Le Louisianais. [volume] (Convent, La.) 1865-1883, 1870-01-22
fHB L0UISIANlAN.
Saturday, January 22, 1870.

principles; il can work iniquity if Influenced
by ''new moral ideas''-idess, that is to say,
in contradi %stinc,ion TO the old moral ideas Of
the Gospel. 1t is clearly, then, a moral crea.
ton and its constituents should have a moral
c%ongluity. We have already seen, that the
Radicals as a body, are alien 10 the South, in
sentiment, in feeling, in habits in tradi,ionary
customs ; and heterogeneous beyond The
possibility of assimilation, III s'moraI IDEAS"
We have seen that the @i,inerant Radicals
attracted hither and here boldly trying their
prentice hands at "reconstruction," are, for
the most part, either nomadic, or isolated,
having no social relations with the commune
ties into which they have been .foisiea. On
what grounds then, moral or social, can they
pretend 10 direc, the autonomy, and (wha. is
a still greater p%resumpt'on) to alter the
institutions of a people possessing all the
essentials of an Established" a constituted, >
and a ''pe'fect' political organization?
Whatever be the form of government, these
rights aud duties las we have frequently
shown) belong 10 the people. A fortiori, they
belong to the people Of a Republic. Now
what sense of shame can we suppose is still
Ief, to the Radicals, who, forming no integra!
part Of the Southern communities, insist on
governing them against their consent, and yet
have the hardihood 10 proclaim in the face Of
mankind, that they are guaranteeing ITO the
South, a Republican form of government?
Surely, surely, this is an instance Of excessive
! bro n ~ r. = %,r ,,,b;o1 w. v i, r.b l., ,,i,
to find a parallel!
The patriarchal form Of government, (s we
have SEEM is the only one by which a people
may be governed !egitilmately, without a
formal consent Of the community. The Radio.
ais, with all their stupid professions, will not
claim that there is any thing ether pa,ernal
or patriarchal in their manipulation Of South.
ern Society. But if they could be supposed 10
set up such a claim, (,hongh this is an impos,
sib'e hypo'hesis) the absurdity would no, be
common sense, involved in their declaration
that the "National' Legislature is bringing
back the "febellious Sa,es'' TO Republicanism,
(albeit, Repub|icanism, they never lost while
the people Of those States, have 'neither hand,
act, nor part" unfet,ered and unconditional,
in the creation or in the administration Of their
Governments!
The only possible semblance of right which
one people can exhibit at all for in,ermeddling
with The government Of another people, is
what is called 'the right of conquest But we
have thown that the Fright" Of the conquers
if they be admitted to have any right in the
case, can extend no futher than the dispIacin.
of the Supreme Ruling Power already es,abiis-
he'd and that their right Gf.such be conceded
to them) can, in no way, reach the rights of
the community. And this must be true in
every conceivable case; true, even though the
right conceded or claimed or acquired, result
from a Just war %legi,imately waged for it is
clearly contrary TO the common understanding
OF things, TO suppose that one right can, in
any event, abroga,e another.
And thus, whatever view we take Of this
question, we are forced to the same inevitable
conclusion,-,hat Radicalism can presen, no
more acceptable rationale of its nefarious
encroachmcnts on the inherent rights Of
Southern Societies, than is dedncible from lis
Unsuitable lust Of dominion, its all-devouring
cupidity, and that satanic "new morality
which, in spite of the care taken to conceal
its sleek hypocrisy, bursts forth from time 10
time in such monstrosilies as that recently
enacted by Beecher and his fellow. r dicals,
10 the horror Of all Christendom -
irThus natup nly,a,, br;nn. :, fot,,a', rntt,
Mans ruling passion, as Pope says, to light
Fourhly,-Society is either civilized or
barbarous: 1t is civilized when its constituent
members possess the revealed truths of Reli.
gion in their integrity, when their morality,
private and public, conforms 70 1h0sg TTur1Ty,
and when their political and civil activities
are characterized by the same immutable
Truths translated into their legislation.
1t is very evident that a Legislation reflect
ing the immortal and eternal Truths Of God,
must be a true and, therefore, a just legisla.
ton; and that the Legislators effecting it,
would, by the fact, promote the highest
patriotic ends, advance the social welfare,
preserve the rights, extend the liberties, and
expand where consistent with the common
good, the privileges of their fellowmen and
it is no less manifest, that the same Truths
thus pervading the politics of a Community,
thus put into practical social activity, would,
Of necessity, give character 10 the laws, as
we'll as to the manners, customs, and industrial
pursuits Of the whole people. Society with
these rare, yet essential conditions, is truly
civilized.
Society is bar6arous when it despises or
rejects the conditions just indicated, and when
it lacks the moral principles-the Truths, that
is, in private and public life-from which they
emanate. Because, where true Christian
morality Is not planted, pagan morality must
fill the place; and this, necessarily, inspires a
pagan lssistation-a false legislation, and
therefore unjust. In such 4 Society, all the