New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-01-21
REFORM NOT DEsPOTISN.

REFORM MOI DESPOTISM.
Il aflicts US to observe the melancholy
condition which the Ptcdyme has worked
itsel! into abou. the constitution and the
laws. Our happy disposition enables US
70 become reconciled 20 events that we
canno: control: and when the grea: body
Of the American people arise in their ma
iesty. and declare change IN their ideas
andpractices. we gently subside into con.
formi5y 10 the alteration, and go with the
crowd tha. has the right to rule the roast
The men who constructed this government
in the las. century did no: expect it 70 re.
main Unchanged unit! the ange! Gabrie!
wiped j: out. but they were
sensible enough 70 provide a method by
which such revolutions could be easily
effected as the increasing genius of
the population Nigh: demand. Our ap.
probation of this capability on the part
Of the American Union to undergo modifi-
cations and reforms gives US a great ad
vantage over the Picqy1ne in this. that
when the people declare o change in the
constitution or the laws, instead of calling
the reform a despotism and piece Of
vandalism, as the P'cay7tns does. we &C.
cep. i: and hail il as q new evidence OF
the popular ability 20 DIRECT the concerns
o: the country.
We started of aboT: a hundred gears ago
with sundry devices and designs tina! were
a subject Of srea. botheration 20 their in.
ven.ors, because Nessrs. jefferson. Farni!-
| ton. Adams . a., did nos know exactly
how they would work. The progress o:
years and the suggestions % reason have
| enabled US 20 model these devices and de-
signs into useful pats o! a great govern.
ment. which has surprised the mighty
statesman Of Europe mos: wonderfully,
since they constantly declared we could
nc. do i. We have surprised ourselves
in . measure, and that most agreeably. at
certain Scea: crises n the history o. the
nation, when. by % little compromising.
| the difficulty that threatened 90 wreck
the State has been carefully left TO the
| !eeward. The change. IN our system that
were effected during the eras of peace
were infinitely small! compared to those
| which were eonsUmmated by five years of
terrible waf. and yet it is jus: as neces-
saTy 70 aimi. the latter as It was 10 sub.
. init 70 the former. The signs Of despot-
ism are not a whit more pronounced than
they were when Ambruster was hung and
Judge Hall was imprisoned. The .acti-
.ioUs events tina: occur in the history Of
! the nation. iu: which DO no: constitute
any par: Of tie organism o. society. must
be accepted as accidents against which no
system can be perfectly guarded. They
| are no: dangerous. because they axe not
continuous.
The melancholy Of the '''say,tos arises
from the fac: that it can no: accept the
las. and creates: reform. in the govern
nen:. as we do. Instead of submitting
TO the viii Of the country in favor Of
change. as the REPUBLICAN does. it gropes
in darkness and ggieves in al! sorts Of pub
lie places that what was once q union Of
loving souls is now q dreary despotism.
The capacity to comprehend a great
change is wanting. or else the disposition
to commit serious wrong against the
truth is apparent in this difference that
exists between those who assail and those
who defend the American Union Of to.
day. We have not degenerated into des-
potism. but nave simply submitted to the
changes that the fathers Of the republic pro-
vided a way for US TO make. We are willing
to admit that additional reforms will fol-
low those that have been made. an9we
propose in the future. as in the past. tina:
when people, who are the authorized re-
formers Of this country. originate and
carry to q succe ssful conclusion any idea
which they consider Tor their best inter-
ests. We shall! accep; Of j: as the law. and
abide by it as something better than a
despotism.