The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-04-12
Don't Bet

The following, taken from the
Shreveport South Western Telegram,
we find in the Bienville Times:
The New Orleans Times, in the fol-
lowing article pointed at an individual,
fires at q class just now far more noisy
than powerful. 1t is the class that
lives upon disappointment and dlscOn-
tent, and will not be satisfied with the
inevitable. We all know. well enough
how we got into trouble, how sOrely we
have felt for the last two or three
months, and how, without any. power
on our part to prevent it, an established
government has been placed in authori-
ty. What then? Whether pleased or
displeased with the result, whether the
government be one de jure OF de fdctO
as to matter of opinion, is practically
immaterial, for conduct, SO far as 1t
is controlled by the sanctions OF the
law, remains the same. We are bound
to submit or to obey its authority.
What we would do, had we the power,
is a different thing.
But we have not the power, and we
believe no one advises the trial OF max
ing successful resistance by force OF
arms. Even if we had the power, re-
calling the lessons of civil strife and
remembering how unsatisfactory are
the decisions of war, to use a vulgar
phrase, it is very questionable whether
the game would be worth the candle.
But a legal resistance is possible, we
are told. How that can be, we do not
see. NOn-payment of taxes may add to
the embarrassments of the State gov
eminent, but it will not o%gerturn or de-
stroy its present authority. 1t will be
91,-l ~ ~-1o~,ar 4E.o= 4rv pnnlroTJS 7NTsNJA.
erty will be sold, at a great sacrifice,
for the taxes due on it, or eaten up by
the litigation necessary to defeat col
lection, that, as a,DOpular mode of re-
sistance, it is another game not worth
the candle. And to maintain the sys-
tenn mentioned by the New Orleans
Times in its closing paragraph is more
futile than either such civil or military
resistance. For it keeps up strife for
nothing:
Solomon Grundy is not at all dis
couraged by the disastrous failure OF
| his series of adventures in which his
adversaries proved stronger, it not
more cunning, at the black 1eg-business
than he. He is now for stalking every
thing of the to be aroused and over
whelmning virtue of the nation. That
is to say, he proposes to bet the peace
and prosperity of New orleans and
Louisiana, all the vital interests, Of the
city and State, ON the prediction that
the recently inaugurated National Ad-
ministration viii be morally speaking
ruined, crushed, pulverized and, like the
gl0ries of Babylon, forever blown III
the wind by a %tempestuous reaction OF
the popular mind at the North"
Id the meantime Solomon Grupdy
insists as o sine qua non OF this Last
scheme, that the city and State shall
scorn even to think Of being paciied, OF
of prospecting, on any other terms thai,
the fulfllment of the above prediction
Until then we are all to consider
ourselves in honor bound to maintain {
systematic state of dissatisfaction, tur.
bulence and theoretical, and, it possible
practical, anarchy at home, while men
tally along with Solomon Grundy, fol
lowing the political show around to SEX
the wild beast of popular indignation
and vengeance pounce upon, slay, REM
and mangle the recently inauguratet
National Administration