New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-09-08


When newspapers are not the propagators
of peace and justice, they are apt to be
the incentors of anarchy and misrule.
Healthy excitement is good, that kind Of
excitement, for instance, that stimulates
the intellectual faculties of the people, and
by course of reasoning enables them to
arrive at the best political results. But that
kind of excitement that is being aroused
in the people of Texas at this time is not
only unwholesome, it is dangerous. 1t
threatens violence and bloodshed to those
| who are called upon to exercise the right
| of suffrage; who are called upon to make
choice Of their representatives in the ma
tional Congress. The right becomes
duty, and people fit for self-government
will perform it reasonably. Wherever
republican government prevails the right
to vote peaeeably and without danger
must be secured to every voter Unless
| this can be DONE there is, in fact, no re-
| publican government. These remarks
apply to every State and Territory in the
American Union, and every man who
honestly favors self-government will favor
the enforcement of this right, if neces-
sary.
Governor Davis is freely and bitterly
denounced by the Democratic press of
Texas for adopting measures that are cal
culated to prevent disturbance or init
midation at the registry Of voters or at
the polls in the coming election.
Democratic speakers and Democratic
papers openly advise the people to resist
the regulations established by the Gov
ernor for the guidance of the officers of
election, peace officers, State guard and
militia on duty in compliance with 'tan
act of the Texas Legislature. As the
Democrats are great sticklers for State
rights, it is hard to conceive why they
should oppose measures by the State gov
eminent that are calculated, if supported
by them, to relieve the national govern
ment of the necessity of interfering in
State matters of this kind. We are quite
sure that all good Republicans prefer
getting along in these matters without
the interference of the national govern
ment, and will work with the Democrats |
to aid Governor Davis in his efforts under
the law to establish measures for the pro-
lection and purity of the ballot box.
The fierce manner in which the Demo
cratic speakers and newspapers have at
tackled what they call Governor Davis |
tyrannical election order" has induced US |
to read it, and we have found nothing in
it that any well-disposed and peaceably |
inclined person should find fault with. 1t |
provides that all persons shall deposit |
their votes as soon as possible, and retire
from the polls; that, for the purpose of
preventing disturbance, all persons are
forbidden to shout, jeer at or in any way
insult or annoy voters or candidates for
Office; the assembling of persons in num-
bers at or near the county seat during the
time of registration or election, for the
purpose Of intimidating voters, is also pro-
hibited; the sale of intoxicating drinks at |
the county seat, or within two miles of it,
while the election is going on, is likewise
prohibited, and so is the carrying of fire
arms or deadly weapons of any kind. We
see nothing tyrannical in any of these pro-
visions for protecting peaceable voters
against the assaults of political DULLES;
nor can any well-disposed person. For
this reason it is to be hoped the people of
Texas will exercise their reasoning powers
and eschew the advice Of men who do not
reason well when they advise resistance to
the laws. The tide of immigration may
now be said to be fairly grevitating toward
Texas-the empire State of the Sonth.
According to the last census, this flourish
ing State has population of nearly mil
Iona POI ulation larger than that of
Louisiana, settled long before Texas was
thought of. And this population may be
increased to many millions within the
next ten years, if nothing occurs to check
the flow of immigration that has fairly set
tAdt way IeAdS las SuIuClcuG ltIIllOIy
to make comfortable homes for all the
people that are now embraced within the
United States, and the people of Texas,
as well as the people of Louisiana and
New Orleans, should feel deeply interested
in the rapid settlement and cultivation of
all the lands embraced within her ter
ritorial limits. They should he more in
terested in this than in the political for
tunes of men who would advise them to a
course that if followed might prove dis
astrous in more respects than one. A
serious disturbance would have the effect
to check immigration, and this would
affect both the material and political in
terest of the State for some time to come.
Let us hope the people will remember
this, and, abstaining from bad counsel,
avoid unwholesome excitement.
A METROPOLITAN HORROR.