The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-26

Rut coercion in its very nature, asserts do
minion over the States, and must destroy
them. Suppose We concede that secession
would destroy the Union, which is the
greater crime, to destroy the lnloli, me
creature Of the States. or the States, which
created the UnionY But have shown that
coercion destroys the Union well as the
States. Then again, the Union of the States
was formed to secure the blessings Of lber-
Nv. Secession could not even impair the
liberties Of the people. 1t interfered, IN no
way whatever with the rights or privileges
of the Northern States and people. 1t sought
only to make more secure the rights, liber-
ties and privileges of the Southern States
and people But coercion, i'll destroying the
Union and making "A consolidation, and
in DESTROYING the State can have no
logical results, but in the destruction
of all the liberties of all the people North
and South Will our people never perceive
the patent truth, that coercion must work
consolidation, and that consolidation must
destroy the identity and powers Of the States
and the liberties of the people! To coerce
State is necessarily to enslave the State,
and TO enslave State is necessarily to en-
slave the people Of the STATE. Nothing but
the roar of cannon, in the hands of unrea-
soning physical power, can silence tins logic
of liberty. Here, then, great imE atrial
Judge Of the future, we rest the law OF onr
case. Secession did not destroy the UNION
nor the States nor the liberties If the peo-
Pile the Union Of States was formed to secure
1t only proposed to divide the Union, IN or
der to rescue the States and the liberties OF
the people from destruction and overthrow.
But coercion is the ruthless criminal which
has consolidated the Union, eilSlaved the
States, and destroyed the liberties OF the
whole people.
Secession invaded no Statc-interfered
with no right -lcsscned the privileges of 40
man. Coercion laid waste the States, en-
shaved the people, murdered their sons, de-
spoiled their daughters desolated their
homes, and burnt mp their property.
IL. construction.
And what is reconstruction 1t is the
practical application If coercion. Ii is logic
turning to facts. Ii is coercion at its work.
Ii is the torch of the imcendiary the knife
of the assassin ; the trearn of the bandit,
sending its death blows to the life of the
State. to the heart of society, and to the
hopes Of civilization, that ignorance and
vice may he exalted, and intelligence and
virtue degraded. Do exaggerate, Look
at South Carolina and answer. See the land
Of Marion and Sumter; of Rntege and
Pinckney; of Calhoun and Butler. the prey
and sport of rioting thieves and gluttenoms
plnnderers, lasting days, months and years
in the face of the nation and under Federal
protection Look at Louisiana Behold
sovereign State sentenced to the chail-gang
by telegraph from Washington, to work at
hard labor under negro and carDet-hag
drivers! This, this is the fruit of coercion.
These are the works of reconstruction.
Have the people of America no shame. Has
the God Of heaven no wrath II coercion
and reconstruction shall continue, their
fruits will multiply until all the people, in
agonzed unison, shall cry ont surely, seve-
raj Unions were better than one Empire,
aud divided liberty more to be desired than
concentrated despotism.
Is there possible remedy for thest evils !.
/ should be uncandid if | did not confess to
you doubt it. There is no resurrection for
dead republics, and few have ever been
restored to vigor and health after reaching
our presene state of decline. | fear our peO-
pie have not more intelligence and virtue
than those whose histories VIC are but re-
peatng. But for one | am willing to make
the effort, and exhort our South, RI people
to cherish no feeling inmical to success, and
omit no duty that may promote it. We
have more interest in restoring constitutions
al government than any other people, for if
despOtism shall come over all, North and
South, there is reason to fear that serfdom
Of the South to the North will be our dark
est portion. You know | never regarded
secession as wise in ACT, for, however legal
or unjust it may, or may not have been as
an abstract right, | never believed it would
prove practicable as remedy. | have
never doubted that belligerent collision
between centralism and constitutional fed
eralsm would, sooner or later, come. But,
by the States, in the Union, and for the lib
critics of the people, was always nay favorite
plan to make the fight. But for the sensi-
tiveness Of slavery we might have made
that fight only in the Union. Let, there
fore, secession and slavery be buried ont of
sight, and, though late, let us make one
more determined effort in the form of rea-
son, and, at the baIlot-box to save the treas
ures we are losing. We shonld lot pull
down the Temple our fathers bulls because
thieves and money changers desecrate it.
Rather, under the inspiring memories of
1876, let lis wake up the sleeping god Of pa |
triotism and cast out the despolers, aud
consecrate the Temple anew the equality Of
the States and the liberties of our chill |
dren.
The Remedy.
There is but one beginning for this
work. We must elevate the statesman
ship of the country. In all republics an
imbecile craftsmanship has succeeded a |
civil war, and we have not escaped the
sconrge. 1t is because men, at such times
rise into power on passion and hate, and
not by merit and worth. If you would
purify craftsmanship you must elevate it.
Men with intellect, alive with ambition to /
lift up a falling State, are more apt to be
moral, patriotic and honest, than hypocrit-
zeal imbecles, who, dead to the capacity of
this higher ambition, are alive only to |
trade and barter in blood religion and |
prejudice, III order to reap putfs, perqui-
sites and salaries.
In order to elevate our craftsmanship,
two things, in my opinion, are indispens-
able. In the first place, our people must
abandon the insane habit Of placing men in
high civil positions simply because Of mill
tary talents or success. Lee was right 1t
is contrary to the very genius and safety of
republican institutions to place their civil
administration in the keeping Of men of
military aptitude and training Brave
fighting is no evidence of able statesman
ship. 1t is usually evidence of the very
contrary. Otherwise. Cantain Jack was the