New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-03-23
RIPE FOR A CHANGE

RIPE FOR A CHANGE
President Kennedy, of the Reform llk,
republishes his address in some OF yester-
day mornings papers. He is evidently
pleased with it, and expects 1t to create
sensation among the people, and is willing
to advertise literally in order to effect his
purpose. Advertisements, however, seldom
create sensation. A well written book
or sharp politician will occasionally do
what the common advertiser can never
hope to accomplish. Mr.. Kennedy may
! be good business man. as his propensity
to advertise indicates, but we are inclined
to think his politics will never set the
world on fire or create the slightest i'm
preston on the minds Of the people. They
are too accustomed to the stereotyped adj
dresses of men who are too apt to think
"a crisis has been reached" whenever they
feel all extra itching for office.
The address of President Kennedy ar
ranges picture OF this State IN colors
and shades to suit himself He states
his premises'with an apparent assurance
| that they are going to be received by the
| peOble as correct, and then very dehbe-
| rately proceeds to draw his deductions.
| He borrows text and breaches from it,
| but his doctrine is not orthodox. Let us
see. He says there is crisis. There is
usually one lying around loose when an
| ambitious party OF few politicians wish
to advertise themselves as the only capa-
| BILE and honest men fit to hold Office. In
case of a ''crisis" like the present, Reform
ers only are citizens. All who join the
Reform party and help to place it in
power are promised to be recognized as
| citizens. But Republicans and Democrats
are something else. According to the new
school of Reformers. they are politicians, y
'partisans," ''thieves, "plunderers, ;"
''old party hacks" and, in short, anything
but citizens. The majority are further
pronounced designing and unprincipled
men. This allusion we suppose to be in
tended for those white Republicans who
came here to widen the breach between
| the people of this commonwealth. Hav-
ing introduced these unprincipled and de-
signing men by the name bestowed upon
them by the king bee of the Reformers, let
us see what they found here when they
| first arrived. In 1861 the State toppled
and fell into degradation, and many of her
people were reduced to the direst want.
No attempt Was made by those who
claimed to be "the people" to redeem the
State from this sad condition to which
| they had driven it, and relieve the great
mass Of the people who were left in a state
of starvation. This task was left to be
accomplished by the white Republicans
who, according to President Kennedy and
| his new school of Reformers, came here to
! widen the breach existing between the
| people Of this commonwealth.
| In 1866, when the men who claimed to
be the people had lost their slaves, they
|
their late chattels, now made free by the
Republicans, but still denied the rights OF
citizens by their former owners, who were
once more in power in the State. Some
thought Of banishing them to the North
or Africa, and filing their places with the
natives OF China. The introduction of
this kind Of labor was deemed the next
best thing to slavery by those still welded
to slave institutions. Others there were
who refused to breathe the same air that
free negroes did. They posted off to
Brazil in search Of their kind of freedom,
to bask in the light Of better govern
uent than the United States and dwell in
the odors and beauties of slavery.
Finally, however, that portion Of 1.-The
people" who remained here to finally be
come Reformers, generously consented tC
let the negro remain in the country, but
he must be under a perpetual contract tc
work for some white man. This our Re
formers would make the law Of the State.
| And where the law was not complied with
| by the former slaves, they were to be ar,
rested and sold as Migrants. The ''un.
principled men who now rule this State
| corrected this great wrong-the men who
are accused by the Reformers Of coming
here to widen the breach between the peo-
pie Of this commonwealth, meaning now
the 1.-TWO great races" the negroes and
| their former masters.
! When the ''unprincipled men"-the Re-
pubEcans now rule this State took
the reins Of government, they found State
bonds worth thirty cents on the dollar,
half the people servitors, and the other
half stepped in an intolerable and wicked
prejudice. Republican government has
gradually redeemed the State and people
from many wrongs that oppressed both
when Republican rule was first inaug1.
rated here This has been done within
the last few years, without the aid Of the
men who style themselves Reformers, and
ask to be made the rulers of free people,
who never could have been free without
the aid Of the Republican party and the
men who are denounced as unprincipled
Republican rule, Mr.. Kennedy says, has
produced crisis, which simply means
1.-The people are ripe for a chanGe-tht
very people who were ripe for change il