New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-08-15
10 rHEa1EWgYoRK Ti1Ess

which has led the way in informing lakes
Ames aud William Tweed that they could
not be allowed to plumber the treasury IN
the name of a party, has formed certain
opinions of the state of the race question
in Louisiana. These are contradicted by
the Picawne in general and declamatory
terms. 1t becomes necessary, therefore,
that the New Orleans REPUBLICAN should
reply to and refute these statements, and
80 verify the correct estimate which the
New York Times has placed upon the
local politics Of Louisiana.
1t will be seen from an article OF the
Picayune of the fourteenth instant, that
on the following charges made against
the colored sufragaus of Louisiana
that they have ''by their votes imposed
on this State the enormous burden OF
wrong and wretchedness under which 1t
now groans" ''waged underwriting war
against every attempt to reform our gov
ernment," and that they design "to con-
vert this republican, Christian and civil
lied Sta.e into Dahomey or Ashantee,
is based the assumption that 'the white
people are justified in concentrating their
race power to resist and overcome this
organization and persistent conspiracy OF
ignorant and degraded negroes
The Picayune blames the colored voters
with the failure of every overture for
political peace We will make some COM
ment upon this assertion.
The attempt s'of such gentlemen as Gen
erals Beauregard, Gibson, Isaac N. Marks,
and large body Of our best citizens" to
establish political relations with the col
ored people was denounced by the leaders
of the Democratic party, nor do we think
the Picdyuae can show its own indorse-
ment of the attempt. Messrs. Beauregard
and Marks have been since spoken OF in
the most disrespectfui manner by their
political friends, and have disappeared
from the councils aud concentrations of
those for whom at least one of them for
feited high professional position in the
amy of the United States, and rendered
most efficient service in some of the great
est battles and most efficient Notifications
of the war. It is disingenuous in the
Picayu'ae to quote an attempt at race har-
mony which the whites repudiated as q
proof of race intolerance in the negroes.
The other charges are simply declama-
tory. The colored people did not "by
their votes alone impose upon this State
the excessive burden Of wrong and wretch
edness under which it groans." We all
know, and the record shows that the mo-
nopolies and appropriations which have
occasioned SO much just complaint were
voted for by Democrats, and owned
and shared by Democrats That much
OF this debt was founded before the war
and has since been imposed upon the
citizens of New Orleans by the brokers,
bankers and lobbyists of New Orleans
All know that the Republican party was
enraged and alarmed at this trick by which
the Dem ocrats received the whole patron
age of the city and the most gainful part
Of the jobs, while the sole responsibility
for this enormous wrong was thrown
upon the Republican party. In conse-
quence, the most prominent official OF the
Republican party, who had comprised
most of these Objectionable measures by
the aid of Democratic brokers, attorneys
and legislators, was turned over to and
accepted by the Democratic party, who,
in open consi deration of his election in
fuences, bestowed upon him votes for the
Senate Of the United States. The effect
of this combination of jobbers had been
to run the State debt up very rapidly.
The Repu blican party limited this debt to
twenty-five millions of dollars. The War
moth administration, with its Democratic
lobby, carried the appropriations up to
more than forty millions OF dollars. The
Republican officials resisted the uncon-
stitutional excess, and the debt, in 1872,
had been ruled down nearly to the limit.
Will the New York Times note this fact
especially?
At the suggestion Of the Republican
Governor Kellogg, and Of the Republican
pfess-in the absence Of every Democratic
representative Of this cdy-the colored
representatives in the Legislature con-
tinued this work of reform. They cut down
the debt of the State forty per cent, and
were prepared to have done the same by
the city debt, We're it legal to do SO.
There were other measures of reform
which these representatives effected and
attempted. With this financial history is
it right to hold them responsible for the
excessive burden of wrong and wretch
edness" which they may have aided to i'm
pose, but which they have without as
sistance labored to take Off
This extended explanation refutes also
the Picayune charge of an ''unintermitting
war by the negroes against any attempt to
reform our government"
Whether a people who have planted
and cultivated the best crop of cotton,
sugar and rice that has been grown since
the war, design to convert Louisiana into
Dahomey, is subject the New York
Times can judge for itself Upon the
product of these crops depends the ability
of the white people to provide themselves