The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-03-24
The Ex-COnfedcrates in Congress

Some of the Republican journals make
a great ado on account of the election of
considerable number of Ex-Confeder-
ates from the South to seats in Con-
gress. There is in this something that
is indescribably mean and base. 1t is
analogous to the conduct of man who
sends out invitations to dinner and then
raves and storms becanse his invitations
were accepted and his invited guests
put in an appearance. At the conclu-
sion of the war the Republican party
was in full and entire authority. It
was able to impose Its conditions upon
the South. 1t did so. They were harsh.
They involved complete surrender of
many of their most cherished rights
and prejutices. But they did not in
clude the rights Of suffrage, and except
only in a modified manner the right to
be voted for. The latter was afterward
changed BY Republican laws 80 that
nearly everybody in the South was ELI
gible to official station. Having made
them eligible, are those who did It In a
position to complain because the eligi-
bility is not dead letter? These Re-
publicans, in expectation of the return
of these Confederates to office, altered
their iron-clad oath in such manner
that they would not be embarrassed by
anything they had previously done. In
the last Congress quite number of the
most ultra and most malignant Repub-
lican members of Congress, such as
White and Hayes, of Alabama, and
Maynard, of Tennessee, and others,
were Ex-Confederates. Nothing was
said by these organs in regard to them.
They were welcomed by the Republic
can journals. Their past offenses were
condoned. 1t, therefore, follows that
the objection to the election of num-
Der of old Confederates to the next Con-
gress does not arise from any fact con-
nected with their antecedents, but from
their present position. The real objec-
ton is that they will vote with the DEM
ocratic party of the North. The real
accusation is against the Northern
Democrats and not against these South
ern members, as we have shown. Now,
the South could not have shown its de-
votion to the Union better than by cleo
ting members to Congress who agree
with and are in friendly unison with
the Northern Democrats. That party is
the traditional Union party. They
were for it when the Republicans were
opposed to it. When the war came, in
consequence Of not following their
counsels, they carried it through to a
successful termination. The large ma
jority Of the soldiers who were with
Sherman in his march to the sea and
with Grant in his Richmond campaign
were Democrats. They carried the flag,
and without them the Federal Govern
ment would have been defeated. Eve
rybody knows that what is called the
fighting element in the North-the ele-
ment made up Of the bone and sinew of
the country-is largely composed of
Democrats. With the political organi-
cation, to which the soldiers are at
tached, the Ex-COnfederates are allied,
and in so doing they give the best pos
sible testimonial of their devotion to the
interests of the whole country. What
would these Republican organs have !?
What do they want? The great mass
of the intellect, wealth and manhood of
the South was engaged in the late war
against the Federal Government. 10
exclude it from participation in the
General Administration is really to ex-
clude that great section of the Union
itself. The negroes who, dozen years
ago, were bought and sold as chattels,
who can hardly read or write. who arc
no more fit to be representatives than
infants at primary school in the
North, and carpet-bag adventnrers
from other States are in no respect en-
titled to be considered as spokesman Of
any section of the Union. They are not
so considered by the Northern people.
They are not wanted. We desire to
realize that which the "boys in blue"
fought for in four arduons years. That
was the Union as it was before secession
commenced. We don't want to make
Ex-President Lincoln and Ex-Secretary
of State Seward liars when they an
nounced to foreign Governments that
the vacant seats Of the Southern Repre-
sentatives in Congress were only wait
ing for their return; that no opposition
would be interposed by us to their re-
turn, but that the war was being waged
for that purpose. For the first time
since 1861 these vacant seats in Con-
gress are to be filled in pursuance of
these promises, and because of it there
should be congratulation from one end
of the Union to the other.-[Cincinnati
ENQUIRER.