Le Louisianais. [volume] (Convent, La.) 1865-1883, 1870-01-01
!. Communicated J
SPURIOUS RAD1oAL1sm
TRUE REPUBLICANISM. "."
III.

Public writer's Of acknowledged fame, aver
that the conquest Of an independent conmuni
", however accomplished and through what
ever motive, is almost always an unjns;i6able
invasion. For, either the conquered people
had been duly constituted into a separate body
polite, or not. If not a political body or al
integral part Of one, they can bu, be in +;
state Of egregalion; and in that case, they
have the natural right of social organization
with which no alien people cou'd righlfuty
intermeddle, nor would, save on the pagan
principle before alluded lo-tilat might makes
righ. ...4f r.et. s.
But, on the hypothesis that a portion Of a
political community may be conquered (and
this can happen only when the power invested
with supreme authority is unable to defend
them)-thsn, in that case, on|y the ruling
power is subverted-the natural right Of
autonomy, according TO the principles and
usages of Christian civilization, always
remaining intact. And, on this supposilion
also, the only right of governing to which the
lhSoAoAS NONAA ioJ IANAlu, ID SltC lisil VI UTule
force.
Wars of conquest then, as usually wagcd,
are essentially unjust, and the authority to
govern acquired by such wars, is, consequent.
~, MISUNDERSTANDING no higher principle
10 rest upon, than the thoroughly pagan one
Of superior force.
Pagan peoples, who know no higher rich,
than that acquired by this brute force Of which
We speak, are, in a way, consistent with them.
selves when they deem the governments
founded on il, legitimate; but a professediy
Christian community, on any pre,ence accept.
ing it as their political creed, must Certainly
be concluded to have degsnerated into b.rb,-
rism. I'll seo ~. @.z# #s
Sad as such a spectacle is, our modern civ.
~ilisalion unhappily presents some instances Of
ii; and those too, amoung the most preten,ions
NATIONS ; yet it has been reserved for these.
Uotted States to Guido the despo,isms Of all
ages, by their unique employment Of the old
barbarian principle brute force in The
conquest Of a part Of themselves. and by
b,sing on that, The right to rule the conquered
portion, in accordance with political and moral
IDEAS never yet recognized in Christian
Society! f.
Multifarions, indeed, are the mad schemes
10 which The human intellect has given birth
but since the days of Babel, nothing has been
recorded in the history Of our race, to transcend
in absnfdity this radical notion Of a people
conquering themselves Some Radicals, il is
truc, dissent sometimes from this esregious
doctrine, and hold that "the late unpleasant.
ness" was but the suppression of an internal
convulsion. If this be accepted, it would seem
that . government Of rational! beings would
nothing more TO do than 10 restore order
and Is on as before. But, it is TOO plain tina,
the settled conviction Of the Radicals is, tina,
tie South is a conquered territory, and that
their settled policy is to govern it pagan
The idea. in view Of The logged denial of
Slatss Rights, 10 SO grossly repuynant to
common sense, that we refer to it only 10
remind our readers that 4 people so totally
baside themselves, far from possessing any
capacity 10 rule q civilized community-a
community too, bred to the social refnemenfs
the most enlightened nations the world
ever knew-ate manifestly unfit to govern
intelligent beings at Ill.
We shall show hereafter that iI,a States
were, and Of right ought %, be. distinct,
nationaIities; and that the Federal Union ia
not 4 nation; but a confederation Of nations.
We shall ~demonstrats too (Deo ~volen,e) that
The Southern States were oonqusred-unjus,ly
sonquersd-and baFbarous|y stripped of their
rights and furthermore, that the
M. gwkich 10 msds tho justification for Rad
zeal aalsasss On social and Individual rights,
not, y they pretend, inaugurated by the
Spsth; but was tho natural and inevitable |,
con'equsnce Of New England fana,icism and
intolerance.
But @conquered' orro, by The power which
(Shsths' - nations, o. integers Of 4 %na,ion)
'honld, in either case, be their protector, i, is
certain that the Southern States are suhu-