New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-06-07
FALSE WITNESS.

In the struggle to reconstruct the South
upon basis of loyalty to the nation and
the true principles of self-government,
false witness has been the strongest
we apon used by the enemies Of free gov
er nment for its overthrow and singular
to say this weapon is occasionally -four
ish ed in quarters remote from the actual
field of contest by individuals protesting
to be of Republican or Democratic prin-
ciples, and consequently in favor of the
ma jcrity rule. The acts of Copperhead
De mocrats upon this subject excite no
pa rticular establishment at this time, the
great body Of American freemen having
long since learned to receive them cum,
grano sails, but this is not the case with
those intelligent Republicans who permit
tn emselves at this late day to be influenced
by those who bear false witness against
Republicans in the South for the purpose
Of breaking down Republican admins
trait on of federal government and under
m ming the principles of free gov
eminent. 1t is easy 10 understand the
ami linus Of the attacks of such papers
as the Brooklyn Eagle upon the
course of the President and Congress in
the reconstruction of the South; but it is
difficult to determine why such papers as
the New York Times and the Mutton should
allow themselves to be misled into an
error Of judgment as to the real condition
of t he South and who are the real authors
of the evils that have overtaken it from
the commencement of the Shareholders
re bellion down to the present time. 1t is
possible that those influential Republican
papers have placed too implicit conf
-denee in their Southern correspondents
statements about the South.
Now, we profess to know good deal
about Louisiana affairs, and from the fact
that we are living here, claim to be better
able to judge of the truthfulness of what
the Times correspondent says than the
editor can be; and We propose to show
VIII erein the correspondent has willfully
misstated facts for the purpose of preju-
dicing the Northern mind against our
present State government. In the Times
of June 2, long letter appears from that
papers Gown correspondent, dated in
New Orleans. We pass over great deal
of poor speculation, Of an er parte char
acter, that appears in this letter, to correct
a false statement in reference to our
courts. Upon this subject, the Times
Gown" says:
In the ante-bellum days, when cotton
was king, law was a luxury, and lawyers,
such as Slidell, Benjamin, Soule, Prentiss
Grymes. Roselius, and others like them,
held distinguished positions at the bar,
amassed prineely fortunes. Now their
bar by men formerly slaves and lawyers of
mediocre talent, WHO encourage litigation
that they may thrive upon the disputes
among q naturally passionate people unac- !
customed to legal restraint.
As the correspondent had been speak
ing of ''the litigous spirit of the colored
race in the inferior courts where appeals |
TO the Supreme Court could be taken
his evident intention in the above para
graph is to create the impression that the
benches of the courts spoken of are filed |
With negro judges surrounded by negro
awyers. Now for the sake Of truth we
will state that there is not negro judge
N the bspcb Of any Of the courts referred !