New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-04-11

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hiak road of lie, showing howl ~ We
have gone, and rsnipding Us Of the dis
lance yet to be travelled; resting places
where we may conveniently pause and re-
view the past. Yesterday was such an
occasion in the career Of this.paper-our
fourth anniversary and we profted BY
it to turn backward glance on the cir
cumstances under which we commenced
our journalistic life, and to note the
changes which have since occurred. At
that time there was no daily Republican
paper published in this city or State. The
press was entirely in the hands Of those
opposed to the principles which had
triumphed in the war, opposed to the
government, opposed to the extension
of the franchise to colored people,
opposed, in short, to progressive
and Republican measures Of every descrip-
ton, and what was still worse, opposed
nay, bitterly hostile to every person
who favored such measures. Besides this
strong moral opposition to the establish
ment of republican newspaper, there
were material difficulties to be overcome
in our particular case.
It had been announced that the first
issue of the paper would take place ON
the tenth Of April; but that day was
almost upon us, and yet the Office was
not nearly ready. The press was not up;
nothing was in working order. In this
emergency our neighbor, the German
Gazette, came to our assistance, Offering
to do the press work for us. Accordingly
the forms were prepared at our Office,
and trundled on wheelbarrow, very late
at night, to the friendly Office of our
German contemporary, the present man
ager presiding over the operation. But
now another difficulty arose. The Asso-
ciated Press had command of the tele-
graphic dispatches, and refused to permit
us to participate in the advantages of the
association ON the same terms as other
papers THAT is, on paying PROF ortionate
share Of the expense), but exacted-we
will not call 1t black-mail- Ia bonus, let it
be called, of twenty-five hundred dollars
for the privilege Of paying our share.
Candor compels us, in stating this fact, to
admit that these hospitable representatives
of the press assured us that there would
probably be no repetition Of the extortion,
as what was then exacted would entitle
us to the dispatches as long as we should
live. We live yet, and our contempora-
RES have come to regard Us as legitimate
rival; while to the public at large we sup
ply q want which, unsupplied, would
leave New Orleans in the position of the
rustic Judge who could only decide upon
hearing one side of the question. To
hear but one side is certainly more COM
Portable for the lazy. the prejudiced or
the muddle-headed; but an intelligent
community like ours would rather be
offended by listening to unpalatable
truths and unanswerable arguments than
to enjoy that calm which slumbers in the
lap of stupidity. Accordingly, we are
called upon to record the pleasing fact
that the REPUBL1cAN has gradually in
creased in circulation until it stands at
the head of the Republican press at the
South, and is excelled in the number of
its readers by but few of the Demo-
cratic papers.
Moreover, it is now read openly in the
cars (by the select few, purchased
openly in the streets (by the same), and
may even be seen (almost uni
on the desks and counters
of ''our oldest and. best"-a cir
cumstance which speaks well for the re-
viving good sense of these venerable
beings, and for the welfare of the COM
munity which recognizes their leadership;
for political intolerance, baptized with
the popular euphemism of ''conservat-
ism," has always been the drawback Of
this part Of our country and therefore
the least opening Of the door to the ad-
even the unwelcome admission,
Of ideas and theories opposed to the old
doctrines, is an important advance toward
that spirit of tolerance upon which all
progress is founded.
Upon looking back, then, to the state |
Of feeling which existed in this city four
years ago, and comparing it with that
which now exists; upon remembering
that then both the State and the city
governments were in the hands of Demo- |