The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-07-10
A sIlraPneH in Their Magazine
From the New Orleans Republican,

The Pic, whose star fort is blazing
away, ait the numef6tis assailants advanc-
ing from MANY quarters to its capture,
has Just leveled its telescope, and
Looking very closely, we discover that most
Of them are gentlemen who, when they were
offered an opportunity Of Staying the oppressor
on their OWL account, dismissed the privilege
with Christian abnegatton.
This time the Pic cut it's fuse exactly.
That shrapnel has made its parabolic
curve and descended precisely in the
magazine of its Democratic assailants.
1t has exploded, and we can in imagina-
ton see che cooked hat of GeneralBDoth
and torn members of his staff flying up
ward through the smoke anddust OF this
well directed ~projectile.g 1t has now be-
come %proverbial that the soldiers who
fought eaefratheR agree, and are willing,
with General Forrest. to carry the ban
ner of reunited republic against the
OppressorS OF a people willing to be free.
But those who dismissed the privilege
of Staying the oppTessor on their own
account can not be appeased, for, as.
we learn from the same article
There seems to be in New Orleans a set of peo-
pie who can not be satisfied or propitiated by
ANYTHING short of a daily TRADE, the foiler the
better, against all their political opponents who
Happen to be in office.
We have great respect forthe prudence
Of those who feared the gunboats would
come ashore, and who with a commend
able appreciation Of ~the1damage which
heavy ordnance wilinfliet upon property
ran down to surrender New Orleans to
a few companies of marines. 1t was
prudent. It was well not to expose val
liable buildings to damage and incident
ally women and children to be killed or
crippled. lit would have been, perhaps,
better if tie property holders of Charles
ton and the doomed Atlanta had emnla-
ted the same prudence, but they took
the consequences of their telnerity, and
we do not know that the yaloE of their
defense has impaired the respect of the
Americans who confronted them. But
when we imagine the anxiety of several
prominent members of the Sanhedrim
Of Seventy, to eur the clemency of
the Butlerian rule, the alacrity with
which other Fusion leaders, embarked
in the commerce OF the period, we ian
not, even from our standpoint, approve
the undying animosity OF these nom
combatant patriots. We even have in
our mind several of the aset of people"
referred to by the Pic, who ran under
the flag of France and Of other foreign
powers, and thence kept upstheir bark
ing against the United States. In some
cases these desperadoes succumbed to
the rule of General Butler, and so saved
themselves. Now, we repeat, we by no
means condemn the freedom Of these
gelf-denying warriors, who took such
prOvident care of their own skins, but
we do not see that they would have any
right tn condemn Others for doing pre-
cisely what they did themselYes-sur-
rendering to a superior force.
Into the magazines of these malcon-
tent nOn-c0mbatants OF the late waf, the
Picayune has sent an explosive which
will effeetually silence their guns. The
Picayure may add tothe obligations OF
the public by giving the names of some
of these Christian gentlemen who mag
unanimously abrogated the privilege of
slaying the oppressoT on their W nc
count. We could even contribute a
small list of irrec0ncilables who figured
in the surrender to the marines, and
were among our most dOcile citizens
during the Federal occupation, but who
have been among The most determined
ditcilers and uncempromising cleaners
Outin the city.
After all we don't believe this thing
of taking all sorts of work away from
the negro will do, exactly. # you pass
8aOf4& BF@Na1E RGtN8 AA6AEl4taN GAAAaL1AA Al
course of erection y0u will observe SUN
dry stalwart Africans with piles of bricks
upon their heads, skimming up ladders
iii tile lightest and most agile style.
White men couldn't do that; could they
TIC you were to walk under that ladder
while d white man was going Zip with
seventeen bricks on his head, you would
very probably 20 dozen with several of
those bricks on yoar head, AS il is, you
take y0nr chances, not only with results
OF actual immunity, but with that calm
confidence of mind and tranquility of
spirit which your knowledge of the ne
gros chronological formation inspires.
All of which c~onyiHces us that there
are certain branches of labor wherein we
cannot dispense with Sambo.1PicayHne
THAEKs.-We are indebted to the
State Champion eft the White League,
for bringing the Advertiser into prOmi-
nent and favorable notice. Several
Ieaguers who heard him spout from the
text taken from our paper, are now 6p-
posed to the movement and have since
become our subscribers. We will fur
nish tie gentleman s0me more texts,
and il he viii use them, we will com
pensate him literally. ri Lafayette Adj
Tertiser, July 18th.
With most men experience IL like the
sterl-lights Of q ship, which only iLln-
inmate the DatIl lie htas trayprSpd.