New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-17
THE uNTHINKrNa MASSES.

N>>
an aggregate of human beings, led by two
or three loud-mouthed demagogues, sur.
render up their divine faculty Of reasoning
and become, for the time being. almost de.
mented. In such cases, watchwOrd is
generally invented as the embodiment OF
an idea, and repeated from time to time
until its real significance has been lost
sight of, when it is made to stand for any
thing else than the purpose OF its inven-
ton.
For instance, we have an example OF
this on a small scale in this city at this
very time. Certain members of the Gen
eral Assembly, whose characters as legisla-
tors are by no means above suspicion, have
recently become possessed of an insane
fury for reform. They undoubtedly first
derived the idea from the more sensible
part of the people, who demanded, as they
had a right to, that many abuses which
have crept into our State should be re-
formed. Thus the cry of reform was
caught up by the very parties who have
created the necessity for it; by the very
men who had it in their power to put re-
form into practice. Instead, however, of
going to work in the right way and in the
right place, they appear upon the streets
at the head of tumultuous assemblages of
unthinking followers, whom they harangue
into fever of resentment against the
constituted authorities of the State. They
have played upon the prejudices of the ig
norant solong and SO successfully, that the
prevailing idea in the minds of the mob
that recently attended the street meeting
of the Customhouse faction of the Legis-
lature was that reform simply meant the
deposition of the Governor and Lieutenant
Governor, the subversion Of the State au-
thorities, including the disbanding Of the
militia and the police and the substitution
This state of things shows condition of
insanity in the public mind akin to that
which digraced France in the revolution,
and from the effects of which that country
has never yet fully recovered
The wise and prudent conduct of the
Governor and his advisers has alone
averted the disaster of a conflict in the
streets. Had such a conflict taken place,
it must have been short, sharp and bloody;
for on the side of law and order are thou
sands of well-armed, disciplined men,
under the command of officers of expe-
rience. On the side of disorder, there has
never been more than few hundreds, and
these armed merely with revolvers. which
are of little or no effect against Winchester
rifles and muskets. But many of these
followers of the factionists have been de-
luded into the notion that they were irwin
chile, and would have .folloaced their leaders
in an attack upon the police and militia
that have been for two weeks defending
Mechanics Institute. Certain it is, that
any attempt on the part Of the armed
forces of the State to dispense the various
crowds of noisy men and boys that have
infested the streets, would have resulted
in bloodshed, and the inevitable conse-
quence, the fall of the misguided and least
guilty and the escape of the guilty authors
of the mischief.
And while a few hundred unthinking
people were nearly at the climax of their |
mania, feeling of panic, to call it by |
no worse name, seized the Committee of |
at least twenty-one of them, |
It a meeting of forty-one of the men,
,ers-and they &C tually threw oil on the |
lan1es by formally resolving to ask the
President of the United States to declare
martial law. Benjamin F. Flanders too,
n fit of characteristic childishness and
oily, must needs rush into state of |
right, and telegraph to the President for
martial law. Citizen Flanders undoubt-
dly has a right to become as scared as he
leases; but Mayor Flanders is guilty of
be gravest treachery when he thus be-
rays the people that elected him as the
hief officer of this city. He makes Use of
is Office as Mayor to give publicity to his
ears as a private citizen, and adds the
eight of his official influence to increase
he passions of mob. only held in Re-
traint by the mailed hand of authority.
fortunately for the city and Mr.. Flanders
resident Grant disregarded the treason
BILE request. and snubbed our OfficiOus
[ayor, for which we heartily thank him.
does not appear that the resolution of
lie Committee of Twenty-one ever reached
lade for the Washington market, but, like
lie foolish request OF the Mayor, was
ltended to inhame the minds of
'lr own unthinking masses and pro
oke an outbreak of violence. And |
ow, since all these reasonable at
,mpts to Stir up strife have failed, since
ur Mayor has been ignored by the au-
lorities at Washington and the people at
ONE, the Committee of Twenty-one,
named by their own colleagues into
lence, and the followers of the Custom
ouse faction reduced to the thinnest of
in numbers and respectability,
is time for the thinking, sensible bust
ess men of the city to he heard. The +
Disc Of the powwows of the empty headed
as gradually died away. Let the wiser .
len be heard
CONSULTING AFTER DEFEAT.