The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-09-15
YESTERDAY.

Every nation has its holidays when place
of business are closed and booming cannon
, and glittering bayonets and rustlipg banner
! commemorate national triumphs and loft.
f achievement. There are but few peoples
: whose holidays are indeed holy days, conse
} Grated by suffering, and hallowed by heroic
} failure and noble endurance. Of these few
one is the people Of Louisiana.
, They, in common with the people Of the
, whole Union. must ever venerate the Fourth OF
July, as the day upon which the inherent ana
inalienable rights of man were, for the hrs'
time, set forth in proclamation, and their as
sertion and maintenance guaranteed by the
lives. the fortunes and the sacred honors OF
men whose deeds were ever up to the measure
II of their words.
But the Declaration Of Independence was
an enunciation Of general principles, struck
off like many of the grandest announcements
that have thrilled humanity, under the infu-
ence of mighty passion, as the sparks fly
from the glowing iron between hammer and
anvil. They were yet to stand the test Of
practical application. when the dangers that
united the thirteen colonies were passed, and
the prejudices Of section and emulations of
trade and conflict OF interests succeeded to
the noble enthusiasm of patriotism.
Far-seeing wisdom, enlightened by the ex-
perience of former statesmen, embodied in
the fundamental law of the land these princi-
Piles which they fondly believed would stretch
their authority over every generation, and
meet the wants Of a progressive civilization
and widening territory.
But the latitude Of Interpretation put upon
the Constitution by the Radicals Of the North
furnished warrant for the grossest violation
Of every right enunciated in the Declaration
Of Independence, and guaranteed by the
Constitution of the United States.
In silent submission the people of Louisi-
ana saw the sovereignty Of their State seques-
tered by United States District Judge, and
committed to the custody Of United States
Marshal. They were warned beforehand
that the protest Of their hon ,red citizens
against this unprecedented violence would
not be received by the President. Under the
authority of the Constitution they were made
to endure indignity after indignity until, pre-
Stunning upon their tameness, an alien Gov
ernor denied to them the right to bear arms.
Then, when about to be stripped Of their
only protection against the infamed passions
Of an ignorant race, aud the lawless encroach.
ments Of hireling police, they announced
that they were and Of right ought to be free,
and sent the announcement in leaden missiyes
to their tyrants.
On the 18th Of September the people of
Louisiana did but reassert the principles of
the Declaration Of Independence, and main
tain their application and appropriation to
the people of the State of Louisiana in the
year 1874, as fally and peculiarly as to the
people of Massachusetts in 1875.
In their action upon the 18th Of September
1874 the men of Louisiana were contending
for the principles that made glorious the death
Of the martyrs of Bunker Hill. The rattle of
their musketry aroused the people Of the
whole Union, and brought them back to
more rigid construction Of the Constitution.
The hand of q partisan Executive pressed
the harder upon our people, for daring to as
sert their rights, and sent down ruffian,
booted and spurred, to insult and threaten,
as the proudest champion of constitutional
liberty, and her wrongs, mightier than her
guns dethroned the party thatoppressed her.
We love to think Of her, standing alone and
fighting single-handed the battle Of civil lib
erty-bound and captive, butstill conqueress
and queen-looking forward to the day
when she shall arise and bind back her locks
from her queenly brow, and her sister States
will do homage to her doing and endurance.
But while we look forward to the day of
ultimate triumphs, we would not stir up ami
mostly even with political opponents. |
On the 14th of September some died. We
honor their memory; our opponents may re-
vile it. but let them remember that the prin-
ciples for which men die, were to them at
least, things, real entities. Men do not die for
what they believe to be errors. Misled they
may be, but honest they certainly are.
When, in the future, party animosities
divide US, the graves Of these heroic dead will
remind US Of the days when we were one in a
of wo, and stimulate US to more
unseifsh efforts in behalf Of our State. In
the dark hours that may intervene before the
day dawn of our deliverance. We will learn
patience to endure, and gather strength to
work on, as we bring our floral offerings.
.sAnd the graves Of the dead with the grass
OvergrOwn,
Will yet form the footstool Of liberty's throne"
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
We again urgently advise the white people