The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-02-18

ls the calm submission of the population.
Scarcely ever before was there such pro-
vocation to violence and bloody reprisal,
but not a blow is struck, not a word spoken.
Our very task masters testify in open court
and council that the most loyal and law
abiding population in the country is at the
South, and that it is impossible to arouse
them to resistance. Certainly they know
whereof they speak, for it can hardly be
| doubted that every effort of diabolical in
genuity is made to invent new goad for
maddening the people into some rash out
break. The permanence of control for eur
prosecutors depends upon the capital which
they can make at the North out of the old
cry that the " Rebellion still exists" Our
people know this. They were caught once.
bnt have been wide awake ever since. No
device of hatred and outrage can torture
| them into the desired demonstration OF
| violence. We regret, indeed, to see occa-
sionally in our two leading dsilies an ex-
preston implying that patience has its
limit, and that the Legislature must comply
with popular wishes on peril of something
desperate not very distinctly stated. This
is all wrong. We have nothing to gain by
putting the Legislators in the street, or
even in the river. 1t is all foolish, too,
for the people understand the situation too
we'll to follow any such wild-goose leader
ship.
We contend that the course adopted by
our people is the course Of wisdom. 1t
shows that among the Southern popula-
ton action is controlled more by reason
than by passion. Can the same be said
of any other population in the world :
In any other country with the proyoca-
| tions that exist here, violence of at least
a partial nature would break out, riots
| would prevail and assassinations take
place. To be sure, this wonld certainly
make matters worse, but personal feeling
would crafty itself, regardless of the
general misery thereby entailed. We,
| therefore, point with pride to the universal
| GOODNESS and caution that control our whole
people, under present circumstances, with
more efficiency than could be obtained in
any army by any kind of discipline.
The result of this may be felt in two
different ways, but must be successful if
|
acter above ascribed to our Northern
brethren is not intended by US as of univeF-
sal application. We know that we have al
! ways had a mighty tide of sympathy set
ting in our favor among these same North
ern people. In the bloodiest days of the
war and its embittered struggle, thousands
of friends in the very household of our foe,
holder than others who thought like them,
told him in words of truth and courage
that he was wrong and we were right. To-
day, nearly half, if not more than half, of
the Northern people are our friends, and
| look. with horror upon the wrongs heaped
upon us. Even among those who were,
iercest against US, the manly fo-titude of
our people and their forbearance under OPP
preston have turned foes into friends and
wrought change which must soon sweep
from the control of our public affairs every
vestige of carpet-baggery, if the South
continues true to its policy of non-resist-
ance.
If, indeed, by involving the country in war
with Great Britain, Gen. Grant should sue
coed in prolonging his sway and the control
of his party principles, if his system of
treating the South as a public enemy should
be persevered in and all the protection and
advantages of a government persistently
denied us, with what grace could lie call
on the South for volunteers or for hearty
aid in his war; Our people would then be
as unanimous in their non intervention as
they are now in their non-resistance, and it
would become necessary to propitiate them
by just concessions, in order to combine
successfully all the strength requisite in
great war with first class foreign power.
In one way or the other, then, we may
reasonably hope for the dawn of better
day before long. But if it should not
come, and if the chances of war should
bring an English fleet to the neighborbood
of every Southern port, if British money
should be offered and British supplies fur
nished and British troops be on transports
ready to land, we cannot judge, but it is