The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1870-01-22
NUMBER 43.


! that the Republicans of Virginia
carried their State handsomely in
choosing delegates to their Con.s
siltutional Conventiong that this
convention made a sweepimgly
proseriptive econstitutionfandt that, =
President Grant having submitted
the proscriptive clauses separate
ly, they were overwhelmingly
voted down at the polls! Am I
wrong in assuming that the Re-
publican party, thus identified
with prescription, was beaten,
while their opponents, aided by
many Republicans, triumphed ex-
presSly on the platform on which
stand, the Fifteenth amendment
includedg | think / have not
misread the essential facts. .rs
THE MISSISSIPPI MORAL. -
Now turn to Mississippi, where
the Republicans were badly beat.
en- in their former attempt to rati.
| fy a proscriptive constitution, but
where they have now overwheI-
mingly triumphed, having by
Gen. Grants help thrown, pro.
Scripti0n overheard, and planted
themselves on a platform OF all
rights for all. Their candidate
tor Governor was not merely o
rebel but fighting rebel yet he
is elected over the Presidents
brother in-law, who was no rebel
at all. In Texas, also, proScrip-
tion was expressly thrown over
board, and universal amnesty
made the cornerstone of the new
political fabric. You see and re-
.ioice over the result. Will You
not comprehend its moral9
LITTLE REMINDER.
VII. A few words concerning
repentance, which you think
should precede enfranchlsement.
shall not offend You by alIuding
to the fact that you were till 1861
a slavery Demcrat-doubtless,
sincerely SO. At length, q great
crisis, a great national peril, con.
strained you to cut loose from the
party with which you had so long
and SO efficiently acted, and seek
the public good through other
associations. / am sure that
some things wear a different as.
pect in your eyes from that they
wore ten or twenty years ago; it
would be strange, indeed, If they
did not. But suppose those with
whom you have acted since 1861
had met you at the threshold with
the inquiry, "Do You repent Of
having hitherto been a Democratw
| am sure you would have regard.
ed the query as an untimelyi i'm.
pertnence, and replied, "Judge
me by my acts. If | have been
dishonest and inSincere hitherto,
it is not probable tnat | am now
truthful and patriotic. On the
other hand, il have thus far in
good faith acted up to the light
voHchsafed me, | shall probably
do so hereafter" At all events,
this seems to me the spirit of
trne mans answer. So that my
compatriot does right to-day and
purposes to do right tomorrow, /
do not wish him to fOrswear his
self-respect by humiliating con.
fessions and abjurations with re-
gard to what he thought right
yesterday. e
NOT WORTH NOTICING.
VIII. There are passages in
your letter which might provoke
sharp retort, but, my object be-
ing to win You to a kindlier spirit,
| mnch repress the temptation.-
Let me close, then, q thought sug-
gested by your plausible claim
that public sentiment is overwhel.
mingly with yon and against me
on the issue which divides us.
A SMALLER MAJORITY THAN
LAST YEAR.
/ think You will not, on refec-
! ton, insist that your view pre-
walls outside of the Republican
party or outside of our own coun-
try. On the contrary, you must
be aware that it has absolutely
no champion save among these to
whose passions it appeals, whose
personal grievances IL proposes
(aiter fashion to redress. Grant
that our political adyersaries,
whether here or abroad, are par
tial judges, you must have read
. the stirring appeal of Victor Hugo
/ to Juarez, imploring him to spare
|. the life of MayjlniIiaIl. and filrlst