New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-01-04
2.-Temper of the People at the Close OF
the War-steaiing Of Cotton and Rob-
hing of Citizens = An Editor to be
IIanged-NurGer and Assassination OF
Freedmen.

Freedmen.
At the close OF the war North Louisiana
was badly scared. but not much hurt. The
iron tread OF war had never, in local sense,
bljghted her soil. She was not in d condi-
tion to exercise or appreciate that pure, safe
and unselfsl friendship which always,
among honorable parties, follows sound
| thrashing in fair and honorable tight.
| She had not lead her manhood tested at the
| mouth of the cannon, the edge OF the
| sword or the point of the bayonet Her
| people, in the main, had only snutted the
battle breeze from afar, had only read of
carnage in the safe distance, which lends an
| enchantment eatser than terror.
| But North Louisiana was scared az the
| close OF the war, and her people were there
fore the more agreeably surprised when
| they learned that they were permitted to
| live on any terms; and they were indeed
very much rejoiced when they found that
! they were not to be hurt at all.
! Bat alas for human ingratitude This
| information is what at once commenced to
| demoralize many, and put bad instead OF
good and generous notions into their he ads.
Had the government which had conquered
| rebe lion only been little more exactlng
| in behalf Of it's friends and agains. It's enc
| mics, it would have freed the country OF
| many folly and many foolish notion
| would have saved many noble life, and
prove nted the shedding of muce innocent
and generous blood.
The people of North Louisiana, though
| they had not been in comparative sense
| with other sections at all hurt by the war.
| had nevertheless lost something in recu-
MARY sense-had lost their slaves-and with
their slaves, had also lot their pride and
self-respect They had taus been IN one
sense-though low sense to themselves
| humbled and consequently Inaddened; mad
dened to desperation in the absence OF
| danger.
These were the former Shareholders; but
there were others who felt aggrievad at the
! result of the war-who felt that their occu-
patton was gone. These were the slave
drivers; those who for stipulated price
had dashed The bleeding slave to his daily
and nightly task, and made the trembling
virgin, often as white az they and thou
sand times more pure, know her place in
the shambes. Men of this class were also
maddened, and, in the absence Of danger,
commenced to work evil in the land
But bv DO means were all the slave hold
ers aud slave drivers of this sort. Some OF
each were Of better type and of better
character. All such are known now, and
are admired and appreciated over the more
vicious; for the times have revealed the
good as well as made known more proml-
nently the evil l wish only to suggest, in
passing along, that men who, perchance
through necessity, have occupied evil and
demoralizing positions in society, should
not bear the fact in RENE Ii brance to glorify,
but rather to lament. 1t is simply foreign
to nv purpose now, and shall be on every
occasion. to remember with hatred those
who may have in the past owned slaves or
overseen slaves-this mere tact Of itself
shall lie TO cause or reason OF castigation
at my hands; but |. can not refrain from re-
cording the fact, at least incidentally, on
all proper occasions, that the barbaric
spirit engendered by the "civilization Of
slayery'-its debasing and brutalizing in
tluence upon the white element-has been
the main cause, the root and branch OF woes
innumera Ole in our land; of acts and scenes
that are sichening to contemplate; and this
has been no less the case in North Louisiana
since the war than in other like localities of
equal scope and range.
But there were those in the land OF North
Louisiana who were not maddened with the
result Of tie war at its close, bat were
gladdened, and that gladness was of a like
character with that which shall attend the
redeemed of the Lord when they return
unto Zion with everlasting joy upon their
heads-the Joy of gladness and the gladness
of joy-when sorrow and signing shall flee
away ard there shall be no more pain. To
these, political and social salvation had
come. From some, the honda &c of most un
and murderous public opinion"
had been shaken off and turned away, while
from the weary and bleeding limbs OF far
greater number the CALLING chains of slav-
cry had been stricken forever But, strange
as it may seem, no loud songs Of public
and defiance went up; no
menaces, no extraordinary shouts of ex-
ultant victory were heard; bat the modest
meekness Of closet devotion was INDUCED
to the God of Justice who brought the vic
tory, while the kinGest tokens Of civility
and personal respect, and even sympathy,
were exercised toward those who had failed
in the effort to perpetuate slavery in the
name OF liberty-whO played for slave
and had lost, and, in the ing lorous
and vet glorious failure. had cemented I'M
awares the American Union OF liberty for
ever
Such were the feelings and such the con-
duct Of the white loyalists and liberated
slaves of North Louisiana at the close of
the war, and therefore is it so much the |
more damnable that they should have |
Jared as they have since that tine.
But war demoralizes all things, ard mad |
dens the human soul and colrupts the |
human heart above measure-it is to be |
feared, in some cases, beyond redemption. |
The first palpable indication of this mad |
iened and corrupted condition among the |
people OF North Louisiana after the close of |
war exhibited itself in the stealing OF '.gov- |
eminent cotton" the robbing of citizens, |
and the murder and assassination of the |
liberated slave. Nor was this confined |
alone TO tie wandering and reckless Con |
rederate soldiers. Some of the leading |
Christian gentlemen of the country went |
openly into the cotton stealing business