The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1875-12-23
POLITICS AND COMMERCE.

There IL n fallacious idea that pos
sesses the minds OF too many CONNER
cial or so-callcd business men, viz: tina
political agitation Is injurious 20 b,isl
ness operations Tho idea IL worse tha
fallacious; IL IL positively dangerous
When IL possesses man IL IL clearl
because he has begun to reason Mt tn
wrong end of tho subject. When roa
sonably good government exists thcr
IL little political agitation, or what thor
Is excrts no evil influence on tho ordi
nary routine Of business. Elections, will
. their primary and mass meetings, torch
light PROFESSIONS. ctc., come and go
and the prices of cotton and sugar var.
not in consequence thereof. Tho nois,
and confusion OF the moment IRE bu
the expression of important but limo
cent effervesccnce Of the human emo
lions, and the cur OF commerce roll,
smoothly on.
But when bad government comes ther
there Is but one safety valve for society
and that Is never ending agitation
aggressive agitatlon--until tho evil o.
OWLS Is exterminated utterly and com
pletely. Repress this agitation, either
by force or by fraud, and ono or two re-
suits Is inevitable the utter extinction
OF the higher and ennobllng charac.
tcristics OF our species. or one Of those
moral volcanic cruptions which knows
no publication save through dcsolation.
Bad government Is ever aggressive,
and II laughs mt mild remonstrance.
But II breads agitation faithful, per-
sistent, aggressive agitation. This Is Its
natural, its implacable encmy--the only
enemy save gloomy, bloody revolution
that can cxterminate IL.
What would the Cuisines man y
have? Silence Alas ! silence Ia not
peace, and 1t Is peace that agitation
Graves. Silence may become degrade
ton, decay, when enforced by the bayo-
net; but that ia the peace OF death
moral dissolution. And where then Is
commerce
II was this gildcd bauble, silence,
which was shaken before the admiring
eyes OF tho thoughtlcss and called by
the Wheeler and Frye Congressional
Committee. pence, that induced the
compromise or adjustment. And
what Of good has come of it?" Months
OF silence we have had, but all the time
bad, tyrannical, hated government, and
not IN hours peace. Look where you
will and the blight Is on us-not one
single warning ray Of legitimate, gen.
erous, good government to give life to
any pursuit or hope to oppressed hui
manity. Would our business men fos-
ter such state of things? II will not
do to argue that IL ought not to be thus,
or that it Is useless TO kick against the
pricks, or that we should trust to the
promises OF the usurpcr that he will i'm
prove. The representatives Of COM
merce must do what all other classes
do--take human nature as they find IL
and act philosophicalIy.
Every citizen Of New Orleans Is deeply
interested In its commerce., but they
know that politics rest at tho bottom Of !
commerce. Commerce cannot flourish,
communities cannot prosper under bad
government. A few individuals NAV.
for musorooms grow vigorously on the |
wreck OF matter.
But more than all.this-man has ever
n Ola history made both personal and
material sacrifices in the struggle for
Tho niAmtenance OF principle. For lib |
erty, NE counts his life as always a |
ready price to pay. Wherever in his |
history he is found to have wavered |
from or abandoned this high standard,
his decay can be marked therefrom.
Unless we wholly err in the estimate
we have formed Of this people, they
will never cease agitation until there
comes the absolute relief to which they
are entitled. A loaf OF bread or dol
lar may be divided with robber who is
not entitled to a crumb or a coat, but
you cannot cut principle in two and
share 1t with the usurper. J.
And If we are to continue the struggle
that our children may reap the abund-
ant fruit Of the seed We sow, then We
must act as one man, that our blow NAV
be well aimed and crushing. Laborer.
artisan. doctor, lawyer, merchant. s.bu.
siness man"-all must work together.
and we shall surely be free. No COM
promise, no Adjustment Theoreticallyl
we are free people let us never falter
In our work until we are free in fact. |,
Look around you, business men of ,
New Orleans, and forget not that your}s
lot is cast with large population OF a
race only in process Of civilization.
Past contact with you has elevated them
to the standard they have attained. ]
Lett to themselves all history teaches b
they never would have exacted it. All
political mission Of two-fold significance
Is yours, then. A nation Of white men
alone may lose liberty through coward
Ice md their decay be but gradual: /,
mlxe4 as We are, rapid indeed and COM
plete will be the process when we Weld
our manhood.
Peace bought with the price OF fun.
mental principles is peace too dear
e enjoyed, because II tells Of moral