New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-10-29


The ssmmonly s-ntsrtAinsdE opinion o
. nation Il what constitutes public !opin'
ion, and the only correct method Of q
irving at it is through the bAnot-box
Public opinion in this country long since
determined the nature Of our government
and the mode of selecting those who are
to administer it. Other countries, with
less liberal forms of government. are moi
Influenced to the same extent ~ this BY
public opinion. There, public opinion il
narrowed down to comparatively . few
who have influence with government,
and help to shape its laws. The opinion
Of the ruling class in Russia, Prussia and
Austria is the public opinion Of those
counties; their controlling power in all
material matters appertaining to society.
It is not Is difficult to ascertain what is
public opinion there as here under our
system Of government.
Opinion is defined to be the judgment
formed by the mind ip regard to question
able subjects. The opinions of individuals
may conflict in matters Of government,
and the conflict prove beneficial in elicit
ing truth and establishing justice; but
when public opinion has legally pro-
claimed itself in favor of any public mat
ter, that opinion must be received in this
country as the judgment Of the people;
and the only correct way to arrive at that
judgment in its greatest form is through
the national ballot-box. All national
questions have to be determined by the
nations judgment, either directly or in
directly through tho ballot-box. This,
then, is the only true way that the con-
trolling public opinion of this country can
be arrived at.
It is very hard to tell what public
is until it has been pronounced
through the ballot-box. The newspapers
and public men Of our country are always
to manufacture and give shape to
public opinion in regard to governmental
1t is the popular breath upon
which many hope to float into power, and
,ften becomes . matter of great strife be-
;ween parties to determine what is public
:
In the matter of the next Presidential
lection, many Democrats are still dis
'osed to think they can mould pub
ic opinion between now and
he time. for making a choice of
resident, &c As to secure the election
{ . Democrat Now in regard 70 the
party and its past principles,
here is nothing to indicate q change in
he minds Of the people in regard 10 them;
it is worse than folly for the Demo-
ratio party to suppose it a reverse .
ublic opinion that has SO repeat
dly and consistently sustained the
rinciples Of tie Republican party since
came into power. The continued
pposition of the Democratic party
the often expressed prblic opinion in
gard to slavery. the amendments to the
and their validity, and the re-
laws, has not been calculated .
impress the majority Of the people fav-
ably with the intentions of the party.
has shown but little disposition as q
hole, to respect the acts of Congress;
Id portions of the party actually con-
to defeat, through violence, the
of the fourteenth and if
enth amendments to the constitution.
his conduct forced upon government the .
of passing those stringent laws
at are now denounced by the Bourbon {
smocrats as tyrannicala and unjust. These 9
rs bear upon none but the wicked and ]
just They are intended to benefit the q
acesble and we'll disposed of all parties.
the Democratic desperadoes had not
eated the necessity for them they
'uld not have been passed and power S
iced in. the hands of the President ,
It respectable Democrats, and even e
n who consider themselves Repub- \
ans pronounce dangerous. The public t
inion that sanctioned the passage Of Il
laws to meet an extraor- Il
state of affairs will hold the b
responsible for a proper en- A
of those laws. They were not Il
ended to deprive people of their polit- 81
| or civil rights. On the contrary, il
, were intended to secure these ines p
lable blessings to all citizens alike.
hough ours is q government that is =
ended to rule without force, the expe- p
ace Of the last ten years has demon y
ted that even q republican govern s.
ut may be compelled to use force 70 tt
serve its character. Public opinion
at no time failed to sustain the en-. B
cement of the laws, and when the laws L
. not adequate to the emergency. not as
icient to secure every citizen in the 81
enjoyment of all his rights, that same ca
'lic opinion has demanded the enact ri
ut of other laws for this purpose. th
l so it viii be as long aspublic opinion til
composed of the great body of the in
pie. Ok
MORE ABOUT THE STATE DEBT.
ust as we expected, the Bee and the :.