New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-03-12

verted the truth in its attempt to make i
appear that society is much worse now
than it was before the rebellion, and tina
radical rule is the cause of it. 1t says the
Southern people ",oere not a lawless peo-
ple." We say they are not lawless peo'
pie. But there are now, as there ever mas
been in this State, men disposed to bid
defiance to the law wherever it suited
their purposes to do so. Corruption
existed before the war; as now, and the
same amount of crime and rampant law
lessness bid defiance to the administration
of the laws. 1t did not require the Radi-
calls to introduce corrupt practice as some
thing new, for if the charges that were made
by the political parties that existed here
in ante-bellum times, against one another,
were true-and we are cognizant of the
truth of some of them-a very melan.
choly condition of society existed here
prior to the advent of Radicalism. But
we have never commended that because ouI
State authorities were unable to entirely
suppress crime, the people must loose
confidence in them, and that it was good
excuse for their taking the law in their
own hands.
The Bee says, 1--WE never heard of hands
of masked men, in those days'-meaning
| ante-bellum times" going to sheriff IS
house to take from him the prisoners
he had in charge. Unless the RE-
PUBLICAN can show there were such
occurrences in Louisiana in ante
bellum times, unless it can show there was
the same want of confidence in the officers
of the government, and the same DISPOSE
ton in the people to take the law into
their own hands, our argument will stand
unanswered" Is it possible the Bee has
forgotten the many cruel assassinations
that took place right here in New Orleans
during the reign of Know-Nothingism-
many of them perpetrated by masked
men, who, riding through our streets on
horseback, as Indians, openly defed the
laws, and murdered whom they pleased,
without fear of arrest and punishment
1t is not necessary, we believe, to specify
these acts, for the Bee can refer to its
files of papers printed at that
time, and there find the Lor-
rible and sickening details of the many
murders that were then perpetrated, with
out fear of punishment. We can refer it
to the time that Immediately preceded the
election of Mr.. Stith to the Mayoralty,
when General Beauregard was the Demo-
cratic candidate for the same Office, and
remind it of the state of anarchy and blood
shed that then prevailed here. The Bee may
say politics caused this, and we as I'M
hesitat ingly say and believe that politics,
Or political prejudice, is the cause OF that
papers attributing to Radical rule the
murder of General Liddell, Colonel |
Jones and his son, and We can say it with |
equal truth and justice. The difference,
sowever, between the REPUBLICAN and the
Bee, in descanting upon crime, is that the
REPUBLICAN does not want to excuse
t, no matter who be the peipetra-
.or; be he Democrat or Republican,
white or black, rich or poor, he should be
punished, and the majesty of insulted and
outraged law vindicated; whereas the Bee
eeks to excuse, palliate and encourage
rhine by asserting that its political oppo-
tents in power have introduced CORFU pit
PRACTICES which threaten to vitiate the
Whole structure of the body polite,
nd even undermine its faith in all
Individual honor" And upon this de-
ision of the Bee-not impartially
nd without political prejudice ar
wed at-that paper proceeds to advise
ne good people and bad people that "the
resent administration of the law in this
tate, and the condition of public affairs,
ad driven them to consider whether they
ere not justified in taking the law into
,eir own hands," This is the language Of
he self-styled conservative Bee, that
aims not to have perverted the truth in
isrepresenting the party now in power in
lis State.
After reiterating charges that have been
ade against Governor Warmoth b. SUCH
en- as Wickliffe-charges that were refer ,
d, by request of the Governor, to special !
mmittee of the Legislature appointed for !;
e purpose of investigating them, and re-
'rted upon by said committee as having
}. foundation, in fact-the Bee concludes :,
asking, " Who are our judges, and who !:
Is, the other day, Auditor of the State
Louisiana ever have in ante-bellum
nes, an Auditor or Treasurer of State
20 committed such malfeasance ?" Is
g Bee so blinded by prejudice, or has it
reality forgotten that crime was CON-
tied before the war, as now? 1t must y
ow, if it will take the trouble to recollect, y
At one Of the Associate Judges Of the Il
preme Court of this State forged the m
me of the wealthy John McDonogh, and d
: that great crime had to fee the State g.
d the bench he had disgraced. The Bee e,
II Knows this took place some years be- N
e this State was rushed into rebellion n
ainst the laws of the United States. 1t n
'ther knows that for gross malfeasance "
Office, a high city oficial-one who had y,
arge of its fnances-fed the, State in g.
Ter to evade punishment, was pursued, W
light, brought back, put upon his trial, al
|, Notwithstanding the evidence against ne