The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-11-25
The opportunity

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In the next year large share of ma
tioDal authority and many State govern
ments hitherto controlled by the Repub-
leans will revert to the Democrats. An
almost unlimited power to investigate,
the power to impeach, the exclusive
power to originate revenue bills, the
power to check new legislation, and to
withhold appropriations, will fall into
their hands with the organization of
the next Congress-. It is a vast, COM
prehensive trust. How will they use it?
They return after long exile. Few
of their leaders are used to tho respon-
sibilities or trained in the methods Of
administration. They have no head.
Look over their array from one end of
the land to the other, and you see an
| almost unbroken dead level of intellec-
tual stature. If here and there they
can point to man of remarkable abil-
tiles as lawyer, statesman, or contro-
versialist, he is in the ranks and not at
the front. Small politicians are in the
places where we should find the FORE
most men Of the nation. In New York
city it is John Kelly and John; Morissey.
In Pennsylvania, the State Of Buchanan
and Dallas. it is we may say, Bill WAL
lace. In Missouri, the State Of Benton,
it is Bogy. The Democracy, IN other
words, is ,leaderless host, of which
the parts associate under the forms of a
party because they cherish certain COM
anon traditions, and have latterly suf-
fered certain common misfort,,nes.
But we cannot Judge of their intentions
| by the utterances of any chieftain, OF
forecast their policy from the character
of any man or men. They will be a
| law unto themselves, and DO as seemeth
good in their own eyes. o. t....',,,...,
A large percentage Of the, rank and
file who refused to vote for, Greeley
have now come out under old BANNERS
that had been hid away, and small local
leaders that had sulked in the rear.
They point to the returns Of 1874, as
compared with the returns of 1872, as
the evidence Of their strength, and
have made up their minds to be heard.
Their relation to the restored Demo-
cratic party is not unlike tire relation Of
the old-time abolitionists to the Repub-
lican party in 1861 They will verv
shortly assume the rank of the heroes
and heralts Of the reformation, and if
they commit no excesses, nobody, will
bcgrudge them the honors they have
earned by their long and; steadfast, but
till this day utterly bootiess opposition.
But they must seek no revenges, The
people have not restored the Democrat
ic party to power to enable it to settle
old scores with its enemies, to right
old wrongs, or to inflict penalties for
the many wanton violations of constitu-
ton, law, and personal liberty by the
Republican party. The Democrats say
they are willing and able to reform the
Government and restore the strict con-
structi0n, the economy, and the officia.
purity and accountabilityjof early days;
and the majority of the American peo-
pie are ready to try them. But that
task is the most stupendous ever UNDER
taken by a party; and unless the Dem
ocratic party is most wisely and judi
ciously led, it will not accomplish it..
When the next House of Representa-
tives assemblies it will find the statute
book loaded with partisan Legislation
Intended to perpetuate the ascendancy
OF the Republican party. Among these
are the various Ku-Klux, enforcement
and election laws all devised TOR no
purpose but to keep Grant and the car
pet-baggers where they are. They are
for the most part clearly unconstitu-
tional, aud the administration of them
by the President and his, subordinates
has been brutally cruel and oppressive.
The whole South, with an almost I'm.
broken Democratic representation in
Congress, will remember the long and
terrible persecution inflicted . ilnder
I these infamous laws. Will they repeal
themr Or will they be, tempted 10 let
them remain until the. revolution IN
progress is completed in 1875, and then
use the enormous extra CONSTITUTIONAL
powers conferred by THEM to retaliate
III kihds It is question that will fair
| ly try their boosted iiagla,limityj and
their devotion to constitutional 'prin4
ciples. : - -
Wren the nearly peac frevolution
of 1888 carried William of Orange to
the throne of England, his first duty
and his chef difficulty was to restrai i
the animosities and defeAt the Z ven..
geance of his. Wing supporters as
against his Tory enemies.s The latter
had been arbitrary, ctuei and rapaGious,
and had used every MEANS constitu-
tional and unconstitutional, to harass
and crush the Wings. But no sooner
were positions reversed than the Wings
were eager to- appropriate the doubtful
measures of their adversarfes, and turn
then, against the inventors. TO, his
success in that wise endeavqr the Prince
of Orange owes his place In history,
and England the stability Of her consti-
tuition. IiWill3the DeinocfatsiIhitate his
prudence, Or are they incapable Of re-
sisting the powerful temptation to pre-
serve and use for their purposes the OBJ
noxious statutes framed imam evil hour
by their besotted opponents? 1t is un-
deniable that if they should gain entire
possession Of the Government in 1875,
with these in full force, and if they
chose to administer them in partisan
spirit as their predecessors have done,
they would control with perfect ease
not only the white but the: negro vote
of the South, just as Grants soldiers,
marshals, district attorneys, election
officers and the carpet-bagggcrs have
done it heretofore. !SY61Ef 10
The same may be said with regard to
great mass ct the legislation since the
war. Much, if not most of it, was in-
tended to increase executive patronage
| and extend executive power'and intlii-
ence; andit has served its purpose so
well that last week Che mere suggestion
of the coming Empire was sufficient to
Ealaru, the tiatlob because it WAS only
too apparent that the Presidents office
had recently been magnitied out of all
proportion to the means of popular re-
sistance. - r., ~
The Democrats then must begin by
showing their sincerity, and surrender
ing these dangerous accuniulattens of
power. They, should, not. be content