New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-11-24

~ OA6fsA. - uOt Ou1y dttstCAS CICAAes villa
is the strength Of all commercial relations
at present, but it attacks it with weapons
!. that break upon the shield of conscience.
| 1t departs as widely from the genius Of
legitimate trade as it does from the stand.
ard Of morality. Advocating widespread
dishonesty, it upholds its cause with IN
truthful statements and unsteady logic.
In order to escape the suspicion of being
unjust to the Bulletin, We publish its
own words:
The REPUBLICAN, charges the commercial
community Of New Orleans with running
the credit of the State, because they have
from hlst to last protested against the
stealing and squandering of that credit by
false pretenders to the legitimate admins
tration of the State finances. There is no
Logical analogy between such case and
that of merchant or banker called on to
ratify engagements entered into by a duly
accredited correspondent. No banker is
morally bound by the use which some
rascal may find it convenient to make of
his stolen or forged i.,nature.
We charged nothing against the CONNER
cial community whatever but confined our
charges to the Bulletin, that it was injur-
ing the credit Of the State and city by
constantly recommending them to dis
honor their engagements. All that We
did say against the commercial commun-
ity, was that it was to blame in some mea-
sure for supporting an organ that assailed
the credit Of the community in a way that
would be considered ruinous if it was
made use of by banker or merchant.
The Bulletin reaches tie depth Of in
competence when it says that the credit
of the State las been abused by ''false
pretenders to the legitimate adMinistra-
ton Of her finances" The reason why
this is the very profoundest stupidity is
that it misleads the people in the essence
and essentially of fact which it was the
highest duty Of sensible man to tell
them. The men who created the State
debt, and who voted away the money of
the taxpayers, were no mere pretending
agents of the people, but were in reality
the bona fde custodians and representa-
tives of all government in Louisiana
Their acts We're the acts Of the people.
Therefore, when the Bulletin assured its
friends that they need not feel
alarmed at what the Legislature was
doing, because the Legislature was a
mere sham, and its members false pre-
tenders to authority it bullied the pub
lie into a condition of inactivity and |
non-resistance that allowed it to be robbed |
and abused without even the shadow of a |
protest being presented against the spoil
alton by those who had a right to protest.
If the Bulletin had been faithful and
competent oracle it would have said, as
the REPUBLICAN said, that the ''Legisla-
ture is legitimate body, unfortunately
compounded Of some bad and some
ignorant men, and it needs to be watched
and advised with great care by the honest
and intelligent public" People who had
been warned by such a truth as this would
have set about providing against the
abuse Of the power intrusted by them to
their agents, and they might have admit
ted their Indebtedness to the organ that
enabled them to guard their political
agents from being perverted to bad uses.
But no. The Bulletin told the country two
years ago what it tells them to-day, that
the Legislature was preteusion and its
action would be worthless, not because it
believed this to be SO, but because it either
did not have the ability to know the truth,
or it did not have the courage to declare
it. No. The Bulletin madly and wickedly,
or stupidity and recAlessly, declared that
the authority which was coming into
power in Louisiana under the amend
ments, and under the laws OF Congress,
was sham and pretense, which is now
admitted to have been a mistake that has
20 redeeming quality to mitigate the
Judgment that pronounces it to have been
a compound Of madness and Of folly. And
because the ignorant public followed the
insane suggestion Of the Bulletin, and has
Fallen into debt and trouble, the false and
Incompetent guide that misled it is driven
20 the miserable refuge of advising the
people that the only cure for their intense
stupidity in following its advice is a dis ,
.onest disayowal of the responsibilities
hat have resulted from their departure ,
rom the paths Of wisdom and justice.
This is the analysis and residum of
What the B"l'eti" answers in regard to our f
barge that its demand for reputation is
lot a commercial suggestion. As usual, i;
drags in the printing law, which is a E
ort Of dummy argument that is always i
resented whenever the question of bad r
overnment is taken into consideration. T
'erhaps the people who have no better h
dvisers than the Bulletin, and who have !,
0 little discretion that they take its f
rejudices for political wisdom, never had b
aeir money spent to such advantage as q
hen it was devoted to the establishing s.
the REPUBLICAN. If the community S
ad taken our advice three years ago they C.
ould have been millions Of dollars II
etter off; and if we had not been giving 81
lem wholesome advice for the last forty D
lonths, they would no doubt have been 81
illions of dollars worse eff than they Il
:e. AS we have converted the entire Sc
press and all, from the mad a,
nSc fb,4 , faa.%oI ~ ~, 1898 - eoo,,,c that |