The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-03-30
What Good?

mOcracy do ms at the South We are
anxious to know. Truly your friend.
w.
We will answer our correspon-
dent in full when he will tell us what
good Northern Republicanism has
done the people of the South! Or we
will answer him when he will tell MS
what sense there was in the Southern
delegates in 1868, when they assembled
in New York to nominate a Democrat
ic candidate for the Presidency, to cast
sixty-fve votes for Andrew johnson,
and persistently keeping up this
strategy thereby defeating the choice
of the West, and the only man the
Democrats could have elected at that
timer
But conundrums on sacred subjects
are hardly allowable, SO we will not
ask them.
"What will Northern Democracy do
for the South 2" We can tell you what
we would do, and in very few
words.
We would give every State in the
Union the right to regulate her own
affairs in her own way. We would
withdraw the bayonets of an infamous
administration from the Threats of a
people who long since have given up
an unequal contest, and are now anx-
ious to restore their land to its great
ness.
We would give to the people of the
Southern States-for States we still
consider them, no matter whether the
administration does or not-the right
to send Northern thieves armed with
arpet-bags, searching for spoons, and
industriously engaged in promoting
discord and strife, back to their homes
in the North, or to workshops where
they properly belong, and where I'M
der earnest discipline they could be
made useful citizens.
We would give to every one of the
Southern States-as everywhere else
the right to employ such labor as the
wisdom of the State saw fit leaving it
to the wisdom of the people, and the
making of laws which wonld bring to
the State that class of laborers requir-
ed to develop the resources of the
State and add to her greatness and
prosperity.
We would allow the people OF the
South to honor their fallen heroes-to
plant flowers over the graves of their
loved ones--enjoy their opinions as we
enjoy ours-and by liberal, honest
laws, intended more to unite States in
a common brotherhood than to excite
petty jealousics endeavor to make this
free, happy, prosperous, and united
country.
We would give to the States of the
South the same right to legislate upon
local matters as they had before the
Wharf.-The right to elect their represen-
tative men to Congress, that the peo-
pie of the North might know the senti-
ment of the Southern people, and that
the country, generally might not be
cursed with the presence in legislative
halls of men who know nothing of
principle, nothing of the wants of the
people, nothing of the resources of the
country. nothing of the sentiment of
their constituency, but who are given
places of power and profit at the ex-
pensc of the people, by and through
the power of an administration that
cares more for the protection of an
aristocracy and the creation of a des-
potism than it does for perpetuatins
the liberties given us by patriotic sires
who fought side by side for American
independence.
We would make taxation equal, that
those in the SOuth earnestly striving
to add to the enterprises of the country
and wipe ont the sad traces of an une-
quail contest, might not be compelled
to give their earnings for years for the
benefit of an aristocraey existing prin-
cipally in New England and foreign
countries.
We would clean out the centralized
power at Washington-aid in the elec.
tion of representative men-put a stoI
to the extravaganza which is rohbins
the people for the benefit of bondhol.
ders, monopolists. and spectators
would withdraw the army of thieves
in the shape of Federal officeholders
from the South, and put none bnt hon
est men in office, and endeavor tt
manage the affairs of the Government
for the benefit of those who are earn.
estly striving to make the country
great and prosperous.
We speak, perhaps for as many
Democrats as any editor in the coun.
try, if we may judge from the circula.
ton of our paper. We speak for the
earnestness of that Northern Democra-
cy which hopes at no distant day to
bring from this chaos and political
blackness something which will bene-
fit the nation. encourage industry and
Dromote the interests of the people.