not swear that he was perfect
paragon of wisdom, virtue and I'M
adulterated Democracy. 1t has
been so dozen times since.
But the value of Mr.. Rays codes
has recently been put to q severe
practical test by a discovery OF
.heir worthlessness, and no man
was ever more soundly abused than
this modern Scion just about this
time, throughout the length and
breadth OF the State. 1t has been
discovered that the criminal laws
got up by this charIatan law giver,
and enacted by quack Legisla
ture, of which he is the leader,
make no provision for the deten-
ton and punishment of the authors
of crimes committed prior to the
LIST day of April, 1870. AS a ne
cessary consequence the iai's have
been delivered of the criminals,
and the community has had Il set
of cut-throats and robbers precipi-
tated upon it, from which the Frost
dreadful consequences are likely ia
result. The Criminal. Court in
New Orleans, in order to get at the
truth of the mat er, summoned the
modern Justinian before it, who
could give no very satisfactory ac-
count Gi the matter except to state
the fact that he received seventy
IKE thou and dollars for his worth,
less job, and that some of his Radi-
Cal friends received probably srv,
eral hundred thousand more. He
was disposed to shift the blame on
the Legislature, but this dodge
will not avail him. Every body
knows that John Ray is the Legis-
lature and that the Legislature is
John Ray. The appeal from Phil
| ip Drunk to Philip Sober has long
since gone out of date The PEG
pie are little disposed to believe
that John Ray, the lawgiver, is a
perfect Scion, and John Ray, the
legislator, the veriest of asses.-
They hold him, his associates and
his Legislature all to Il strict ac-
count, and know exactly where to
fix the blame of all the chaos that
now reigns supreme in the juris
prudence Of our beloved State. II
was stupid fraud in the Legisla
ture to order a revision of the laws
when no revision was necessary.
It was still more a crime in the
Legislature to appoint "a Pine
Woods pettifogger to tinker with
the work which the genius OF Ed
ward Livingston had adorned,
And it was the greatest crime of all
to enact a Code without first con.
sulting with learned lawyers to see
whether 1t met the requirements OF
the age.
When we contemplate the great
lawgivers of past ages, and think
that the enlightenment of the 10Th
century has to be reduced tc the
extracting OF wisdom from til.
brains of John Ray, "the Honora.
BILE Isaiah Garrett" and a mulattc
committee of IA corrupt Legislature
the idea is so ridiculous as to cause
us to break out into horse laugh
were it not that the consequence.
involved are so tragical as complete
~ to swallow up all the comic fea
lures of the subject. Lawgiver.
have ever been the objects of espec
ial honor and gratitude among nj
the civilized nations If the Earth
fhe homage of alteration will b,
ever paid to Draco, Scion, and Peri
cles; to Numa, the Dccemvirs an,
| .Justinian to Napoleon and to Ed