New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-03-28

vigor for centuries, against what is calie
error or heresy; and the result was, frs!
. the division of the Church into two bodies
the Eastern and the Western Church
second, the subdivision of the latter int
the Romish and the Protestant Churches
; and, third. the entire separation in our gov
eminent of Church and State, SO as TO max
further use of force here by the great mera
power of the werld impossible.
| The Mohammedans applied II with rlgo
against what they considered mora! and
political disease, until they themselves a
the beginning of this century became the
sick man Of Europe. They now are resort
ration, internal improvements and moderr
inventions, and the happy result OF thi
change of medicine is seen in the fact thu
their hold on the BosphOrus, half a century
ago nearly relaxed, now bids fair to b.
permanent.
At the close Of the revolutionary war We
had an invalid in the guise of Articles o.
Confederation" devised in 1913, not adopted
| by all the States till 1881, and in 1857, opl y
six years thereafter, found to be 80 weak
| and unsuited to cur condition that ON Feb
ruary Il OF that year Congress officially
proclaimed its inability to conduct the gov
eminent as then constituted.
| According to the long established system
of political hygiene, the medicines for our
| patient then We're, first, anarchy, confusion,
and bloodshed second, a temporary die
| tator: and, finally permanent king or en-
| perOr backed by o large army. But our
people, contrary to precedent and authority
| rescrted only to moral remedies. They
! turned calm and scrutiDizing eye upon
| themselves, when apprized by Congress
| that the wheels OF government had stopped,
they carefully examined the extent and
| cause Of the evil. and patiently waited two
whole years till remedy was discovered
to wit, a strong national constitution, which
| they voluntarily adopted without having
wrung tear or drop Of blood from man
kind.
The republics of Rome, Italy, France
and Spain never pursued this course; it was
not possible for them. from the social, intel
lectual and moral condition Of the mass of
their people; hence their ruin.
Our country in its colonial days, through
the avarice OF one race and the helplessness
and barbarism of another, inherited @ dis
ease almost as bad as the scrofula, for its
seat was supposed at first to be in the blood:
to wit. negro slavery. But the gradual
whitening out OF the slaves reduced it to
colored slavery, and suggested at last to its
warmest advocates that even color was not
essential; that slaves might be Of any hue;
and white slaves came to be more highly
priced than black.
This disease fifteen years ago threw the
patient into q delirium of the most violent
and dangerous character. Hydropathy had
no effect upon him; sedatives and proven
tives, in the shape of compromise plasters,
had been applied in 1890, 1882 and 1850, and
finally in 1856 the Supreme Court plaster
known as the ''Dred Scott Decision" till all
such nostrums ceased to pacify him, and at
last he made violent and iratricidal at
tack upon the rest Of the family.
The only cure left was an extensive and
long continued operation of phlebotomy.
This Old.fashioned remedy brought the.
patient out Of deliriuin, quoted his nerves,
and restored his reason; but it left it in a
condition Of great prcstration, physical and
moral, and exposed to attacks OF other
maladies.
Let US now diagnose his condition and
SEQ if we can not, like our fathers in 1857,
discover tonic that may be voluntarily
taken. and will restore the patient to the |
fullest measure and Use of all the powers of |
q tear or drop of blood from humanity.
The nine cotton States, namely, North |
and South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Ala |
mama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and |
Arkansas, contain population, over ten |
years of age, of 5000, coo; of whom fifty one
per cent, or 2,555,75l, can not read and |
write. The inhabitants of these nine States
over twenty-one years OF ago number
8, 070,0o0, Of whom ffty-ope and one-quar.er
write. 1t is striking but encouraging fact
that the percentage Of illiteracy ever twenty
,ne is greater than the percentage over ten
years Of age.
1t shows that the tide of ignorance was
highest ten years ago, and has been slowly
,bbing ever since; the children now living
between the ages Of ten and twenty-one are
ar more intelligent than those of the pre-
'ious decade. Their whole population is
,SS7 AIS; OF whom ffty-six and half per
ent, or ;, 800 are white, and forty-three
nd half per cent, or 2.99l, l55, are col
red, and came out of bondage.
All, both white and coIored, were brought
Up in a state of society that considered
abor degrading-the occupation of slaves. |
me fifty-six and q half per cent of whites |
row up under a system OF caste that had |
{ necessity to make might right, and to |
old white skin to be q sort Of patent OF |
obilitY, proof OF hereditary and indefessi-
lie right to rule.
,rce; and their political management and
gard for the political rights OF oppone nts
ere, to great extent, controlled by the
ime brute principle.
Their governments had been ncminaIIy !
publican, but really most tyrannicai and |
4spotic oligarchies. Each had been of 9
scessity intolerant and truculent in its Z
f0- the reason that it was
,liged, at whatever cost of feeling or hu-
anlty, TO sustain and protect human sla :
Try. The education and habits of the 2
items were dominated and distorted bv =
q exigencies OF their system of forced .
Dor. -
This system and any government based | +,
on human rights were in perpetual and | q
oconciable antagonisn. They could not | n
rmanently exist together. One Or the ! n
her must go under. The mass OF our NJ
ople did not think so; but orr wise men, m
ashingtop, Franklin, Jefferson, Garrison, OF
illips, Sumner, Seward and Lincoln did, fl
well as many intelligent foreigners.
bile travelling in Italy, in 1888, had for =,
ompanIon tor some weeks a gentleman | g,
III Moscow, who was a member of the 4
'lomatic service of Russia. He spoke | la
'en languages, AMI, though he had never 10
N in America, he was as familiar as De | oh
cqueville with our history and institu- la
as. One day hc surprised me by saying. no
newhat abruptly, How long do you an
ak your free government will stand!' / te
lied: las long as any government We
nds; we think it the best, and tho best of re-
'ry species suryiyes'
10 replied: Il give you ten years. Half ST,
your country Is tit for a republic Inthat ! st,
the intelligent citizen, the school dis | NJ;
y, the town, the county, tho State the ! M
, church, are all homogeneous, qualified oc
harmonious elements of free govern. tn,
~. Bat the other half Of your country tn,
an institution and q social organism | o;t
oh unfit every citizsn for a republic, and
n him up for a military despotism. At wi
rate things progress and develop in | sh,
erlcd' ING Crisis MusD come within ten TO
RS ana then the result VIII depend upon his
sther there is in the free States intelli- are
ce and decision enough to crush out to
ely IL HOt, Neo government VIII end. | an
DrGcprVaH q l u;