New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-12-03
REFORMING AT RANDOM.

The net results Of the mass meeting a
Mechanics Institute on Friday night cal
not be definitely determined until Colone
bennett has been heard from. He is tn
only man in the State master of micro
scope capable of detecting the amour
due to the patriotic citizens who volun
teered their services in the interest of pc
litical reform on that occasion; and il
will require very delicate manipulation O.
the instrument by his mathematical eye
to arrive at the precise figures. How soor
the calculation will be made and delivered
to the public is at present matter o.
some uncertainty, but as he is under.
stood to be the private organ of the Citi-
zens' Association, it is fair to presume
that the delay will not be such as to dis
turb the general patience into a whole
sale cutaneous irritation.
Such observation as we were enabled
to make from contemplation Of the
movement in its entirety leads US to the
conclusion that the mutiny did not
achieve any very great amount of surplus
capital upon which to declare an imme-
date dividend of individual popularity
among the prime operators in the trans
action. The people do not seem to be
rallying around the reformers of the Citi-
zens' Association as they did Of old in the
wake Of Peter the Hermit or Martin
Luther, but, on the contrary, their minds
appear to be troubled with serious doubts
as to the plans of salvation, or rather as
to the good faith of the saviors that pa
raded themselves under the gaslights at
Mechanics Institute on Friday night.
And quite reasonably, too; for when what
was advertised as the great cor populi broke
upon the stiffness of the hall of Representa-
tives, it was discovered to be bogus utter
ance, the authors of the voice being mere
pretenders to authority as opponents of
the people. We saw bankers, commits
sion merchants, spectators in State and
city scrip, corporators in questionable
companies, and movers of private games
generally, but our hungry eyes sought in
vain for the hewers Of wood and the
drawers of water. Capital and trade were
there, but labor did not put in an appear
ance, and this absence of the great SUBJ
stratum Of society at once stamped the
movement as one that would go further
in bank parlor than it would in the
Several Of the gentlemen
whose names ornamented the list of vice
presidents are worthy Of public respect,
but their silence and inactivity prepares
us to believe that they were merely there
At random, catching at spasm as even
brave men in peril catch at straws. They
felt the need of reform, and lent them
selves to this effort as they would to any
other; but since they took no part in the
meeting, either by word or vote, the in
erence is justifable that they felt that
he ashes of the Dead sea fruit we're not
more bitter than are the prospects that
we're developed in the desultory outcry
hat disturbed the public with vague and
Uncertain suggestions at the reform meet
ng in Mechanics Institute.
Ever since government commenced.
nd rulers contended for supremacy in its
ouncils, the people have been told that
heir rulers were unwise and unfaithful by
hose who sought to grasp the reins of
ower, and this old and threadbare story
'as all that was told at Mechapics' Insti-
ute on Friday night. Every orator said
hat the public money was being spent
Improperly, and yet not one of them Of
sred suggestion how this condition of I
fairs could be improved. They all COM
lained, but none of them prescribed adj
ice that would mitigate the evil: and the
lances are as ten to one that if the entire
ray of reformers had been picked up, as t
he prophet Elijah was, and translated {
ON the unhappiness of an unofficial ex- t
tence into the possession Of response s
lie public department, the list of a
lpenses would have been greater
nder their management than it is {
present The people themselves de- I
and extravagant improvements, and c
hen the public expenditures are lowest S
AN even the voice of protest against the t
'vernment is loudest. If these splendid
lkers about economy are really in earn Q
and understand what they are dis t
rbing the public ear about, let them tell c
e officers what specific thing is wrong; a
ID then, if their suggestion is practi- @
BILE, if it is not acted upon, there will be a
use to move for change Of rulers g
1t SO long as they themselves are not in Il
mpathy with the people, and since the
ly items that they can point to are these 81
at the public take the most interest in v
ch as the payment of interest, which is i,
e basis of our credit, and the public e
1ools, which are the sources of our ill., e
igence, and the police, which is our !,
election, they manifest such lack Of d
,islative wisdom that their appearance c.
the stage of politics is more like that
supernumeraries at theatre than that
stars Of respectable magnitude. =,