The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1875-02-06
LOuisiana--The Exigency II the
Hour.
IFro,n The Republic.]

L. HC aOSAuCHOy Hltf AAASoCOS5S W oAo
Senate accompanied with official cor
respondence, reports, and telegrams,
has given to Congress and the public
a tnll, clear, and leliable reportOf the
condition of affairs III Louisiana. In
all his past tsGdnntdtion, up ID ti'e pres
ent date, With the serious aud difficult
! problem ii Reconstruction, it will be
admitted by every impartial critic
/ that lie has faithfully discharged his
duty in the prem ises. He has now
reached tiSe' limit of Ills authority and
appeals to Congress to adopt measures
tor the complete restoration Of order
and harmony, and guarantees to THAT
body afatAfdls dlsexeeuti0h'of suclf laws
as III their judgment may be deemed
necessary to be enacted ior that pur-
pose. ,...~-.~,x.....
In five weeks more the Forty third
Congress will be brought to a close.
| Already the condition of the. South,
| and especially that Uf Louisiana, has
been fully discussed VIII the Re-
! pu pulHica1i,nealbefs xllOw the remain
ing time to be flitted away III useless
debate without decisive aotiOu9 THIS
is the aim of the Opposition and Will
continue to be their effort until the
4th Of March if there is not states
manshipand force enough i'll Congress
among the friends Of law and order to
decide at once upon Il policy, and Dy
proper and prompt legislation etIl-
power the Executive X carry out their
instructions. .,.afi -.-i
The p,esentis is critical period in ma
tionA affairs. All unnecessary excite.
ment by intlan,matory speeches and
newspaper comments should be avoid
ed. Moderation and tirmness among
the true friends Of the Union. i'll Con-
grese and throughout the leugth and
breadth of the land, should be exer-
cised. In nine cases out OF ten the
acts of the President are d nounced
by the Opposition Oh purely political
grounds, without tile slightest regard
to the facts in the case. But he has
never yet swerved from the line Of
duty, and will not now, by the de-
nuiIeiatiohs OF Democratic State Gov
ernors. resolutions by Democratic
State Legislatures, or the entire chorus
Of the Opposition in Congress. There
is statesmansl,ip and nerve enough III
Congress to meet the emergency sue
cesstslly and promptly, lis the tinance
question was finally met and disposed
Of, and we need no5 doubt that the
effort will be fully sustained by every
gDod Republican and true Democrat
throughout the country. .
The first duty Of tile Government,
under all circumstances, is the pro-
tectiop Of lie and property. Under
tn. present stslto Or f.si;.s i- sife
South, encouraged by the Democratic
and so called independent press IN
the North, this can be done, .efor< the
present, only: by the presence of an
army, and if tile forces already Sta
toned in the lebellious States Is ill.,
adequate to the emergency, let it be
Increased even if the general ARMY
should require to be augmented for
that purpose. Without safety to liies
and security to property there can bes
no hopeafOr pe;ice'or prosperity. = se's'
The next duty in the present case
will be to restore and guard the ballot
box in its purity, and to protect each
qualified voter, without regard to
color, in tile full exercise Of his cleo.
tive, franchise. Wherever the State
Legislatures have failed i'll this duty,
the obligation falls upon Congress to-
interfere ip behalf Of the oppressed
and osti;.cised, and to authorize the
presence Of the military power where
Iever it becomes necessary.
The third duty OF the Government
should, we think, be provision for an
effective system Of popular education 1,
ii which all classes will be reached
by free schools in which they can re-
ceivc u gual English education. The
appropriation of the receipts from the
sile of public lands for this purpose is
very generally advocated by the
friends Of, popular education andl,
under judicious legislation, the fund
some three million dollars per an
num-or certain portion Of it, with
the balance placed on interest as "a
reserve fund, would go directly to
build school houses and provide teach
els in the different States. The dis
tribntion would he made on the ratio
of illiteracy, and this would bring the
main portion of the fund to the South,
and into those States there in which
eit is most needed. These schools will
he free to all, aud those who fail to
use them will themselves be the suf
ferers. The absentees would not be
numerous, and would grow less each
kyear until the attendance would be-
come general. r-l4..f.s.sle...,...
j The next duty for the South would.
be liberal appropriations for public
Improvements by deepening the mouth
Of the Mississippi and securing its
levees against periodical inundations,
|by assisting pecunarily in securing
facilities by canal and railway for the
quick and cheap transportation OF the
cotton crop and other agricultural
products; and, by Offering increased
inducements to immigration, and to
the employment of 6.pital in erecting
cotton and other factories in. each OF
zLf- = I 4. ..-.1