New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-26
NEW ORLEANS, FRIDAY, JANUARY 26 1872
milton as the Washington Repsbliean re-

milton as the Washington Republican re-
| fers to.
The same paper adds:
1t will be remembered that Governor
WarmOth has telegraphed his expectation
of riot some four times previous to this
occasion-a procedure that should be
avoided by those recOllecting the interest
ing fable of the shepherd who was ad-
dicted to crying wolf" at frequent inter
walls.
This gratuitous fling at Governor War
moth comes with ill grace from journal
that has permitted itself to be misled by
the highly colored Associated Press reports,
till prejudice has assumed the place of rea-
sOn-the same Associated Press that has
gravely declared about twenty times, "a
conflict is expected Tomorrow
The subjoined editorial, from the Wash
ington Republican of the same date, betrays
an objectionable ignorance, utterly mex
cusable in the conductor of journal in the
national metropolis.
The election law did not give Warmoth
any such power as that alleged by the Re
publican. 1t protected the people in their
ballots, and under its operation the most
quiet election ever known in the State of
Louisiana was held.
If the Republican means to say that since
the Republican State Convention was held
last November, the Governors extraor-
dinary powers conferred by the election
law have been employed by him to defeat
the friends of liberty and reform, we need
only rejoin that there has been no election
in Louisiana since November, 1870, at which
members of the House Of Representatives
were elected for two years.
The Washington Republican will do wise
ly to send special reporter to New Or
leans to attend the sessions of the con-
gressional investigating committee, and
thus learn little truth about Louisiana
Republicans.
This is the editorial of the Washing gton
Republican-an article dictated in malice or
written in ignornnce:
| Reason is the soul of the law, and the
emergency of heated contests, never, let us
| hope, to return, was the apology for the
passage of the acts comforting upon the
| Louisiana Governor the enormous powers
! of which he is now deprived. The monop-
oily which that officer enjoyed of appointing
those who should virtually pass upon the
right of men to vote, gave to him power,
| in its sphere, less than that which Napoleon
exercised to crush the republic, and when
the weakness Of man is recOllected it is not
| surprising that the suspicion should have
beer created that all of this fearful RESPONSE
bility would be exercised by Governor War
moth for the advancement of his political
ends.
There are partisans so blind and ignorant
as to justify the extension of such powers
to one of their own political faith, forget
ting at the time that the English Repub-
licans who gave extraordinary privileges to
Cromwell, that he might protect them from
their foes. lived to see those privileges ex-
ercised for the destruction of themselves.
The people of Louisiana seem to have
been impressed, either with the fear that
| Mr.. Warmoth might prefer to initiate Crom-
well, or doubt as to his willingness to re-
| enact the role of Washington, and they re-
moved all possible chance for their execu-
| tive appearing as a political Joseph by in
sisting upon the removal of temptations
more alluring than the smiles of the Poti-
phar matron. Naturally enough, Mr.. War.
moth did not take kindly to the proposed
clipping of his official locks, and it was,
therefore, not surprising that when, last
summer, the Republican, State Convention
| demanded the abrOgatiOy1 of the Governor
| extraordinary powers, the latter We're en-
ployed by their possessor to defeat the
friends of liberty and reform.
In political sense. Louisiana has always
| been State differing from most of her
Southern sisters. The magnificent sugar
interests of the Sugar-Bowl Commonwealth
required the fostering care of protective
tariff. and the recognition of this fact gave
the Wings a supremacy in Louisiana that
was only destroyed by the mightiest efforts
This reliance upon the federal government
for support nourshed Union feeling that
was manifested in the splendid vote given
for Stephen A. Douglas, and in the further
evidence of love for the republic that was
furnished in the meagre majority Cess than
20G0) by which Slidell. Benjamin and their
horde of place holders were enabled on
their own count to carry Louisiana out OF
| the Union.
The return of peace brought no harmoni
| Gus action to the Democracy, and the recog-
milton of existing facts deprived the Wings
and Democrats of the mutual zeal with
which they had opposed reconstruction.
The course, therefore. of the Wings, and,
indeed, of all practical men, was to unite
with that party which should promise and
| possess the power to effect financial and pO
| ltlcal reform. his was CDe STATUS OF tnOse
who had always acted against the Repub
| lican party when the State convention OF
that party assembled in New Orleans last
summer The good sence of its members
enabled them to appreciate the situation
and they evinced their desire for the sue
cess of the party in the future by demand
ing the repeal of the laws that had been
created to preserve its existence in the
past.
The action of those Republicans who have
demanded these refOrmatiOns has brought
to the support of President Grant all those
former Wings, those progressive Democrats
who, having secured a cleansing of the
Augean stable at home. are well satisfied tC
act with the party which alone can give
them protection to their sugar, and secure
the development of their commercial wants
by Congressional legislation. The lesson OF
Louisiana is instructive, and will be appre
ciated in other States where popular feeling
is for the correction of abuses and the eX
tension of the broadest liberty. This course
is, indeed, the only one that is open to Re
publicans, and its wisdom was recognized in
the call for the national cow ventiOn lately
issued by the Republican executive com
mittee in these words:
Now, as heretofore, the Republican
party stands pledged to correct all abuses,
and to carry out all reforms necessary to
maintain the purity and efficiency of the
| public service"
| These are the wise utterances Of brave
men, who, by their elaboration and the full