New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-04-11
our STATE GOVERNMENT vINDlcATED
Senator wsst IN Reply 70 Senator Blair

Senator West IN Reply to Senator Blair
Unwarrantable Charges and His
e,s statements.
Mr.. West: Mr.. President. it would have
better suited my inclination, and have been
more in accord with my position as newly
elected member Of this body, had been
allowed to refrain from participating in the
debate upon the resolution Of the Senator
from Ohio. But the Senator from Missouri
tMr. Blair, in his zeal for the cause he 20
warmly advocates, has seen proper, in his
general ynnning fire against the reeOnstruc-
tiOn governments of the Southern States, to
make such unwarrantable charges against
the State / have the honor in. part to
represent. and against its Republican ad-
ministration, that am constrained to call
attention to his misstatements and to ques-
tiOn the reliability Of the authority upon
which they are based.
1t il not worth my while to show that ii
carpetbagism, as he calls it, has brought
unmeasured woe upon the Southern people,
the gentleman essayed to participate in that
sin, and urged his fellow soldiers of the sew
enteenth' army corps, whom he 80 gallantly
led against the great conspiracy Of rebellion
to do likewise. That has already been done
by the late Senator from Alabama, who
spoke from the very seat now occupy, and
will content myself and only trespass up
on the attention of the Senate with q reply TO
hisindictment against the Republican admin
istratiOn of Louisiana, leaving other Sena-
tors to answer for their own States, as they
most assuredly can. do this not because
there is more than ordinary interest attach
ing to this particular charge, but because it
has been made use of in comprehensive
and, l must cay, blundering mosaic of in
vective against and arraignment of, the
success of the reconstruction measures
throughout the South.
regret that have not the advantage Of
. copy Of the Senator'S remarks. am COM
PEELED to trust to my memory Of his allega-
tiOns for reply. 1t is no wonder that
among his generally baseless charges
against the Republican governments and
the Republicans of the South he should ain
gle out Louisiana and her chief executive
for his special vituperation and abuse.
Louisiana to day, BY her redemption. under
Republican rule, from anarchy, ble0dshed
and riot, presents an unimpeachable refuta-
ton Ut the charge 90 commonly made by the
Democratic party that reconstruction is q
failure; and the Governor, to whose wise
sagacity, frmness and pluck much of this
success is due, is no mean foe in the ranks Of
the opposition to that party who are look
ing to the South for y restoration to power
which the North has 60 pointedly denied
them. Louisiana stands charged by the
Senator, flfSt, with the sin of carbetOagism;
second, with an odious election Law coupled
with fraud in late election; third, with a
reckless increase Of debt to the amount of
SAC, ,O0O, 900; and fourth, with venal execu-
tive, who has enriched himself by public
plunder, and who signs no bills except for q
Consideration.
Mr.. President, the changes which have
been rung upon the term "carpetbagiSm"
have about exhausted description. We Of
the South, to whom it is generally applied,
accept it in all that pertains to it Of bold
ness, enterprise and right, and repudiate all
the opprobrium and ignominy which our op-
ponents assign to it.
In that sense in which we adopt it, ancient
history is replete with examples of unmeas-
izatiOn from the East; and our own CONT
nent presents to the world the brilliant re-
suits emanating from men who in their day
were classed ~ adventurers. Columbus,
Cortez, Pizarro, the bold pilgrims of the
Mayflower, the sturdy Knickerbockers of
New Amsterdam, the more refined cOlonists
of Maryland and Virginia, and last land the
honorable gentleman will pardon me if in
such connection / class him as least) the
Senator from Missouri, afford striking illus
tratiOns of the good flowing from the efforts
Of those who have borne westward the ban
ner Of civilization and Christianity. These
have not been without their misdeeds; but
the verdict of history stands recorded that
the great republic is the offspring Of carpet
bagism. -"
We claim the privilege of migrating
wherever our flag floats; We claim to enjoy
everywhere in our land the immunities
guaranteed to us by our constitutions; aye,
and we claim, too, that the national govern
ment shall protect US in the enjoyment of
life, liberty, freedom of speech and of
opinion, when local authorities are either
impotent to afford protection or hostile to
the exercise Of our Inherent rights.
Whatever of good there is in carpet
bagism we maintain; whatever of evil
springs from it we are held responsible for
at the bar Of public opinion, from which,
sooner or later, will be rendered a righteous
verdict. --r.
After the storm of intolerance of political
opinion had swept the State of Louisiana.
in 1868, deluging that far land with the
blood of over thousand political martyrs,
her Legislature saw fit to enact a law that
would in the future protect her citizens
from like Outrages. This law owes the
striDgency of it's provisions mainly to the
fact that the rights Of franchise were denied
to large class Of our people through yio-
lence and fraud. Under it our last election
was conducted in an orderly and q peaceful
manner, and the fact that such election was
held without the necessity Of the use of any
military force is triumphant vindicatiOn
of its wisdom and justice. Not one single
bayonet. either State or federal, glinted
upon the field of political strife on the day
we last met the combined host of the enc
my, retrieved our State from . Democratic
majority of forty-seven thousand in 1863,
and achieved o victory Of twenty five
Thousand majority for the cause Of Repub-
icanism.
Well may such q result shock the equan-
unity. Of this honorable gentleman, and
drive him to the common resort of his party
when defeated, the charge of fraud. All!
it will not do to admit that reconstruction
has worked out its salvation in Louisiana.
as with that shining example, like results
may follow in other States, and the stock in
trade of the other States, and the stock in
trade of the Democratic party in the next
Presidential campaign will have been too
greatly damaged to be regarded with un-
concern.
The registration officers in New Orleans
are charged with striking from the list Of
voters some twenty-three hundred names
lust prior to the election. How stands the
fact The registration closed October o;
the law provides for a supervision of the
registry lists and an examination of their
ACCURACY. This examination was instituted,
with the result of publication, on the
fourth of November, of some six hundred
names whom the supervising officers had
failed to find - residing at their alleged
nlaces of residence. The number was per-
- ...I ~ <ha fact that many Der-