New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-05-23
REPUB.
CONTINUED DEFAMATION OF REPUB-
LICAN GOVERNMENT

i The emissaries of mOnarchlcal anC
hierarchical government must hear with
intense delight the continual declarations
of the Louisiana press that the republican
form of government is failure, and that
the paternal government Of kings or the
patriarchal protection Of hierarchi fal
better than government Of brute num-
bers.
We can very often see the influence on
the press of an interest which it does not
dare to avow, but if we were disposed to
expose ourselves to an action OF libel we
might say that we can conceive but one
motive a press can have to defame its own
country-a small share of the secret SER
vice money Of the kings VINO wish to de-
fame and overthrow the republic. We
expressly disclaim imputing any such mo-
tive to our contemporaries, because we
have no proof to offer that it is SO. One
thing is very plain, however, that there
can be no hope Of inducing our own
people to overthrow their own government
for the purpose of depriving themselves
| Of the right of suffrage or the exercise OF
power 1t was some years since proposed
to the negro that it was better for him to
vote for a representative pledged to de-
prive the confding constituent from any
right ever to vote again, but the argument
did not convince those to whom it was adj
dressed.
We will adduce few specimens of
these assaults upon republican, popular
and representative government.
The Picaarene speaks of 'the decline
and chaos into which this confederacy
has fallen" 1t also remarks:
And this 1.-THE alleged delivery Of certain
States to Authorization and cOrruptiG) is
to 20 before the civilized world. and into
history, as the demonstration OF the benign
ity and excellence of the great republic,
and of the best government the world ever
saw!
This is "sarcastikle." 1t has also said
that ''the equality of all men is a dictum,
the falsity of which every politician from
Jefferson down has confessed" and "that
the principle Of mere numerical strength
has been but tolerated in this govern
ment, and has been expressly repudiated
in the organization OF the Senate"
We have still another specimen Of hos
tility to the republican form Of govern
ment here:
The sad experience of these Southern
States, since the reconstruction laws were
put in operation, ought to convey lesson
that should satisfy all honest and intel
ligent minds of the peril and impracticabi-
lily Of all permanent republican institu-
tiOns which rest upon the bare force OF
numbers, and concede to all men, without
regard to education. character, intelligence
or condition, a like share in the making Of
laws and in the direction Of the govern
ment.
These extracts are founded apparently
on an unreasonirg discomfort. So far
from this confederacy 'having fallen into
decline and chaos, it was never so pros
porous and never more united. Neither
Mr.. Jefferson nor any other Democrat
ever admitted the inequality Of men as
political integers.
1. The Democratic States Of the West
and South extended the right Of suffrage
without property qualifications to all who
bore arms.
2. The representation of States in the
Senate was not founded on any doubt Of
equal human capacity for self-govern-
ment. This was shown by the fact that
representation in the House of Represent
atives was based on the positive numbers
of people, without regard to property or
intelligence. The ratio of representation
was the ratio of numbers. The Senate in
the Southern and Western States is never
based upon property, orpolitical divisions.
The number of senators bears a fixed
and regular relation to the number of
Representatives in the lower house. Each
is based on different multiple Of the
same numerical constituency. And in
that constituency men, women and
children are equal political integers.
OF course the plan Of a foreigner is even
better than that enacted by the founders
of the American republic. ''The Duke
de Broglie's plan is based or even better
ideas than our Senate" Being q duke !
renders this obvious. But what is this |
'better idea?" If it is intended ''to rep
resent all the interests of the country and |
the various classes Of the people, Ameri-
can republicans have chosen numbers as
the basis Of relative power. Should it be
decided that representation in the Ameri-
can Senate should be based on the com
parative interests of capital and industry,
we apprehend there would be no objec-
ton on the part Of Boston and New York.
If on comparative intelligence, New Eng
land could, perhaps, register as many
knowing how to read and write
as any other portion. As for tie
various "classes Of the people," we
should have them to create, since there
is and has been none since our revolu-
ton. The constitution expressly forbids
titles of nobility, and certainly it would
require a foreign army to roll back the
wave of republican equality and reinstate
the aristocratic laws Of primogeniture in
this country.
Now, what does our democratic O. con-
temporary mean? Does it wish to i'm
pose property limitation on the right of
suffrage in the United States? Is it pre-
pared to advocate change in the consti-
tuition of Louisiana, to base representa-
ton or capacity to hold Office upon any
other qualifications than those which ex-