The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-06-16
Champions of Popular Gov
eminent.
Professions VS.. Practice.
History Of Reconstruction in
New Orleans.
Programme Of the Plundcrers.

leaders of the so-called Republican party
of Louisiana profess to be the special
champions aud devoted advocates of popular
government-that is, a government of the
people, and for the people, deriving its Just
powers from the will and consent of the
governed. And yet, in the very face of these
prefuse professions, these leaders have sedu-
leusly labored, from the very inception Of
said party in this State, to deprive ma
Jority of the people of New Orleans of the
right Of self-gOvernment, of the right to
regulate their municipal offices in their own
way, and to choose those to be entrusted
with their management.
That a majority of the legal voters Of this
city are uncompromisingly opposed to the
party claiming to be Republican, is a fact so
well known, that the adventures who have
sought to foster themselves, vampire like,
upon the body polite, with all their unblush-
ing impotence and utter disregard Of
veracity, have not essayed to deny. These
facts and circumstances convict said leaders
Of either being false to their professions, c.
holding to the q higher law" doctrine, that
none but professed Republicans have rights
which the " truly loyal" are bound to re
spect, either IS sworn officials o. private
citizens.
Act First.
Of the carpet-bag programme for robb ing
the majority of the people of New Orleans
of the right Of self government, was wit
messed at the election held in April,
1868, at which time the people of the
State Of Louisiana were called upon
to vote, not only for or against the adop
ton Of the black-amd- tan Constitution,
formed by O convention composed mainly Of
nnpriacipled adventurers and ignerant ne
groes, but also to elect State, pares'lial and
municipal officers. At that tine a very
white population were disfranchissd by act
of Congress, and many had been deprived
of the privilege Of registering as voters, by
the unwarranted interpretations and arbi-
trary rulings of the sailtary esiiee- in COM
mana .of this department, and those to
the se-cslled reconstruction Law Of Con
gress. These were advantages lSrgely in
faver of the advertisers who were laboring
to obtain political ,eentrol, not Only of the
State, bsst this city, to which they added
those TO be derived fran a three days elee-
ton. Not content with these ad rantages,
they >resorted ), crinaiCal, as well ss fraudu-
lent means, in their efforts to Eeist them
selves GPOn the people Of this city as their
rulers wellsknowing that they wegelntolera-
bly, sbsOxiens to "a large majority of the
legal votoRs. They not only ird1,ed the
negroes to procure falses,egistration papers.
but eelOnized them frou the adjacent par
ishes by hundreds, If met thOusantss /; and
to enable theRs to repeat" here in the
city, these peer, ignorant dupes u.s.e pro-
vided with afiGsvits settisg forth :lsat they
had registered IN the Parishes where they
lived, hut had ,lsst or misiaid theis, osrtifi-
Gates, and had not voted In presenting
these af6davits and demanding the right to
vote thereon, they committed the csisse of
perjury, for upon Many Of them were saand
their registration certificates which bore
evidence that they had praziousy vassd.
And the sdventurers sent these colonizel |
negroes from ward to ward, to insist upen
their right to vote. Had ,Gs1. SheridG1
been in command of this department Is.
that time, There is little question but tina;
this fraudulent attempt to defeat the wiz \.
of the majority would kfave bees success H
full 7
Axs Sscosd .
was enacted by the venal, corrupt Asd igno-
rant Legislature elected aGlder the black
and tan Constitution. at its first SESSION, BY
the passage Of hill taking from tie city
authorities all control over the police force,
and giving it to board OF commissioners
to be appointed by the tsovernsr. AS ahat-
ter of course, this beard was composed OF
his Excellency's creatures - uopr1nclpiad,
and impecunious parasites
ickspttles at the footstooi of p.yer. This
was to leave tile people without local pro
lection against the desi gns and n aehinafions
If thOse who had been fOisted into power oy
and iishonoFable means, and at
he same time secure an army of spies and i,
nformers. 1t was some time. however. be- ,
ore men eoald be found sufficiently merce- ,
lary to consent to become the plant tools !
f horde of unscrn puloYs adyentnrers for !
he privilege OF serving on the police force. +
SUIT such men were eventually secured, aud !,
q consequence, the police force has been
inverted into a PratOrian guard, that ;,
,nows no law, no right, no duty. but that
f obedience to the will of wanton usurper. +
Act Third Z
vas the removal. by the adgenturer who t
coupled the gnbernatorial chair, of a num- a
er OF the members of the City Council, 4
pom the pretext that they had not been :
Iected strictly in accordance with the let b
Or Of the law. owing to the neglect or dere-
ction of duty on the part of the official or t
tficials whose duty It was to order and
rovide for the holding Of the election. 5
nd even at that early day in the history, OF a
,rced reconstruction, there were found 81
affcient number of old resident white men 6
!, lost to self-rsspect, and so regardless OF
ne good opinion OF their fellow citizens, AZ ,
, accept the positions thus N tde vacant: n