New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-12-18

in this city who, over the name Of Reno"
writes to that paper the following interest
ing letter:
Louisiana. as simply one of the sister.
hood OF States. would be readily under.
stood. Louisiana. as practically foreign
municipality. under the guise IF federal
pared IT, comprehend. And yet it is only in
such light that she can be properly under
stood at oil. A foreign community, such as
predOminstes in Louisiana, can, in no sense,
save a. exercising the rights Of citizenship,
be classed ~ American. A foreign, and, to
much extent, sadly degenerate and mon
grel, population can not we'll make an over
prosperous State. An element Of euch
mixed Latin extraction is, at best, mercu-
rial, dictatOrial and revolutionary to the
last degree. 1t brooks little in the way
of control. 1t is led by it's passions, as
by its preludices. 1t is not amen
able to the ordinary dictates of rea-
son. 1t is intolerant of the opinions
Of others. 1t has little respect for govern.
ment, rave as it represents the strong arm
Of power. 1t can appreciate none other,
liberty OF old meant 'liberty to waIlop ones
own niger" SO liberty to-day is liberty to
run the ship Of state to suit themselves.
Practically there is no such thing as free
dom of opinion. II one is to Judge from
Louisiana's political history, there never
has been since her admission as State In
no other part of the federal Union did
and all other interests as here. Nowhere
else, too, did it constantly manifest itself in
such bitter feuds and Outbursts of partisan
strife.
As between the Old Line Wings and the
Democrats, it was literally war to the
knife, and the knife to the hilt. The re.
| spective leaders had but to crack the party
whip, and all were expected to fall into
| line. ready and eager for the fray. There
the ranks. There was neither independence
OF action nor freedom of opinion. All who
were not for were against.
Up to 1912 the Wings seem to have gen.
| orally maintained supremacy. Previous
| to this time one must have been taxpayer,
to certain limited extent, to be voter.
The Wings, comprising, as they did, the
weather. and more respectable classes, had
| consequent majority in the State. A
| clause in the constitution Of 1912, confer
ring suffrage ON all citizens. effected a
radical change. Letting in, as it did, a
| perfect horde Of the lower classes of foreign
| extraction-the canaille, so to speak-it
turned the political tide in favor OF the
Democracy.
The Wings, though losing control of the
State, still maintained their hold in the city.
They did so by controlling, in the main,
the French Creole element. The Wigs
were known "a practically the party vi
responsibility. The Democrats, on the other
hand, represented, in their rank and file,
| the poor white trash" of the hills and
eanaille of the city. The leading or repre-
| sentative CreOles, as of the essence ut re-
spectability, affiliated with the Wings.
| bo rrx nk hrplk ri
the French Creoles, divided the foreign
element to an extent that gave the Wings
control OF the city. The lines as drawn were
as rigid and unyielding as one could well
imagine. Party prejudice, rather than
reason, would seem to have been the lead
ing power on either side. The masses were
literally whipped into the traces through
| people OF the North never even dreamed OF
The leaders met and discussed the issues
with pistols at ten PAGES, or sabers at closer
quarters. Their respective followers fought
it out, a., became those of the lower orders
in scenes of riot and bloodshed such as con
| verted q campaign into veritable Pande
/ mOnium. 1t was thus . duel or street
fight, killing or murder, according to thu
station in life.
The killings and the murders thus Incl
dent to an election not unfreq uently formed
| an aggregate almost beyond belief. They
| passed as the ordinary incidents-a heces
! sary baptism of blood, as il were. essentia
I to the proper conduct Of campaign. Mo-
! were scenes of organized violence and in
surrectiOns by any means unknown in thu
past. The street barricades and batteries
OF artillery, as seen in the streets OF New
! Orleans in 1858. and the terrible riots o
| 1856. tell Quite ~ bloody and significant ;
tale of "a popular uprising OF the people
I as the somewhat similar manifestation OF
I the fourteenth Of September last SO. too
in the notorious Garter wal" an open in
! surrection Of an armed pOpulace was savet
from becoming q bloody revolution onl.
through the timely Intervention OF fedora
| bayouets.
| The tide Of popular prejudice, turne'
against the Republicans as q seemingl.
| natural result Of the war, has varied il
] intensity as in application, only in accord
| ance with the hopes or fears of the leadin,
! spirits in control. It massacred tho poo
! ignorant blacks by hundreds in 1866 ant
! 1868. It massed it's armed cohorts, unde
| the leadership OF Carter, for the fOrcibl
! overthrow of Warmoth, in 1872. It CAV
! wav, in turn, TO combination with the sell
same party, through which, as il wOule
/ seem, the State was to be virtually sold GU
| To the Democracy for q seat in the Cnlte(
! States Senate. It turned the walls of it
! concentrated wrath upon Kellogg for defeat
ing the purposes of the combination. It ha
loaded him with all the anathemas Of tn
damned for holding on to the prize IN hand;
! has stifled all of argument, as it has over
riden all OF reason. 1t placed him, from tn
first. under = ban Of excOmmunicatlOh tel
| times az effective 40 would have been yer
I table bull from the Pope with the Jesuits
| Had he possessed the purity Of saint. will
1 the wisdom of . Solomon, it would hav'
counted as nothing. He stood in the roat
Of the Democracy. e., "the people" 20
Louisiana, None 80 bold among "the PEG
ple." az a consequence, as 70 dare to evel
ceuntenance his pretensions. More risk,
still. by tar, 20 counsel . fair and candid
I consideration. The claims Of kellogg VS.
McEne,v could only be viewed from I
! standpoint that admitted Of not even al
| apology. much less discussion. in favor Q
McEnerv was tho candidate Of ''th'
] people" Kellogg was the candidate OF tn
J Radicals. e., "carpet-baggers and mig
gers" The result Of an election, in com
mon honesty, weighed a. nothing in tn
scale. 1.-THE people'-i.e e., the Democracy
1 of Louisiana must needs control Louisiana
I bv sheer force of prejudice alone. if nothin!
! else. There was no argument 70 be az
! mltted in the premises. The "earPet
haooer. and nigeers''-i g.. Radicals or Re
pubIicans-had no right in the case verth.
| of even q respectful consideration. AM
vet there would seem Al equitable claim II
! their behalf.
Turning to the census Of 1870, we dnd
! with some slight discrepancies in the Varlou
tabular statements. fair showing OF Tn
| population of the State to be an ageregat'
of 726, 275 souls. OF these $4,000 wer
whites. and 1854, 80 eOlOred. Ine Iota
wb;te ,naIes we tiud rated at 174,lS These
! arc made mn. in turn, OF l59,OOl classed a.
I ..maIa eit;zens" and residue OF Io,l