New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-09-26
lee ExERcISB o. REASON.

! hcan government to meet the wants 0
the people, are more dependent on the ex
) ercise of reason than any other system o
polity for ruling nation. Unless thu
. popular viii can be reached and de
| termined by the peaceful canvassing O.
the merits of men and measures there cal
be no virtue in popular elections and nc
safety in republican government The ex-
ercise of reason is the acknowledged pal
} ladium of popular government, and
wherever the people are not swayed by
this great quality Of the human mind,
passion and violence are apt to usurp its
place and rule in its stead. Passion and
violence have occasionally interf5red with
popular elections in this country since the
foundation Of the government, but never
to an alarming extent until after the sup
preston of what is known in history as
the Shareholders rebellion. Open resist
ance to lawful authority by a large portion
Of the most influential people Of one sec
ton Of common country was well caIcu-
lated to arouse passion, and resistance
was backed up by violence. Since the
suppression Of rebellion passion and VIC
lence have marked the conduct Of a
considerable number Of persons in
the Southern States who were dis
pleased with the mode adopted by Con
gress for demonstrating the States that
were in rebellion. This conduct displayed
itself to a somewhat alarming extent in
the presidential election Of 1868, particB.
| larly an Louisiana. The Louisiana De-
'mocracy was noted for It's turbulence and
bloody deeds in that year in New Orleanss
and for some time afterward there was no
security for Republicans in the rural
parishes. In many instances they were
shot down and murdered for no other
cause than that they were Republicans.
This state of affairs existed to q more or
less extent in all the Southern States, and
led to the necessity Of the passage of the
Ku-Klux and enforcement laws by Con-
gress. Without these laws it was impossi- |
BILE to reach the bands of political despera-
does that infested the South, and dis.
turbed its peace and prosperity with daily
and nightly acts Of violence and blood
shed. Without the great necessity for
these laws that had been created in the
South, no Congress would have dared to
pass them, such extraordinary powers
do they confer upon the President,
But the people were convinced that
measures were necessary to
meet the alarming condition of affairs in
the South, and they were satisfied that the
President should be clothed with the
power to give protection to life
and property in al sections of the country
where the local authorities were unable OF
to do SO. The people were sat.
isfed this should be done, because they
felt it was safer TO trust the President with
powers than 70 suffer con.
Enuance and growth OF the Bloody work |
Of the Ku-Klux Democsscy in the South.
Some fears were expressed, when the Kuo
Elux and enforcement acts were before
Congress, that if they became laws the
power placed IN the Presidents hands +
would be used by himself and partisans !
% secure his reelection These fears,
however, were thought to be groundless !
" the majority Of Congress, and, perhaps,
majority of the people were laboring I
lnder like impressions Certain it is +
hese laws ana 0thes causes have had p
y most saiutary effect il restoring .
oeace in the Southern States Blood
he'd and murdered for political purposes i
nave ceased to be daily and nightly occur .
ences, and we have assurances from all J.
ections Of our State, where 8 Most ims q
'ortant political canvass S aow being Il
arnestly conducted, that the utmost quiet a
nd good feeling prevails among the PEG. f
lie, and not only among the people. but a;
mong the public speakers and partisans
no congregate upon the hustings to the n
Official issues of the dayo This looks Il
If the exercise Of reason would control OF
lie coming Presidential electiono and that N
-olence need not be feared from any quare 81
II. We confess that we have never been III
those who feared violence at the hands M
the President, The idle gossip about &C
lrning this republic into an empire We pi
I'VE never given serious thought, from 81
e simple fact that we deemed it too &c
liculous to lose a moments thought on III
ct the exercise Of reason continue to ia
'ay the people, and popular government as
il have no danger it can not override cl;