New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-01-26
THE PRINTING BILL.

1ASAC ID u very pO1IhA1t 10SSA
volved in the controversy that the Times
has opened with Senator Blackburn con-
corning the law regulating the destination
of such legal printing as the officers OF
the State are required to have done. 1t is
this. whether the majority is justified il
| defending itself against a powerful combl-
nation by laws that are exceptional or not:
Owing to reasons that it is unnecessary to
state. because the public understand
them. the majority of the people are
menaced by a powerful array OF intelli-
gent, moneyed men, who are interested IN
maintaining by the force Of their wit and
their wealth that predominance which
| they have been allowed 70 hold by virtue
Of laws that have lately been repealed.
This aggressive minority is powerful. be.
cause it nonopolizes the joint wealth
that all classes have produced. and be.
cause it has enjoyed the benefits OF some
education which It refused to allow the
! others to acquire. The negro has been
| deprived Of the bulk Of his earnings and
he has been forced to remain in ignorance.
which puts him at disadvantage in the
conflict which he is waging to establish
his rights against those who have held
| him in subsection for years. and still de.
sire 10 enjoy his labor a: merely nominal
rates of remuneration. Has this majority.
thus circumstanced and imperiied. the
right TO resort to exceptional measures for
its own protection? Is it not justified in
taking such action as would not be al
lowable between parties contending upon
an admitted footing o: equality? Being
incapable of furnishing the money to
print its defense, is it to blame if it taxes
those who have pocfeted its wages and
dwarfed its intelligence, for the purpose
Of having it's rights explained and up
held? The class that seeks to dominate
has established % regulation in its
own interest thar what. is said
to protect the majority shall not be heard
or read in the usual way. It has in
fuenced law, or, what is tantamount to
law a rule, that one question shall not
be discussed in the State, and this rule
that seals up the Intelligence of their
friends is the great enemy Of the com
munity. The effect Of this rule is to PRO-
, tect ignorance and prejudice by suppress
sing all agencies that seek to dissipate
theme It SURPRISES an independent
newspaper by making its circulation an
offense in those who take and agree with
i. It DEGREES the death Of all newspapers
tia: consent 10 represen: the interests OF
the majority, which is equal 70 saying tina:
| tie rights of the masses shall no: be re-
! srected if al enforced silence, devised by
: tie few. can be used 20 exterminate them.
Under these conditions. is the majority
in this State TO be blamed if il defends
itself by law tina! increases no mans
burden, bu: merely directs how the bur-
| dens that lie confesses TO be necessary
| shall be borne: This is the question in
yoiveI in Senator BIachbu!u's bill, that it
! proposes 10 create defenders for the people
! against the combination which capital and
cunning have constructed against them.
! The minority is desgo: :ha: has &C.
CURED an undue influence by virtue OF
having seized upon and appropriated the
public money and the knowledge which it
should have ditt:sed among the people.
and now the majority must defend itself as
hes: j: can. and one Of its defenses is the in.
stitutioD q means by which the public can
be informed o: its wrongs and the remedies
j: proposes. No such question as this
could come up in community where the
people were free from the preiudices that
divide tie people OF Louisiana. and there.
fore the attempt to discuss it upon general
principles mus. prove failure. We have
our own trouble. and we mus: cure It in
our own way. Senator Blackburn offers a
remedy that has proved beneficial in the
past, and which may be made efiicacious
in the future j, properly directed. It is
the contes; Of the majority COX justice
through law OF the Legislature. in op.
position TO fight for wrong by the minor
ity through a despotIc combination of
money and cunning. If the sensible white
folks will only think twice before they
take stock in the Times trouble. they will
find their profit in the end.