New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-23

| emancipation. Inc negroes were Alteo
from serfdom to suffrage, just as thou
sands of alien subjects of foreign kings
have been, and they have, as class,
been laborious, respectful and useful
citizens But the spirited young men
! who owned no slaves could not
have foreseen this, especially when they
were assured the contrary, and with the
impulsive nature to their youth and race,
| they went to the front and remained
there, as wounds, sickness, imprisonment
and death would permit. The shattered
remnants drifted out Of the war from
| VicksburS, Raleigh, Alexandria, Apo
| mattox. The same demonstrations of
admiration could not have been expected
from the non-combatants who had re-
| manned ''to take care of the women and
| children" upon the return of these brave
and much enduring men, as when they
had departed with full canteens and new
| uniforms. The non-combatants were busy
| in assuring the federal officers in command
''that the war was over, and the States OF
| the South must resume their allegiance to
| the constitution and submit to the
arms" Of the federal government So the
non-combatants applied for pardons by
the thousands, and were ultimately REIN
stated in full citizenship by an almost
universal amnesty. They then began to
| aspire once more to political empire. A
secret treaty had been made with the
State Rights Democracy of the North,
under which a combined attack was to be
made upon the Republican party, and the
Democracy of the South was to be rein
stated in the possession of all custom
houses postoficss and federal contracts
which might fall on the sunny side of
Mason and Dixon's line. y
This cunning arrangement having been
made the sole Democratic massas" began
once more to crack their whip over those
whom they had come to believe were to
replace the bondsmen they had lost
They had themselves submitted to the
federal government, taken the oath of al
legiance, reclaimed their captured and
blockade-run cotton and accepted amnesty.
They had subscribed the amended con-
stitution and the laws enacted Hereunder.
All this to save their estates and reinstate
themselves in the right to hold Office.
The first fruit Of this cunning compact
was failure. Mcclellan and Seymour,
Union war Democrats, were both
beaten. Then the sole massas Of
Democracy" rugged another purchase to
lift themselves into Office. Will posterity
believe it? They took up Republican.
They took up an abolitionist. They took
up a protectionist and they took up one
who had urged the ION to Richmond" that
laid that Spartan metropolis in ashes!
At. the same time that section of the old
massas of Democracy who possess Louis
lana took up a Republican Governor
charged with most offenses specified in
the decalogue. and especially with some
which did not exist in the days of the
Pentateuch. These last were the alleged
bribery of legislators and collection of
commission on all official signatures and
appointments. Thus the Democracy took
up Horace Greeley and H. c. Warmoth as
candidates respectively for the presidency
and Senator from Louisiana
Being privileged order and holding
the Southern people as serfs, the ole
Il a,,1v
with impunity but with applause. The
MANNED and ruined men who lmped back
from Appomattox, and Raleigh, and Alex
andria were not SO privileged On the
other hand, they had less occasion to take
all these oaths and devour all this dirt
They had never held political Office, and
therefore never forfeited their right to hold
it. They were protected from disqualif-
cation and trial, as Lee and Johnston had
been, by the terms of their parole. Sup
posing that the war was over, and each
citizen reinstated in his right to choose
for himself the future policy of the coun-
try-not dreaming that the sole Demo-
cratic massas" had first and unsatisfed
mortgage upon their votes and services
forever-some of these warworn veter-
ans determined to accept the re-
suit in fact as others seem to have done
in pretence. They took counsel Of Lee
who recommended or approved the nomi-
nation of federal General as Governor of
Southern State. Led by Longstreet,
who had fought in the defense of the
South from the beginning to the end of
the war-who had resigned command
in the federal army, and testified by gal
lantry and wounds the sincerity of his
sacrifce-many of these Confederate SOL
diers who had earned their honorable
discharges both in war and politics, &C
copied the situation. They hired the
| colored laborers who had formerly be-
| longed to the non-combatants and real
lied with the joint and cordial labor a
contented competence. Seeing that these
old masses had voted for Republican
and an abolitionist as President, and for
Republican and carpet-bagger as Sena-
tor, they inferred that a similar indul-
gepce would be extended them, and
voted for the Republican, Grant, and
other honest Republicans. They were
quickly shown their error.
The Southern public has read the til