The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-03-10
MIR. HOAR'S REPORT.

L
OF the many criticisms Of the mi
nority Report by the Northern press
we subjoin the two following. The
N. Y. World says:
The visit of Mr.. Hoar's committee to
New Orleans has produced little or no Wis
libby profitable results for the Radical
friends of Mr.. H0ar. A minority of the
Committee on the State of the South, con-
sisting of Messrs. Hoar, Frye and Wheeler,
have indeed edited the House of Repre-
sentatives with pungent disquisition on
the alleged vile manners of shareholders
of fifteen years ago, and have told carpet
bagging Congressman more about the ter
rible lawlessness of the White League than
the carpet-bagging Congressman them
selves were eve able to learn in their
political contests with the White Leaguers.
| And for this much the advocates OF the
caucus bill, who at the present moment
are seemingly in frame of mind to appre-
ciate small favors, will doubtless be de-
voutly thankful. But Mr.. Hoar's visit to
New Orleans has failed to secure the as
sent of majority of the full committee to
the report which Mr.. Hoar earnestly de-
sires to have adopted by the House. While
the minority headed by Mr.. Hoar rambles
at will through the ancient and modern
history Of Louisiana to prove that Kellogg
is of right Governor of the State and that
Hahn ought in equity to be Speaker Of the
Legislature, the majority headed by Mr..
Foster goes to work in business-]ike
way to disprove the sophistries and false
estatments which Mr.. Hoar brought back
from the underlings Of Kellogg, and on
which the arguments and conclusions of
the minority, are based.
The N. Y. Tribune, opening with
the assertion that the minority Re-
mort will not answer it's purpose, thus
describes it:
It is written with such imprisoned feel
ing and such earnsetness of conviction
that it cannot but have considerable ef-
feet among the kind Of people who. feel
and think with Mr.. Hoar, or rather who
feel with him and do not think at all.
The Republicans who believe that bad
Republican is under all circumstances bet
ter than good Democrat, if they even ad.
nit the existence of the latter category,
and who consider it a solemn religious du-
ty to sustain Gen. Grant in any act which
he may commit, will accept this report as
the final word on the subject to which it
refers.
But this is not the purpose Of the report,
and if it acc0mplishes no more than this it
fails The elections last Autumn were lost
by the votes of another sort of Republicans
Of men who do their own thinking, and
who have ceased to regulate their con-
sciences by the DEGREES of cauc,lses; luen
who have lost confidence in many of their
party leaders, and who do not believe that
Gen. Grant is safe man to be trusted
with extraordinary and illegal powers.
!. Unless these men can be brought to sup
port the Republican party and it's meas
ures by their votes and their influence
there is no hope that that party can ever
carry another general election. We do not
think that this report will induce dozen
of these valuable thousands ofvoters to
renonnce their attitude of observation and
to cast in THEFT lot with the steady sup.
porters of the Administration. The asser.
tions of Mr.. Hoar and his colleagues are
strong enough, but their admissions
are fatal to the effect of the report. The
stories they relate of the horrors of parti-
san strife in Louisiana, its bloodshed and
tumult, are many Of them true and deplo.
rablo. But nowhere does this report give
us the slightest intimation that Gen
Grants way is the proper and effective
way to deal with these evils. On the con
trary, it asks us to believe that during the
six years of his administration, in which
time he has been more generally exempt
from criticism in his own party than any
President in our history, and has been sus
tanned in the absolute control of the army
the judiciary, and the legislative author
ity, no progress has been made toward the
pacifcation Of the State of Louisiana. We
are asked to believe that with every
branch of the Government there in Repub
lican hands, and with the army ready ev.
erywhere to interfere in their behalf, the
majority are so intimidatcd by the minor
ity that no fair or full vote can be had
If this he so what is to be gained by per,
petuating this state of things? which is
all that General Grant and his followers
propose.
The minority of the Committee thus
: throw no light upon the legal question in
volved. They assert that the election was
not originally fair one. and therefore
that every successive step was tainted with
illegality. If we accept their report there
is no path out ofthis labyrinth. But if we
accept that of the majority, that the cleo.
ton was fair one, and that the Conserva.
tives carried the Legislature, we are much
further on our way toward practical so,
luton of the trouble. The report of the
majority is therefore the more practicable
as well as the more probable, the more eff
fective as we'll as the more impartial. Mr.
Hoar has accomplished by his journey
nothing for his party and nothing for the
State Of Louisiana.