New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-12-31
POLITICS AaAINsT BUSINESS.


. member Of the Legislature Of Louisiana
or of its imitator. the sIost tribes of Od'
Fellows Hall, appeared before the Com
mittee of Transportation. This is sig
. nal evidence that your professional poll
tician considers himself above the vulga
interests of business
That the country representatives shoul'
not have appeared may be accounted TO
by their absence from the city, and by tn
superstition that the questions of inquir.
were peculiarly commercial. But hov
can we explain this dereliction Of dut.
on the part Of those who claim tx
represent the commercial and indus
trial interests of this great city? Onl!
upon single hypothesis that the average
politician has no use for the people excep
so far as they may appear in a wire-pullers
convent on, Nor have we noticed The
presence of any of these representatives
Or their imitators of Odd Fellows Hall, il
any of the consultations among our citi
zens, how to reduce the public burdens,
and alleviate the sufferings of an unen.
ployed people. In no other American com.
mdnity, we may safely say, would subjects
of such momentous importance, to a con-
stituency. be discussed without the pres
ence ard participation of the representa-
tives of the people. Here no one seems
to know representative. No member
Of the Legislature from the city seems to
be above the level of his most ordinary
constituents. It was Pope and Arbuth-
not who compared the obscure authors Of
their day to the blind puppies drowned In
the gutter:
| AK either named could as well disclose
| The ma mes of these blind puppies as of those"
Vein agine more profound degree of
ignorance ON the vital subjects of COM
merce and finance could not be predica-
ted of any class, than of the Legislative
representatives of the great commercial
emporium of New Orleans. This We infer
from not having seen any one of them,
by speech or in print, on either of those
subjects, and not having seen them re-
ferred to as authority on either of these
subjects. Ii we have unwittingly, how
ever, done injustice to any of these gen.
tlemen, we will take pleasure in publish
ing such vindication of their knowledge
of city interests as they may send us-ac-
compani ed, of course, with our own CON-
ments.
But now comes even more conclusive
proof of the actual antagonism of politics
as trade against the industrial and COM
mercial interests of the city.
Just at the time when the merchants
and manufacturers are in council to secure
improved means of access to foreign mar
kets, just when New Orleans needs all the
friends that may be mustered, comes |
proposal to reorganize what the foreign |
press calls the anarchy" of Louisiana.
We shall have Legislature formally re-
cognized by the federal government, and
an executive whose authority has been en-
forced in the most remote parts of the 1
State. It is now recommended to revive
the questions of last winter by calling to-
gether body which was dispersed by
the sustained authority Of the existing,
and, as We deem, legal government
of the State Will another dispersion
strengthen the claims Of the Tichborne
We apprehend not 1t will
not affect the decision of the question by
Congress so far as that body may act
upon it. But it will continue the aliena-
lion of party, it will diffuse the belief
among capitalists that our people are law
less and not to be trusted. It will repel
and enterprise, for man
Who has no capital, except in his head or
lis hand, may not choose to take the risk
If street riot, or Of that paralysis Of in
lustry which always accompanies the
tagnation Of capital. /
The Picayune, so long the organ Of per-
,etual agitation, resistance to the author
ties by arms and non-payment of taxes,
las somewhat abated the ferocity Of its
one, yet it advises the assemblage of the
legislative claimants in body. This, it
5 aware, can not be done without requir-
ng the dispersion of the claimants. We
% not see how this can bring the ques-
ion more prominently before Congress
han at present. 1t may greatly endanger t
be success Of measures in which New Or /
cans and Louisiana are deeply interested s
As politicians, we should say 60 ahead, c
entlemen, procure your own arrest and r
ispersion, convince Congress that you 4
refer anarchy to order, satisfy the col Z
red population that you are uncompro- i
Using and imperious in your demand to F
overn. This would suit our interest, L
nee it would continue to combine the Ii
deral government and the popular ma
rity in the support of Republican doc Il
inc and government. AS patriots sim a
rely DESTROYS promoting the permanent Il
elfare Of Louisiana, we would pre- a
r an interval of peace and obedience to II
W, until Congress can calmly decide +
ch questions of legality OF which it '
ay have jurisdiction, and until it shall L
we decided whether the aid solicited by "
e business men of the State and city tt
all be granted. &C
The Fusion politicians, however, though ct
aiming to represent the capital and bust OF
SIS of the State, care in fact for neither,
that we may expect them to continue
cir agitation, careless of the disorder
disannointfnent which NAV result To | te