New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-10-23
"OUR LOCAL AFFAIRS" "

l CuPithAS A1iOASJs ''NAA"N''NSs 1880
| roads and merchandise, ana subscribe
literally to our charities. They may
even vote in modest, quiet way for the
men and measures proposed by "ou,
Oldest and best" But the moment they
attempt to interfere further, or show 6
disposition to ''meddle in our local affairs
to the extent of introducing reforms
they transcend the privileges accorded
them by the inequalities of ''our people.
The right Of sovereignty and eminent
domain is vested by divine right in the
older and, therefore, better people, who
have acquired ownership in the soil by
the hard work of our slaves.
Such are the doctrines taught here, not
by native Louisianians, nor even by
native Southerners. Immigrants from
the border States, and renegades from
the North. hold these ridiculous notions,
in the hope of pandering to the prejudices
of the South, which is not at all a coInpll-
ment to the sentiments of the people.
We are gravely told by the Democratic
papers that Northern men may come here,
buy and sell merchandise, lend our
people money, and help them Ill all their
material interests. and may even go to
the polls on election day and humbly,
gratefully vote the Democratic ticket.
But they are not permitted to offer any
suggestions about the nominations, nor
even talk against the Democratic party or
it's nominees. for this would clearly be
meddling with 'our local affairs
Now, the question naturally arises,
liar about our local affairs that Northern
men of intelligence are incapable OF IN
Outstanding? In all the Northern cities
every man who has a right to vote IS
deemed citizen, who is not only entitled
to live within the corporation, bat to
vote any ticket that suits HIM He is
also conceded the right Of making sug
gestions in all matters relating to public
policy. Nothing so stupid as denying
him the full freedom of native born citi-
zen is ever proposed anywhere except,
perhaps, ia China, where they are pro-
verbally jealous of more intelligent peo
pie The lofty t''1oe,' to whom divine
right has given the management of affairs
in the South, bear the same relation to
the people of the South that the three
tailors of Tooley street did to the people
of England, in whose name they spoke.
We submit that merchant who comes
to New Orleans with his capital
and risks his fortune and reputation in
the commercial vortex of this market, is
peculiarly interested in "our local affairs. "
He has direct pecuniary interest in all
matters relating to the public expenses,
the taxes and licenses, the port dues, the
laws to enforce collection Of debts,
the succession laws, the preservation of
peace and order, and everything else
likely to increase his expenses or affect
the value of his goods or check his sales.
The mere politician, or note broker, or
petty dabbler in any sort Of business,
whether political or financial, has not
the same interests at stake as the mer-
chant with large capital invested in reg
ular legitimate business. The former have
the tact of turning everything to advan-
tage.- No matter how they may be thrown,
they succeed, cat-like in alighting on their
feet, and being of extremely light weight,
do not suffer by the fall. If the Demo-
cracy succeed at the polls they take pos
session of the fat places, and rob the
treasury until they force the more
honest and sensible part of the commu-
nifty to interfere in our local affairs to the
extent of driving them out of office.
When the Republicans are successful,
they fawn and cringe to the new admins
trations, and either get employment OF
patronage from them. Such are the men
who make use of the pronouns first
person plural, in speaking of public affairs
in New Orleans. We have seen too many
years already of their management. They
began by denying the poor man his
rights. Their support for fifty years
before the war came from the labor of the
defenseless slave. They have always
feared the honest man from the free
North, and many years ago passed odious,
stringent, tyrannical laws to suppress the
freedom of speech. But the laws
have been repealed; the poor man
has been clothed with legal
rights, and our local affairs are altogether
better for the meddling of honest, justice
loving, sensible men. An American citi
zen does not like to hear affairs spoken OF
in which he has O common interest in
such manner as to place him in the
light of an outsider He may be, perhaps,
descended from revolutionary stock. His
ancestors settled the new world, conquered
their independence from the mother coun-
try, created a great nation, and bought
half q continent from the French. The
sovereignty and right of eminent domain
of all the broad lands Of the Union resides
in him, by descentefrom his fathers, and it
is impossible that he can be an intruder
or interlopcr Or meddler in any commun-
ity over which our flag floats. Our local
affairs are not involved in any mystery.
They only require the application Of
honesty and common sense to make them