New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-08-11
THE TRUE CONVENTION.

Ihere is an assumed DIVISION IN Tit
Democratic party of the South as to thu
| question of accepting or rejecting the re
construction policy of Congress, togethe
with the constitutional amendments bu
every man at all familiar with the senti
ment Of the Democratic masses under
stands that this division has no foundation
in fact, since nine-tenths of the party il
sullenly and defiantly opposed to The
''policy" and to the amendments. The
friends of the new departure are noisy
tribe, and at distance they are credited
with vastly more strength than they really
possess. But no politician would &C
among the Democracy expecting to be
successful on the strength of his devotion
to reconstruction and the amendments.
Most of the Democratic leaders admit
that their acquiescence in accepted facts is
made for effect abroad, and has to be kept
a profound secret at home, leastwise it
overthrows them with their followers.
How idle, then, it is to claim for the De-
mocracy principle which it does not
hold, and how mistaken men are who pro-
pose to succeed by advocating the new de-
parture. The Democratic leader who
hopes to win in the South must under
stand the people, and he must know how
to sympathize with their prejudices. A
mistake on either of these points is GER
tain to end in failure.
The application of these reflections is
plain. The organization which met in
the Customhouse on Wednesday has about
the same relative strength in the Repub-
lican party that the new departure has in
the Democratic camp. 1t will do to talk
about and discuss, but the public man
who trusts it viii make sad mistake.
1t has no followers. The Republican
party is welded to our local organization.
Republicans accept the Convention at
Turner Hall as the body that. represents
them. 1t was made up of men that have
been tried. 1t is sustained by leaders
who have never been defeated. 1t has
the support of the masses, as was plainly.
evidenced by the enthusiasm of the i'm
mense crowd that followed the adjourn
ment from the Customhouse to the hall.
Even the Democrats confess that the
effort of Messrs. Casey, Packard & Co.
was failure. The voice of the press
and of all the independent people admits
that the Republican State Convention
met at Turner Hall. Thousands who de-
test the Governor, and see in him the
greatest obstacle to the success of the
Democracy, regretfully admit that he still
holds the Republican party together, and
that the division which they hoped for has
been averted by the good sense and faith
fulness of Republicans. Nine men out of
Ten, whatever their sym4athies may be,
will candidly confess that the Convention
1t Turner Hall represented the Repub-
lean party. They can say nothing else.
Facts vindicate themselves. Where the
people are, there is the party.
tits necessary that this notorious truth
should be known at Washington, and
lmong Republicans everywhere. If the
ederal administration, if the party itself,
intends to work with the representatives
# Republicanism in Louisiana, they |
must work with the men who composed |
he Convention at Turner Hall. If -they |
efuse to acknowledge the true men of the |
'arty they cannot expect to succeed. If |
he Democracy select submissionist, he |
viii be beaten in the South, because. the |
masses of the party will not support him.
f the Republicans at Washington elect to
o with mere fragment of the party in
louisiana, they must expect to lose the
tate. We make our own selection of |
saders, and we do not intend that the
authorities at Washington shall interfere
D prevent us from doing this thing.
Let the Republicans at Washington
onsider the importance of arresting fed
raj interference with Louisiana Repub-
canism. The selfshness of a few men
no have attempted to use the party and
S patronage for their own purposes must
e suppressed, or the Republicans of
ouisiana will visit upon the heads of
lose who could stop this tyouble, but
no do not, the penalty of their mis-
lkes. The party in Louisiana is united
| its determination to arrest dissension
= Furnishing the dissenters. 1t has
,oken in terms not to be mistaken. The
oice of the convention at Turner Hall
presents thirty thousand majority. 1t
N well afford to give away ten thousand
saffected men and still sweep the State.
nd it can do this whether the govern
ent of Washington supports its efforts
opposes them. So that the federal au-
critics are more deeply interested in
arning the truth than we are in /
ling it. They need our support and
g can succeed without theirs. If they
ant the State, then, they had better ac-
lowledge the convention at Turner Hall