New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-01-22

the one now in Congress from Indiana, who
barks for every Ku-klux den throughout
the land; but thank God and the general
intelligence and patriotism of the enlight-
ened North. such disgraceful exceptions
to the general rule are rare, very rare. But
we all regret such instances of inexcuSable
! injustice and baseness, however rare,
but still more, if possible, do we regret
| and deplore injustice and faisehood at
| the hands of Northern men who have
| for years since the war been among
| us, co-operated with us politically,
| and who have "seen for themselves
and not another" and who are therefore
| even the more wilfully and mallclously
| mean in their treachery. We have an ex
| qualification of this totally inexcusable
| political apostacy and political depravlty IN
one of our former political associates ana
co-workers, who is now making spasmodlc
! efforts at practical Political Philosophy III
| one division of the homogeneous slde-shoW
now going on around at Odd Ftilo"s
| Hall This individual now suddenly CON
cludes that government should be based on
constitutional consent, and tested by the
allegiance of four people" Very pretty
verbiage-but it should burn the lips that
uttered and blister the tongue, taking into
account the time, the place and the circum-
stances And, pray, where would he be to-
day if tested by this rule? His neck would
be in a halter, and no one knows 1t better
than himself. And then he assumes to speak
of the consent of the governed" in
broad sense-as if all who had ever read
Andy johnson did not already understand
all about that. No one knows better than
does this renegade Senator what the icon
sent" of those with whom he is now CO.
operating amounts to. 1t means the right
of the local or localized community to
enslave the individual citizen, and to muir
der him for political opinions sake. 1t
means the right to send political adverse
ries to prison, though innocent of any
CRIME, and the right to let political friends
go free and unhurt, though felOns black
as night. 1t means all this and more. 1t
means the right to harass and insult
women and children, because their hus-
bands and fathers may be Republicans and
the friends of the government-or black
and helpless and without the means of de-
fense,. or an Independent subsistency. No
wonder, then, that this gentleman-this
apostate carpet bag radical (expelled) Sen
ator, who now assumes to speak IN be-
half of this people" and to plead
for the consent Of the governed no
marvel, / say that such an indi-
vidual, in the confusion OF his self
wrought and inextricably chaotic political
dilemma, should quote as dirty crumb of
comfort random and inapplicable nonsense
from that cratic, free-leve journal, the New
York h,dependent-a journal which stinks
in the nostrils of every decent gentleman in
America who loves either his country or his
wife. But such cloth is suitable to patch
up the gentleman's threadbare and polite
ally demoralizing attitude. And no wonder
also that he should be backed up and Kissed
on by such local press as we find sustain
ing him-OLe of which journals here in New
Orleans, in its learned efforts on the science
of government and the rights of the peO-
ple openly cOnfOunds confederacy with a
nationality, and innocently displays total
ignorance of the difference between pure
rabble democracy and constitutional re-
public.
But gentlemen who espouse the wrong
side in politics against their own sense OF
right often display inconsistencies which
should not be chargeable to their lack of cor
rect information; and so suppose we should
account for much of the disgracefulness
which is daily transpiring around us. AT
least this would seem the most charitable
conclusion.
But, Mr.. President and Senators, charity
with us should begin at home, and we
should learn to be just before generous.
Selfpreservation is said to be the first law
OF nature, and is therefore IN its
legitimate sense, the first duty of man.
True patriotism never can conflict with
generosity or mercy to the guilty results in
harm to the innocent, that generosity or
that mercy becomes tyranny-the most
CALLING tyranny, because perhaps the least
excusable. We all do know that much of
this kind of mercy has been extended by
the national government toward our pOliti-
cal enemies and prosecutors here in the
South since the war. We want no more OF
it, 1t is cruel to US, and unjust even to
4 fav nplvy ItaS-N han.
with spirit of oppression and persecution
at which their own better nature must re-
volt in time, and induces false hopes which
in the very nature and essence of Gods
Just laws can never be finally realized; for
God has willed that the right shall triumph
eternally, and that wickedness shall rule
only for an hour at most.
1t hence becomes dOubly the duty of the
national authority to stand up to and de-
fend and vindicate us as Republican
party, and as a Republican State govern
ment-a duty upon principle and duty in
policy. All the safety we now have is in be-
ing thus partially sustained and indicated,
and we all can only regret that this vindi-
cation should seem to lag or halt to any
degree. With our triumph as party and
as government, no one will be imprisoned
in this State or. oppressed on account of
politics, past or present; but all shall pros
PER d4lhc uiutE IulC
shall mete out simple and plain justice and
equality before the law to all men. And
we all know that unless we are so vindi-
Gated and sustained by the national power
this will not be done; We shall not be pro-
tected in our rights as men, but shall con-
tinue to be oppressed by local prejudice, as
in days gone by-those sore and sad days
to our memory. The nationality of this
government is our only hope-a CEN
tralizaton in behalf of Individual and
universal freedom, in cOntradistinction
and to the crushing out Of that local and
localized sovereignty" which seeks to
live only in behalf of oppression and
slavery. This nationality, | say. is our only
hope-lt is the only hope of American citi
zenship throughout this broad land (; it is,
especially to US Republicans here in the
South, our only hope of a practical realiza-
ton of the supposed inherent right of man
to d" life, liberty and the pursuit of happi-
ness" 1t is the only thing which will save
men in the future from being sent to a dis
| franchising Imprisonment mainly, if not
solely. on account of race, color or previous
cOnditOn-for their political opinions and
love of cOuntry-a thing of which we here
complain, and against which outrage upon
civilization and human rights have Ut
tered these words.
ghe resolution was unanimously adopted
Meteorological and River Report.
The signal service. United States army,