New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-11-10
pose to stand by the Republican party in

l. 1t is in power and has the capacity
to eject or prevent reform.
2. The audacity of the Democracy has
enabled them to secure for their own men
the most lucrative city Offices and monop-
olies. These furnish an ample campaign
fund.- while the Republican party is made
to bear the exclusive scandal for the ex-
cessive exactions, official and corporate.
3. The accumulation of patronage in
the hands of the executive is remnant of
an unwise and dangerous system. The
| present constitution unites in executive
hands the power of judicial and even of
legislative appointment (police jurors).
This Is an anomaly among republican
constitutions. All those who have read
history know that the republicans have
always dreaded the one-man power, and
have always restricted it by limitations,
and by requiring the concurrent approval
OF council or branch of the Legislature.
This executive limitation was the great
and only issue between the Wings and
Democrats under the administration of
jackson. Democracy claimed an execu-
tive discretion and an Independence of
the law-makiag power. The Wings stood
upon the doctrine of the English repub-
licans who cut off the head of Charles
Stuart, and of their successors who cut
Oft the colonies of George III. We are
not, however, writing to historical readers.
1t is almost impossible that the execu-
tive should select the fittest man to ad-
minister parish trust, even from his own
party. Any unsatisfactory appointment
reflects an amount of unpopularity upon
the executive and his party, which the
official influence of the appointee can
rarely compensate. In devolving these
appointments upon the people, the best
choice of service is, according the
Republican theory, secured, and the
quarrel among the candidates is local
lied. 1t tends rather to neutralize the
discomfort than to concentrate it upon
the Executive and his party. An opposi-
ton community divided upon candidates
for office would even recognize and con-
ciliate the vote of the minority. We
might illustrate by the history of many
local offices filled by the executive with
the most excellent intentions, and yet re-
sulting in the flight and murder of the
incumbents and the grossest charges
against the executive. In the late case of
the East Feliciana sheriff we have seen
the most deplorable excuses of popular
power, and we have seen the executive
concede the demands of minority and
appoint party opponent. Certainly an
election in parish showing more than
double as many Republicans as Democrats
could not have resulted worse in party
point of view. The reduction of execu-
tive patronage would relieve that officer
from much uncompensated perplexity.
Extreme hunger of Office has the same
effect upon men as upon lupine animals;
it drives them mad. The Democracy has
pursued the offices in the Southern States
with arms. They canvassed Mississippi
with field pieces, and conducted the cleo
ton with the revolver. Substituting the
law Of arms for the law of suffrage, super
seding that ''snow fake'-the ballot-with
the exploding shrapnel, the Democracy
may at any time carry an election, like a
redoubt, by storm, and capture all the
arms, munitions and military chest of the
We pray the Republicans
to imagine what would be the exercise of
this patronage by the dominant Democ-
racy. They have only to ascertain what
it was before and during the war to ascer-
tain what intolerance and incompetency
can effect.
The Limitation of executive patronage
is, then, due to Republican principles,
and favorable to the success of law and
order, which are Republican conditions
of society.
4. The diminution of motives for the |
armed pursuit of Office would be adyan-
tageous to the mass of Republicans in
Louisiana, because they are sadly deficient
in the musket manual, and could not, per-
haps, maneuvre a field battery at all,
without NOR practice than their labor
affords leisure for. To cut down tho |
patronage and pay of Office would tend |
to disband the Democratic warriors. It |
would convince them that neither in the |
State nor city Offices nor contracts could |
be found a means of support for all the |
braves. The braves would therefore 90
somewhere else, or at something else than
politics. Perhaps some useful talent |
might be thus developed. The colored |
who have no other interest |
in political results than the confirmation
of their rights and the protection of their
labor, would be allowed the undisturbed |
exercise of these rights. They might |
even be solicited to exercise the right of |
suffrage for one or another candidate.
Such are some of the reasons why the |
of Louisiana may be better