The Ouachita telegraph., 1871-04-15

epudiation of all "the opprobrium and
which these self-same DEM
'cratic supporters of his have repeat
.dly, hourly and daily, charged upon
;he carpet-baggers! Senator West is
their advocate, friend and champion
precisely what we expected!
He tells us that the present infamous
Election law is a "salutary law that
it tretrieved the State (mark that word
Democrats of the legislature who voted
for West) from Democratic majority
of $1,000 to $4,000 Republican majori-
ty!" The Senator ought to be thanked
for this out-spoken preference for Radi-
calism in its meanest and most corrupt
form; but why had he not the manli
election to the Senate? Had he rather
be considered an ungrateful Senator
than an honest private citizen?
Senator West, it appears, maintained
with fairness. We can see no reason
why he cannot maintain, with equal
fairness, that he is the choice of all the
good people of the State for'the place he
now holds-a position he we'll knows is
false. That election had not the first,
or any essential quality, of popular
election. The fact that he is now Sen-
ator is an overwhelming proof that that
election was worse than farce
The assertions of the Senator relative
to the appropriations made by the Re
publican legislatures, the liabilities and
attempted liabilities Of the State, the
popular judgment upon railroad subsi-
dies and the willingness of the people
to assent to any legislation necessary
for ("loyal ~ protection, arc assertions
so wholly ut variance with the we'll
understood wishes and pledges of the
people of Louisiana, that it is unneces-
sary to give them even a denial. No
man of reading, no one who is CONVEX
SAINT with the laws of human nature,
needs to be assured that Senator West
has either lost his wits, or maliciously
misrepresents his constituents. Even
his most gracious master, Gov. War
moth, has explicitly denied his asser-
ton with reference to the public debt of
the State.
We have no patience with this s'mai-
den" speech Of Senator West. 1t is the
clap-trap of a mere partisan, with not
even gleam Of craftsmanship about it..
But it suffices to prove, what we have
long suspected and even believed, viz !:
that we can place no trust or confidence
in even "conservative'' Republicans,
whenever they get into power. The
truth is, when gentleman becomes a
Radical, he ought to lose forecer the
political confidence of the Southern peO-
pie; for by that step he certainly agrees
to forfeit the peoples confidence, which
he would not do, unless he were entire
ly conscious he no longer deserved to
be confided in. Senator West has made
very bad beginning; but he has prob
ably succeeded in opening the eyes of
the people to the folly OF trusting their
political interests to the discretion of
even so-called mode,ute Republicans
If any one has been deceived by the
Senator, it is his own fault. We thank
the Senator for defining his position
thus early, as we are satisfied he will
thereby greatly aid the consolidation Of
the opponents of Radicalisln and effect
ually dispel the foolish delusion of Il pos
siblc combination between Democrats
and Radicals in this State. Our fight
is an open and bold one, alongside the
Democrats of the North, with whom We
must either stand Or fall.