The Opelousas courier., 1873-06-28
What Louisiana Needs.

just now Louisiana needs legitimate gov
efnment, fairly elected by the people. She
needs, furthermore, such government in the
hands OF honest, wise, and capable men. She
needs at the head of her affairs, men who can
not be bought and sold men who will not bar
ter OFT the best interests of the people for lu-
cratiVe offices or for gold; men of sufficient
public spirit, of sufficient elevation of charac-
ter, to induce them to consider their own
purely private advantage and advancement
as seeondary-as far as their official conduct
! is coneerned-to the interest and advantage
of the public.
! But this is not all that our State needs. She
needs cessation of agitation on the subject
OF dead issues iii our politics. We mean by
dead issues, such as have passed from the do
main OF politics to that of law, constitutional
and statutory; for instance, such as the civil
and political rights of colored citizens. In re-
gard to these, policy has eliminated in amend
ments of the Constitution of the United States
and of the different States of the, Union, and
in the enactment, by Congress and by the
Legislatures Of the States, of laws recognizing
of the black man. Who proposes to abolish
or repeal these lawsq No political party that
we know of. Why then continue to agitate
these Vexed questions or dead issues, when
nothing but mischief can come of its
Let these dead issues then be buried and
forgotten. AS to questions of a social bear
ing, the man or the party that would drag
thnro tO fha of l.
enemy to wise and just government, to peace
and good order in the State, as they who
would unite Church and State, and drag into
the political issues of the day questions of
religion.
We know of no better and more efficient
mode of getting rid of the evils that afflict us
in this respect. than that of banishing from
the domain of our politics those who persist
in keeping alive these dead issues and seek
to ~perpetuate agitation in regard thereto.
The first character to be dealt with, in carry
ing out this plan of redemption, is the needy
and the ambitious political adventurer of
whatever color he may be, of the genus '.car-
pet-bagger," who has come among us for sell
fish purposes of political agitation Next in
oANSA sbkiSo VIC SoditEHaSs WHO IOti0WS III
his wake.
Let these characters go s'where the wood
bine twineth," or let them reform their ways
and take mp some honest industry or occupa-
tion that viii result in some benefit to the
community in which they propose to live, and
cease, by their cunning, dishonest acts, to
affiict and injure the State.
We are far from wishing to throw any i'm
pedilnent in the way of strangers from other
States, whether North or South, or from other
countries, desiring to locate in our State, for
the purpose, by an honest investment of their
capital, or by their honest industry and labor,
of benefting themselves. We are as far from
wishing to interfere with or prevent the exer-
else, by every one of this class that comes
among us, Of his political rights and fran
chises. On the contrary, we hail with sincere
pleasure the arrival Of all such among us.
Louisiana needs such men, such eitizens-in-
telligent, honest, industrious men, mechanics,
day laborers, farm laberers, agricultnrists and
manufacturers-they are all welcome, thrice
welcome. Those who are really interested In
this country and desire to see it prosper, need
Aos ASfsA eAO SohnknSs "a suci peOplG DIS these.
They are b loss to their own country and a
gain to ours. -
But save us from the political adventurer,
the political carpet -bagger,n the canting, hy-
pocriticai demagogue, with his hollow preten-
sions of love for and devotion to popular
rights, under cover of which he performs his
legerdemain tricks-saye us from such "eat-
tle," and from his prototype, the "scalawag,
They are a curse to any country and to any
people. Fonf years of devastating war have
not done as much as has the rule of this class
OF men to waste and impoverish the South.
1t is not only the material interests of our
country that have suffered at the hands of
these creatures, but the merals of our people
have been touched by them. They are moral
lepers and have tainted the public morals with
blight that spreads with every day that they
are suffered to maintain their wicked and cor
rupt rule.
Is there no basis of common honesty, of
common interest, upon which the honest
classes of this State can unite, to put an end
forever to the iI-gotten power of such crea-
tnresa We hope there is. We hope that the
day Is not distant when the Iaw-abiding, order.
loving, conservative citizens, irrespective of
race or condition, viii unite on such basis
TO do the good work of our States redelnp-
tion.