New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-01-05

state government or congress lOr II
lief from alleged grievances an
wrongs This is not the method, however
2 as appears from the address under review
10 be resorted to by the disappointed an
defeated leaders of the fusion party. Nc
content to have made an alliance with II. {
Warmoth, which prominent Democrat
leader characterized as IAN alliance wit
infamy;" not content to have disfranchlse'
thousands of voters by denial of regtstra
, tion, and thousands more by cOnceallng tn
places at which tho votes were to be cas-
and placing the same at inconyenient ant
inaccessible points; noe content witt
substituting boxes full of Democratic
votes for boxes that were full of Republican
votes, but through the Governor attempt
ing to make purely partisan board Of can
vassers to count the Same and manipulate
the final returns; iu that the Governor
without the authority OF law. arbitrarily
removes the legal members of the boart
and substitutes his creatures in theil
stead. Not content with all these out
RACES against American citizenship, these
foiled and defeated leaders OF &
minority, when thwarted by the ma
iesty of the law as construed and en-
forced BY an honest and Independent judi
cary, State and federal, now propose
through a man prete nding to be Governor
elect, and a Legislature pretending to be
elected, to organize and operate govern
ment in direct conflict with and In violation
of tbs dignity and peace Of the existing
| government OF the State of Louisiana and
of the United States. We recognize the
| right of free discussion and of free assem-
blage Of the people. They may lawfully
meet. not only to memorialiZe the authorities
to redress wrongs. to perpetuate rights; not
only to criticize and censure their servants.
| wherein they may deem them derelict, but
| even to denounce them for wrongs, real or
| lima aginary; but when any class of men,
with an undetermined and unascertained
| official status propose to meet and organize
| d law-making department and inaugurate
! an executive and exercise governmental
| functions in the presence of and in conflict
| with the existing established authorities,
| such parties are revolutiOnists, and guilty
| of treason against the State, and are dis
| turbers of the public peace. and must be
dealt with as such.
lam prepared, as the acting executive
of Louisiana, to permit, without let or
hindrance, faction other citizens toindulge
themselves as fully as the largest personal
liberty may require, and the financial en-
barrassment and social disQuiet incident
thereto must belong to them but when
their action becomes organized and suggests
and prompts violations of the law, and OBJ
structions and antagOnisms to the author
ity of the State in the exercise of its le-
gitimate functions, it can not for q mo-
ment be either ignored or overlooked, but
must be met and suppressed. 1t is my
duty as executive not only 10 Quell
mobs and instructions, bUp to prevent, by
the prompt and vigorous execution of the
law, the inception of such riOtOus and dis
turbed conditions. | do not propose that
such state of things shall be inaugurated
in the State of Louisiana as will make it
necessary for the national authorities to de-
clare martial law therein and take posses
siun thereof, however much this deplorabl
issue may be sought aud desired by the few
i'll advised, short-sighted and self-seekipg
men who are laboring to that end. Q
The Governor elect, as returned by the
Legislature in session at the State House,
will, on the day provided for in the consti-
tuition, be inaugurated, and the Legislature
recognized by the President will meet and
perform its legitimate functions, butno pre-
tended Governor shall be inaugurated and
no pretended General Assembly shall CON
yene and disturb the public peace. Parties
participating in either case are public
wroDgdoers and shall be promptly
dealt with as such. The whole tOrce
of the State shall be used for this
purpose and all necessary national aid
will be invoked to corporate with. and
sustain the same. have every confdenc
that the General Assembly now in session.
sustained and aided by the suggestions and
the moral influence of the community, will
make wise and adequate laws and l shall
cheertully cooperate with them IN further
ing the public veal, but no good end can
be accomplished by disorder and revolu-
tiOn, while the commercial, financial and
industrial interest of the State will be
seriously affected thereby. No good citizen
will sanction them, and under the obliga-
tions of my oath of Office ! am determined
they shall not prevail.
1t is a faGc worthy Of note, that though
nearly eight years have elapsed since the |
close of the war, there still obtains in the |
minds of the in eligent, sober citizens of the |
North East and West, embracing majority |
of voters in the UniOn-said voters repre- |
senting the most permanent and valuabl in |
terests Of the whole country-a serious |
doubt as TO the loyalty and laws abiding |
of a large proportion Of the white |
voters in the late rehellious States-this |
doubt being so strong and prevalent as to |
affect the national Legislation and p. oduCe |
disqUiet IN the public mind generally rela-
tive to the prosperity and safety of our
common country. This state OF the public
mind is not more certainly referable to the
civil strife itself than TO the unfriendly and
nsubordinate temper of the Southern
people since tho close OF the war. They |
have manifested restlessness under the ex-
ircise of national authority, and have re-
given the influence OF their intel
igence and wealth to pefpetuate Wrongs
against both the property and persons of
American citizens, on purely political
and partisan grounds. Such state Of things /
las been aggravated in its evil effects large
Y by the fact that the illegal and violent
of temper and conduct has
generally referred and had its utterance in l
connection with the exercise Of civil and
political rights by the newly entranchised
citizen. p is become % habit in our State
md en- other Southern States, with
he insnbOrdinate class of our peO-
evolution of the government on the heel
If every political defeat No matter how
air the expression and overwhelming the
lecisOn of the public viii on the political
ssucs of the day, each defeated aspirant
aiIns the inalienable right of subverting
he government as compensation and or
et in some sort fur his personal disappoint-
nent The tlippancy with which these
hreats against the Integrity OF cur instItu-
ions are uttered, and the reckiessness and
-iulence with which they are attempted TO
,e executed, produce, net only distrust to-
yard US in the minds OF the better ordered
pd majority Of the American people, but
impose the obligation upon the national
nd State authorities to see that the laws
re promptly and even severely executed, |
nd the sooner tbs class of our fellow clti- |
ems uerceiye the evil OF their course and |
orrect the same, the sooner they arise
O the apprehension of the fact, no
natter how in conflict the same may be |
7ith their prtjudices and passions, that the
viii Of the American people must be re-
9ise-ot the humblest citizen in every spot
1an I