The weekly Louisianian., 1874-08-15

-. f~toNl eA1o We 1AOuAN Ky
be deceived either by our enemliie
or by our: friends: and least II a
by ourselves: s g1s@ -.
The 10 present political campaign
unlike. an ordinary contest betwee,
parties looking to the dominancy Q
one political organization over Oh
other, and the possession by tn
adherrents Of one party of the office
OF State, to the exclusion Of th,
other, supplemental or rather pre-
cedcs this issue; by one more fun
aiinentaI in its character, and tx
nineteen-twentieths Of the Repub.
lican party Of Louisiana f far more
vital importance. The problem O
self-government to our people,-tht
question in its double phase o.
both our capacity for, and right tc
citizenshin,---is involved. For cen
turtles considered and used as chat
tells, and kept in ignorance OF both
our rights and our duties, that our
slavery might be more easily and
efectually perpetuated, we have
only a few years been free. From
the political and military neces-
sites Of the nation, personal free
dom was perforce, without proba-
ton and without preparation, i'm
mediately followed by our political
enfranchisement.
A nation of children i'll politi-
cal knowledge and experience, and
some years since nonentit;es we were
made suddenly citizens, and in our
political homage, thrown upon tho
world, charged not only to make
and husband III daily bread, but
to make and administer, in large
degree, the laws Of a great country.
Seemingly. the. work was out Of
proportion to the appliances given
to perform it-as in~the old years
Of bondage in Egypt but:in o better
sense-unsnpplied with straw, "thc
tale Of brick" must be made and
forthcoming, and the very blessings
Of liberty, with the new cares and
burdens that freedom brought, did
almost crush and kill; and tho ma
ion born in q day, with its new cit
zens like 50 many new-mac, kings,
'ouH hardly from its very youth
tand up under tho weight Of its
oval crowns, much less had
wisely to WELD the sceptre
The result-without attempting to
gnore the evils that have sprung
rom our ignorance of political life
s seen in. even the legislation Of
be South, HIS been as favorable as
hat furnished by any other race Of
quail numbers and acting under
great disadvantages and
5ilities; and abundantly attest
ae wisdom of our Acknowledgement.
The distempered condition of the
:me s,-supplemented by the pow
bitterness and distress Of a
reat civil confict-has rendered
establishment of q wise To-
IL government in the South diff =
lit. Under the new men thrown into I
by the revolution-many of
lem strangers to the tastes and in {
ilferent to the interests of our paeo- I
e; some ignorant, and some cor t
Legislation of the State
IS been neither adequate, we'll adj :
sed, nor satisfactory in many +
SEES. The colored voters, trust I
], inexperienced in political affairs, =,
'nied the sympathy and counsel a
the native white men, have, in t
lf~defense. been compelled to t
all themselves of the best leader +
ip-white and colored-that they 9
uld obtain; their choice, unfor- q
for themselves and the y
sometimes falling upon 8
.scrspalous, dishonest white Il
.ders and sometimes upon in P
NJ petent men of their own class. 0
ZEN again, the cons Of toll who g
.ko their bfead hz the sweat Of "
cir brow, neither expecting nor q
Office, they base forgone Ii
9 exercise. too frequently. of their O
litical RIGHTS. and have permitted Il