New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-08-18
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS.


: In spelling ip-dis-so-lu-bil-i-ty OF an
other pollysyllabic wsrd there is neces
, sity of repeating at each syllable all thos
. syllables which preceded il. N III
amendment OF constitution tbeIe is n
analogous necessity for taking up, repeat
ing and .eafirming every Successive sec
ton Of the fundamental code.
We ind the Democratic party in h
/ South extremely keen for an amendnen
OF the State constitutions. and we ina.
anticipate tina. this will become also al
issue in Louisiana. To the amendmen
Q: the present constitution in some par
ticQlars the Republicans would have III
objection. They have already taken sub
stantia! steps in that direction. a.
is NANTES: in the reduction Q: tfs
State debt and limitation O: The
municipal authorities in running in debt
| using Up all the resources that come into
| their hands and bequeathing thei! floating
obligations to their successors. The Re-
| publican Governor has published his wish
TO be relieved from some Of the response.
tiles Of local patronage; and We may say.
generally. for the Republican party that
there can be no protection FOR the rights
o: property or the honor Of the State
credit. which they would not cooperate
in adopting. The extraordinary frauds
perpetrated in the States Of New York.
! Illinois. Ohio and Pennsylvania have rem
dered necessary restrictions upon the pow.
ers delegated by the people 20 their repre-
sentatives. We are perfectly willing 70
adopt any Of these guards or guarantees.
We can not, however, consent to see the
whole constitutional code spelled over
again from the beginning. There are
certain fundamental principles embodied
therein which required a great amour: OF
blood and treasure to establish. We
need no: enunerate them. but we would
neither consent to pu. them again at risk
nor to see the excitement and alarm which
their rediscussion and possible repeal
might occasion. Therefore let US pick out
the controyerted syllables and fix their
especial orthography and leave the fixed
principles as beyond dispute and above
repetition.
We have noted one popularity IL ali
the phrases of Democratic defamation.
They exhaust the verbal combinations Of
carpet-bagger, corruption. oppression
and official abuse. We have never seen
any Democratic proposition to abolish
any Office OK surrender any patronage.
When the expulsion Of Governor Kellogg
was proclaimed year ago We did not !
see il the programme OF the transient |
succession any proposal to reduce the pa
tronage which the Governor had welded. !
With the Inauguration Of Mayor Witt and |
that of Mayor Leeds We have seen no re-
duction OF the salaried forces required to !
administer the city government, except,
perhaps. in solitary instance. And in
all the complaints Of the excessive'police
force we nave only noted the craving to
secure 70 the city administration the pa
homage now welded by the State.
We have, therefore, reason to believe
hat the Democracy do not propose re.
orm in that direction, but merely an
'vic:ion of Republican incumbents that
hey may install their own. l.
There are many evidences that the
bject Of constitutional reform in some
ther States is TO SO trammel the right
/ suffrage as exercised by the poor and
ynorant as TO bring the result Of cleo
ions within the control Of property, and
Q nullify the Law OF Suffrage. Nordhof,
be standard authority OF the Democracy
u the social condition Of the South. {
sys: S
Ii has struck me that scnfe constitutional:
notification OF the suffrage should come
bout in such States as Louisiana and Mis-. (
ssippi. I
We are satisfied tina. the proposition +
I'd been canvassed in these States from a
lie following remarks: It
An education qualification. applied eonai.
to white and black, seemed to me evil
ant. But the reply was that it ia impos. e
BILE. These States have a considerable T
,pulation Of poor and illIterate whites.
10 would resist to the uttermost-now. ar
ast-anv limitation which would affect 2
em. 1T 10 more probable that .re shall a
axe the State Senate represtN, proberv.
aving the House open to everybody"
id Louisiana Republican to me: but
'en that would only make deadlock.
That such is the settled plan Of the \
'uthern Democracy is also obvious from
cwals in Alabama and North Carolina. | a.
non-intervention federal administration | II
'uld allow this policy to be carried into O
ect. Il
1t will only be necessary, therefore. .ha. CT
e Democracy should state those reforms 7
lich will render the State and city GOV fe
nments more economical and less the N
bject of party contest. I: is probable a,
e Republicans would meet them on their tr
II ground. The mass Of the Republican m
rty live by their labor. The mass of the er
party live by salaries and per-] &c
isites exacted from labor Tho ,.oo- ! H.