Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-03-13
THE RUTLAND HERALD
SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 1873,
The Causes.

Of all decent, law-loving, la"-dpiulhS
citizens. She has occupied more OF the
attention of the country, has brought
more reproach and disgrace on free in
situations and has presented, by her
course, more difficult political and con-
stitutional problems to solve, than all OF
the other States combined. Why is this
soP Is it because her population is so
different In character, habits, condition
and, even, ancestry, from the other
States, or IS 1t solely because she was re-
stored TO her federal relations too soon
after the close of the rebellion? Ihese
are difficult questions to answer. As
difficult as her political problem is of
speedy, proper, safe or constitutional
and legal solution. 1t may and perhaps
does arise from both causes. 1t IS true
that her population is made up OF all
classes, conditions and nationalities, to
greater extent, even, than New York
city. 1t is difficult, if not impossible, to
form out of such a heterogeneous mass
compact, perfect, complete whole. The
social disorders of New Orleans were no.
torions, even before the rebellion. The
inhabitants take to assassinations, riots
and general bloodshed as naturally as
the young duck goes to the water. All
along down in her history, the courts
were never resorted to for redress of per-
sonal and private grievances. With
those possessing the least Tark of manly
courage every alleged personal wrong
and, sometimes, difficulties growing out
of business transactions, were settled by
the ''code of honor" with the pistol or
bowie knife. But with the other class,
embracing by far the larger proportion
of her population, eowardly, secret,
cold-blooded assassinatiOns was found to
be the most convenient and safest meth
od of avenging supposed wrong and
Fighting a fancied imputation upon a
suppositous honor. The effect of this
mean, cringing, cowardly disposition
was apparent, Immediately upon the
breaking out of the rebellion and, more
especially, after the reoccupation of
United States. Men, and in large num-
bers too, did not hesitate to throw off
allegiance which they then admitted was
dqe TO the United States, give in their
adherence to the so-called Confederate
government, and enlist in home
guards to defend Louisiana and New
Orleans against the federal government.
No sooner, however, did the forces of
the United States approach within strik-
ing distance Of New Orleans than, too
cowardly to strike a blow in behalf of
the cause in which they had enlisted,
they hastily desert their colors, abandon
their military organization and, claiming
to be citizens of foreign countries, de-
mand the protection Of the consuls of
the several governments, of the nation
slities of which they were degenerate
offsprings. Such a people are, always
have been, and will continue to be treach-
erous, corrupt and corruptible. Conse-
quently, as soon as it became evident
that the days of the confederacy were
numbered, they made haste to make
their peace with the United States, re-
new their allegiance to the government
and take the oath to render due support
to its constitution and laws. While all
this was true Of the foreign popula-
ton, it was equally so, with honorable
exceptions, of the native population.
They had either inherited the vices and
dispositions of their ancestors or had
contracted the same traits as the natural
effect of association. In the course of
reconstruction, another element floated
in The ''carpet-bagger, in its true
meaning and worst type, gathered in
from the purlieus of the prison houses,
dens and groggeries of the north, and
ranged themselves on either side, as they
deemed the probabilities of ultimate sue
cess the more attainabe. With such
population, what could be expected
Among the first States of the South to
be reconstructed, "a we have been
pleased, on both sides, to call it, to be
restored to her practical relations to the
Union, with State officers and Legisla-
ture chosen without interference, and
represented by Senators and Representa-
tives In Congress, her whole history,
from that day to this, has been but the
record of fraud, intimidation, violence,
assassination and bloodshed. Both par
ties, Republicans as well as Democrats,
have been implicated in endeavoring to
carry the elections by fraud We have |
no excuses to offer for Republicans, en-
gagged In such business. We condemn |
them equally with their opponents. 1t
Is no answer, or excuse even, that there
was an organized and gigantic conspir-
acy to carry the elections by fraud 1t
was their duty to submit and appeal to
the courts for redress. But this is not
the whole difficulty. 1t is but a small |
item going to make up the account. The
old rebel spirit Is not yet dead. The
cowardly, Indifferent and vindictive spirit |
which led the people Of Louisiana to be
among the first to allay themselves With |
the rebels and, afterwards, to be the very |
first to abandon them, is still rampant. |
This needs no argument. 1t is fact |
patent to every candid observer, and is
clearly seen in the events which have
TRANSFERRED We need but refer to the |
murder of DR.. Dostie, the cowardly at
tack on the convention of 1868, during
the excitement of which hundreds were
cowardly assassinated and others cruelty
mutilated for the atrocious crime of 10y
atty; and to scenes of 1868, when, for
the same cause, over thousand were
killed outright and hundreds of others
MANNED for life. The attack made bv
McEnery's militia, Wednesday night,
was made by the same cowardly, treach-
erous element, and In the same cowardly
treacherous manner. That the same
element was involved in all these trans
actions Is known, and, aside from this, it
might be justly inferred from tie SINH
larity of the tactics employed on each