New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-20
BUSINESS MEN RESPONSIBLE.

If the business men of New Orleans are
Respondent at the present condition OF our
local affairs, they have themselves to blame
in great measure, for they have nour-
ished with their patronage the veriest organ
of agitation that ever afflicted any COM
munity. For four years the Times has de.
bauched the people of this city with hopes
that were mad and suggestions that were
pernicious. We leave it to their own rea-
son if this is not so. The Times advised
opposition to reconstruction, and pre-
tended that the will of the nation could
be defeated. Following this suggestion,
we have had four years of bitter partisan
politics, and now reconstruction is tri-
umphant and the Times is it's advocate
1t even has the temerity to charge. upon
the very people whom it misled that their
present troubles result from their mistake
in not accepting the results of the war. 1t
advised them daily against submitting to
negro equality, studiously instilling into
their minds that the law which gave the col
ored people the same political rights as the
white people were possessed of could only
result in breaking down all the barriers
between the races, thus bringing about a
mixture and miscegenation that would de-
moralize and degrade the good and bad
to the same level. That this was an
error is now fully admitted. 1t has kept
alive that fatal feud between the people
which bad men have taken advantage of,
and the result is seen in the wastefulness
that has brought the State to the condi-
ton of distress in which it is at present
Driven from its yiciousness in every in
stance by the steady defeat of all its
wicked suggestions, as last resort the
Times has been engaged during the last
two weeks in supporting known corrup-
tionists in their violent attempts to over
throw the government of the State. While
Governor Warmo.h has been steadily con-
testing the speculations of the lobby, as
they were struggled through the Legis-
lature; while he has been appealing to
the courts to defeat the extravaganza of
Legislative committees; while he has i'm
periled himself to disconcert fraudulent
revolutions that the opposition faction at
tempted to fasten upon the State; in fact
while the Governor Las been opposing
the wastefulness of the Legislature, and
using all his influence to protect the
treasury, the Times has been just as con-
stantly engaged in slandering and defeat
ing his objects by accusing him Of being
the author of the extravaganza against
which he was then and is now solemnly
protesting in the courts.
And all our present troubles, growing
out of the failure of the Legislature to meet,
are measurably to be traced to the Times,
for it has given aid and comfort to the re-
tractory members of the Legislature in all |
heir attempts to evade their duty. 1t up
leld them for refusing to meet in the
presence Of the police, when their associate
heir own protection. 1t sustained them
n characterizing the militia of the State as
when they themselves were in
avor of placing federal soldiers about the
State House. 1t supplied them with argu-
nents that their action i'll electing a Lieu
enant Governor was childish and illegal.
t has held the Governor responsible for
xpelling Garter, when the House of Rep
esentatives was the responsible party; and
holds the Governor to account for not
eating Garter again, when it knows that
he House is the sole Judge of its own
ctions.
We say that the Times is responsible for
hese things, because Carter and his fac
Ionists know that there must be a strong
ublic sentiment in their favor when the
hief advertising medium of the business
len Of the city upholds them in their
endeavors. IT, therefore,
be commercial community do not desire
} be held responsible for the disorder and
which is injuring them, as it is
ljuring every material interest in New
rleans, they will signify their displeasure
the course of the Times by discontinue
e their cOuntenance to it in its present
adness.
SO long, however, as friends of good
'der patronize the Times, and thus lend
eir influence in favor of disorder, they
i'll be held responsible for the results.
'ithout them the Times is nothing; with
EN- it is able to give backbone to very
fashionable set of reformers.