New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-07-10
How to Redeem Louisiana. .


ing into the Republican camp another good,
honest old Louisiana editor and Fusion
State Senator. We welcome him with the
sincerest congratulations. He is one OF
those men who We believe has the interest
and happiness of the whole people OF LouI-
siana at heart. He has hung on the out
skiris of political success too long, aud now,
while able men are crossing half way over
tine stream, and raising the banner of unfit
cation between the two banks, he strikes
boldly across to our side. He recognizes
the Republican party as fixed and resO-
Lutte institution. He acknowledges the feal-
ty thereto of the colored voters, and sees no
logic or propriety in their abandoning its
support, and no present possibility OF
such an event. He states plainly that
there have been men in the party who are
corrupt, and who have spread confusion in
their wake But he recognizes a change
fer the better, as these men are being
sloughed off and cast adrift. Ouly inside
the Republican party may relief be looked
for from official corruption, and it Is the
mission of the colored men, more particu-
Iarlv. to inaugurate the reform, and then
call upon all good citizens who have been
conservative in their tone heretofore, to
io;n with them in the fght-but that fight
to be made fairly and sauarely on the Re-
publican platform.
Such in substance is what Hon. c. j. c.
Puckett says in the last number of the
Natchitoches Times, as he stretches out his
hand and asks if he will be received:
We are not political prophet nor the con
of prophet; but there are some things in
| the future so plainly developed by the
! lights of the present that we are inclined
! to accept them as already accomplished
| and inc0ntrovertible facts. '
Our first assumption is that the Cnifca-
| ton party, recently organized in New Or
| leans. is a failure. Such a mOnstrosity,
'.sent into this breathing world scarce halt
| made up, and that SO lamely and unfash-
| ionably," can survive but short tlme 1t
| ia repudiated by the blacks because it
offers more than they demand, and by the
| whites because it comedies more than they
are willing to yield. 1t can accomplish no
! good to the State-for it lacks, among other
| qualifications, the element of success
| having not even the savOry smell OF the
! loaves and fishes.
| Next. we assume.t that neither the Demo
cratic party nor any OF it's Otfshoots will do
| TO rely on as q means of placing the 20
| lit.cal control of the State in the hands Of
| it, better class of citizens. We are tco
| weak in numbers and too much divided in
| our political opinions to accomplish any
| thing in future campaigns. We speak of
! success only, giving credit to the mass OF
| those who belong to the Democratic, Lib
| eraI and Reform parties for a sincere desire
l ino1
| ernment. But there can be no redemption
without success; and those good intentions,
| which we place to the credit of the three
| parties above named, might as well Oe sold
| out Wholesale to the boss contractor for
completing the paving Of a certain locality
as to fight in the ranks of a minority.
Third-Guided by the platforms of all
parties since 1870, we assume that the great
mass of the white people, heretofore ar
the cardinal principles of that party, and
are willing to enter its ranks if only a
| question of political princip Piles are involved.
| This is certainly true of the whole Of the
Reform party and all of those Liberals who
were sincerely such in the late campaign.
What, then, has been the great barrier
to their entering the Republican party!
Not its political tenets, as we have seen,
| Not party prejudice, for their new political
alliance is too fresh to bind them to it by
such tie. They are simply opposed to
corrupticn, and have kept alDof from the
Republican party because it had become SO
thoroughly corrupt that it was just
reproach to join its ranks. Thievery and
official dishonesty were the rule, and in
tegrity the exception and it was palpable
absurdity fO- any single individual to
identify himself with such party with
the hope of controlling or in any manner
directing it towards conservatism. 1t was
the persOniicatlOn of rascality-rampant,
triumphant and lnvincible.
| Recently, however there is a somewhat
better tendency developed. but not yet
very clearly defined. Corruption may SIM
ply be dormant, to spring into activity as
soor as the present pressure Is removed;
This suspicion is honestly entertained, and
only decisive effort by the better men OF
the Republican party to place it on higher
grounds, and to purge it of its corruptions,
can attract the support OF sufficient
strength from the conservative side to
guarantee its purity in the future.
How and by whom can this result be ac'
complished How can the better citizens
of the State be united in a single party for
the overthrow of official corruption and the
redemption of the State =! First, it must
be done inside the Republican party. That
party has given the cOlOred people their
liberties and secured to them all the rights
which they now enjoy. The instinct OF
safety, as we'll as Of gratitude, keeps them
within its shelter No other party, accord
ing even greater privileges, can seduee
them from that allegiance or overcome
their prejudices in favor OF the party which
has done so much for them. 1t is folly to
think of such a thing. But it does not nee
essarily follow that the leading cOlored
men of the State are unwilling to purify
their party. or to invite better
class OF citizens to join with them foI
the redemption OF Louisiana. They
know as well as we do that they have as
sociated themselves with many bad and
designing men, who are not identified will
their own interests nor those of the people
| at largo. This association was made for 9
specific object, which has now been accom-
plished-namely, the permanent recognition
Of the common rights OF human liberty tt
their race. They are. We believe, willing
to cut loose from this bad element, if they
can attract better class Of men. who, sin
cerely and in good faith, recognizing thos'
rights, will work for the material redemp
ton of the State But they will naturall.
insist that this shall be done inside of thu
Republican party, leaving them within it
protection, under State and federal au
thorty.
We say, therefore. that these coloret
men-the leaders of their party-have
within their power to redeem the Stat
from its present perilous condition. LIE
them avoid new parties and new combina
tiOns, which can affect no good to them
selves or any one else; and, standing within
their own party. make public declaration
of their intention to put the State ON q
prosperous basis, naming specifically, as ia
as possible, the reforms which they propos'
| to accomplish, and what rights the.
demand. They hold the key t
the position in their own party; am
everything Is at its mercy. as the matte