The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-10
NEW ORLEANS BULLETIN
NEW ORLEANS, FEBRUARY 10. 1876.
THREE DANGERS.

war, after escaping only the danger Of di
union. The Tribune says
There was danger first that in the effort
reconstruct the Union or rehabilitate Il
South, the impracticability Of dealing with
conquered people as citizens of soyereig
States, the difficulty indeed under the altere
circumstances, Of adjusting in any way col
sistently with our form Of government, til
relations between the two sections, mgf
prove insuperable, or in the end be the mean
OF changing the whole structure of the Gov
eminent.
There was danger secondly of the growt
and expansion of the irredeemable paper cur
rency which was believed to be a necessity o
the war-a process which must inevitably enc
in reputation and ruin And there wa
danger in the Mird place that the corrup
practices engendered by the war; the substi
tuition Of materialistic policies for moral ideas
and the general debasement OF all standards
of truth and right might be perpetuated til
the Republic which had so bravely withstood
the storm should be given over utterly to the
worm and the rot
The three dangers referred to are hardly
less imminent now than at any period since
the war closed-some of them indeed are
more serious to-day than ever, from the fact
that the country stands at the very crisis Of
its peril. We hare already reached point in
orr relations nth the reconstructed States achere
are hare TO say either that they must be governed
rs conquered provinces or left to gouern them
selres That crisis may not be further post
poned. Years Of maladministration and mis-
rule, Of Federal interference and political
corruption have brought it on.
So that now Congress and the country are
confronted with the bald question, which can
not longer be concealed or disguised, whether
the State of Louisiana shall govern herself or
be governed from Washington. For that is
the bed rock of the whole business It comes
to that even if the Administration should sue
coed in proving all the intimidation claimed,
for nothing bnt standing army can keep
peace under the Kellogg regime. Congress
must meet that question now. Its action is
to revise the Presidents policy.
After that, the people will revise the action
OF President, Congress and party. 1t is a
powerful party that has taken in hand the
work OF transforming our system of govern
ment, and it has the great advantage of APP
pealing to the passions and prejudices of the
victors in the late war in support Of the
proposition to put down opposition to the
Administration in the lately rebellious States
But we believe they mistake the temper Of
the people in counting upon the survival of
the animosities of the contest. The party
will be ruined and the country saved.
Referring to the second danger only, it is
conceded that the Tribune puts the mat
ter in true light in some respects. The
effort to reconstruct was dangerous. There
was peril in meddling in any manner with the
home affairs and internal workings of State
governments. There was danger of holding
the seeded but overwhelmed States as pro- |
vinces without home governments. There
was great peril in taking away from the
Southern people all voice and influence in |
their government either at home or az the |
Federal capital. There was enormous danger
n putting the governing power over South
srn provinces into the hands of ignorant |
soldiers and mercenary satraps. History,
With all its lights, blazed out countless
warnings against the proconsular system.
People have often patiently borne tyrants
Who were born among them and who rose
rom their own ranks Nations have flourish
d wonderfully under absolutism. Native
utocracy, tempered with assassination, has
eaded millions of barbarians in their pro-
ress toward enlightenment; but no great
atoms or States have prospered or strength
ned under the absolute agents of domin-
ton wholly foreign to them, their language,
heir traditions and their institutions. Great
was the care taken at Rome by Consuls, =.
enates and Emperors, that their conquered =
rovinces should be so governed that the
lstoms, laws, institutes, religion and all that
macmillan n ha of
lould not be disturbed, violated or trenched \
pom without extreme military necessity, no
'ovince long prospered under the shadow of
o eagles and rods OF Rome.
The grand mistake of the Federal Govern II
ent was IN attempting reconstruction or in =
y manner intermeddling with it, or in any
~ looking for rehabilitation. Certain States
led to leave the Union for what they deemed W
od cause They tried with all their might. -
their people being of one opinion and very IL
UGH in earnest. Those seeded States failed. VI
d by their military representatives con- as
ded their failure. The war ended with IN
story for the Union, and the result simply &C
clared that the seeded Suites ought not to wi
We the Union, had no right to leave il de
1 had not in effect left it. ev
They were States when they attempted to ,u,;s
EIDE; they were States during the bitter s.;
: Of secession, they would have been States pc
another system if the Confederacy had
IN success; they remained States at the II
Of the war, in which the Confederacy was
roven failure; and they should have been
treated and recognized as States :,
81 Lees surrender. They had never ceased w.
be States There was the great blunder y"
ere was the great error of men blinded by 'n'
tory and inebriated by the results of sue =,
S. Their Congress had right to propose, p'a
their States a right to accept amendments ''u
he Constitution. Their States then had.
hey had held and enjoyed from beginning, An
right to fix rules of suffrage. wo
hey should have left the same right to the up
quered States. Emancipation was de- no'