Semi-weekly Louisianian. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1871-1872, 1871-06-18
"THE NEW DEPARTURE"


ion have for good while been urg-
ing ON the Democrats the propriety
and expediency of accepting "ao-
complished facts" that is, of formal
ly acknowledging in the public ut
terances Of the party that the war
and the amendments to the Consti-
tuition adopted since. the war had
settled certain questions beyond
further dispute or cavil These
questions are the non-existence OF
the constitutional rights ofsecession,
the abolition and perpetual prohib-
ition of slavery, and the equality OF
all men before the law. Republic
ans have furthermore urged on them
the propriety Of acknowledging the
validity of the public debt, and the
duty of the nation to discharge it in
coin, according TO the terms of the
contract, and in accordance with
the good old Democratic doctrine
that there was no money known to
tho Government OF the United
State except hard money.
For six years the Democrats have
resolutely refused to do any OF these
things. They have encouraged the
South in the belief that the war had
settled nothing except the momen-
tary superiority of the North in
strength. They have denied the
validity of the three amendments
which put into legal form the de fac
to changes effected by the war III
the status of certain classes of citi-
zens, and provided fresh securities
against unequal or discriminating
legislation and they have persis
ted in denying the validity OF thu
assurances given by the Govern
ment in the hour of its extremity t.
the persons from whom it borrowed
money as to the amounts the.
would receive in payment-or, IL
other words, have stOutly main
tanned that if one bOrrows none
when his credit is very low, he may
: afterwards, honestly repay 1t as
his credit had been very good whel
he borrowed, no matter what tn
terms of his contract were-a doc
trine for which it would be Difficult
to claim any higher source than tn
mock-auction shop or the faro
bank. They have fought throug
two Presidential campaigns Oh TIN
policy of negation, and have iaiie
|
miserably' in both. They coul
not get the country to acknowlede
that nothing was changed by the wa
and that the one business of sensib
men was to get back as fast as possib
to the point from which we started
1861. What has made their pei'si
tence all the more extraordinary Wi
the plAinness with which the Repu
licans were profting by it. There h
rarely been IA party in power whic
since 1865, has offered 50 many temp
ing points of attack to an able al
energetic opposition as the Republics
party. Its Legislation for the Sout
and its financial and foreign polio
: although, perhaps, far better than t
Re Democrats would have furnished
l, its place, and as good rs we had a
re right to expect, we're nevertheless f
l. of imperfections of the grossest a
N most glaring kind, ont OF which
o opposition which was as numerical
strong in the country as the Democ
tic opposition was, might have ma
~ formidable use. The result Of recol
~ truction Legislation at the South la
been pitiable; the manipulation of
ge Supreme Court has been shamefl
es- the debauchery of the civil servic'
debauchery continued, too, m
barefacedly in the teeth of strong p
lessons of zeal for reform - has be
fragrant, and all three have apparen
afforded material for an Overwhelmi
L. Democratic victory; and yet the Der
Gratis have made nothing out OF tn
y. whatever. The address of their me-
dbl bers of Congress, at the close of
Last session, read not like the ind
re- ment of eager and triumphant accus
ed as it might have been made to re
but like the abject apology of q
:, who have failed miserably, and do
'i' know why. In fact, read in
co light of the accounts Of the Der
'o' Gratis given by the leading Rep
hcsn papers, there was someth
!, very amusing about it. Accord
to these papers, the Democr
chiefs were brigands Of enorm
stature, Of inexhaustible resoul