New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-09-26
SPIKE THE REPUBLICAN, PRESS,

we can not clOSe our eyes 10 tue lacl lAhe
in addition to the assassination and exile
of Republican leaders, and the intimida-
ton Of the negro voters, there is another
power, which Democracy detests and in
tends to destroy. They dread the argu-
ment and exposure of their deeds by the
Republican press, and they have init
mated their purpose to spike and de-
stroy it. To effect this object of silencing
representative of free-even if erro-
neous-opinion, the most formidable
agencies are resorted to. Professional
prescription and refusal of patronage has
long since been employed. The little
Vicksburg paper, which cautioned the
public, at their peril, against advertising
in any but Democratic papers, did but
express the practices pursued for years
past. The most intolerant zealot could
not denounce the circulation Of the Holy
Scriptures with more bitterness than does
the Democracy in forbidding the people
to read or advertise in Republican
paper.
In late meeting in this city called to
order by one whom the Times has called
"a bold Britou, we find two objects an
nounced by resolution. The one advocates
a convention of ''all elements opposed to
Radicalism, then and there to proceed to
the reorganization of the Democratic
party i'll Louisiana. The other object is
to denounce the 'usurpation" of Governor
Kellogg. As this meeting indorses the
encyclical epistle of Mr.. Mari, and as
that expresses the opinion that the ques-
ton of legal State administration should
De reopened, We nave ligut " iuiSv4 tnat
this meeting with its leaders repudiates
the Wheeler compromise, and wishes the
contest between Mr.. McEnery and Gov
ernor Kellogg rtopened. The cool as
surance with which the Conservatives are
summoned to come in and be shorn and
marked in the name of Democracy will be
duly noted by those Conservatives who
oppose the convention of Messrs. Mari
and Booth.
One main purpose of the resolutions is
to spread over Republican type an awe SO
solemn that no utterance in reply to Dem
ocratic argument or in ridicule of Dem
ocratic balderdash shall be possible.
In preparing for this conflict it is parti-
cularly important that this general DEM
ocratic policy should be enforced, and
that no voice should be heard abroad in
defense OF the lawful government or in
exposure of the violence and breach of
faith with which it may be assailed. Here
is the language applied in the second part
of these resolutions to the Republican
press of Louisiana:
Whereas, the political affairs of Louisiana
are peculiar, in that the people are op-
pres sed by an imposed usurpation and mis-
represented by cormorent, fraudulent and
Radical pres; violates every
decency as well as every right forging par
tisan falseho0ds and inventing incredible
among others recently put in o
the mouth of the great American usurper.
that everything is serene, prosperous and
quiet in Louisiana: and further, that
her people do not desire an abatement of
said usurpation, but are in the main per-
fectly satisfied and content with the S tme.
and do not desire any change, much less
the reorganization and success of the Demo-
cratic party.
Here are terms employed which can
have no other tendency than 10 exasperate
the Democratic masses against the Repub-
lican press. The Republican press is
called "a cormorant," ''forging partisan
falsehoods. The Republican press, or
this particular Journal, is the lawful organ
of the State and federal government. Is
it, therefore, more of ''cormorant" than
Mesers. La Sere or Nixon, who occupied
precisely the same station, and published
with the same aid Was the
venerable Richie "cormorant" because
he received from Democratic Congress
$50, 600 as bonus for alleged losses in
public printing! Was Mr.. Nixon DEM
ocratic "cormorant" when he obtained
from the Legislature donation of $50, 900
to cover an alleged loss on the deprecia-
ton of the public medium of payment?
To be sure these "cormorants" had not
advanced SO far as to 'forge," that
metaphorical accomplishment being re-
served to the public printer of the Repub-
lican party. In what is public fund
earned and in part applied to the defense
or dissemination of political principles
more unworthy source of political service
than if the same amount were levied upon
candidates for or incumbents of lucrative
Office? In what is it more dishonorable
than if it had been begged from or con-
tributed by Yankee Democracy seeking
the spoils Of Office by aid of a campaign
organ in the South?
We do not contend that the system of
public printing is right. 1t is not neces-
sary that we should do so. The system
Of public printing and the distribution of
the spoils by the victors were Democratic
practices first instituted by Marcy and
jackson, and We but participate in the
system which we find established by Dem
ocratic precedent Do we, however, find
any Democrat who processes to abandon
the system of electing public printer, or
of bestowing an Office according to the
qualifications of the applicant? When
we shall have seen this political prodigy