The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1873-07-06
LETTER FROM HOUSTON, TEX.


To the Editor of the Morning Star:
As faithful son of the South, I mingle my
bitter regret with that of all true men to this
section, over the sad political condition of
Louisiana. But am more deeply panied by
tho moral failure of some of her sons, from
whom better things were expected. Reference
is here made to the astonishing move of Gen.
Beauregard and few other misguided gentle
men. After being the censor Of Gen. Long
street, and very justly SO, he rushes by the
distinguished apostate, leaving him immeasur-
ably in the rear, and places himself ut once by
the side of that puritan fanatic Wendell Phil
lips. 1t is distressing to write in this manner
of one who has been so much loved in our af-
hicted cline; and the only consolation I
find in the matter is the conviction that Gen.
Beauregard is pot sincere, and that his in
| stincts and emotions are against his word.
The General will permit an humble soldier
| in the sacred cause for which we fought, to
suggest to him, great as he is in military sci
once-the conqueror of Grant at Shloh-that
| it is wretched strategy TO surrender to an enc
! my in order to defeat him. My deliberate
| opinion has been, since the disastrous surren-
| der, that We of the South needed pluck more
than brains; that our cowardice has led to our
degradation that we havo not been debased
| by our enemies but by ourselves. The positive
controls the negatire, not only in natural phil
osophy, but in mental and moral science also.
Our tameness invited the enemy to plant his
foot on our necks and he has done so. The
right spirit would have kept the foot at a re.
spectacle distance.
If eight years of self-abnegation and beg
ging has only increased our oppression, plain
reason dictates a change of policy. And al
low me to state my plan for the relief of Lou
isiana-applicable to all the Southern prov.
inces. She has simply to treat her enemies as
enemies. Let her sternly adopt complete non
inteFcourse with the North, and ignore the
carpet-bagger and her enemies who have come
within her borders. Buy nothing from the
upper side of the line cut them off, and con.
tinue this policy until the oppressors feel the
necessity of right action. You will not wai
, long. Strike at their interest if you would
convince them. The fight must be social and
commercial. The cause if Louisiana is The
cause of the South and if our entire section
would act as suggested, the now Indifferent i
not hostile people of the North would soon in
terest themselves in establishing justice ant
a good government in the South. Let the pa
/ triotio ladies begin the work and make it pop
ular. Let our men and women wear home
spun and live on the fruits of our own loves
q soil, and by so doing recover their honor, en-
, joy sufficient comfort for the present, win
, lasting victory over the foe and establish
solid prosperity for the future. For one, 1 al
willing and anxious to fall in.
Have our people the virtue to do this thing
certainly do not stand alone. If they are to
- stupid OF cowardly to adopt such manly cOurS
:. they are unworthy of freedom, snd shoul
| fbair ohoiD he he
will not use it, let them rot with disease. l.
them be men and act, or sink to the contlitiO
of slaves, and complain no more.
E. JACINTo.