The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-20

which must result from the success of the
effort now making to Africanize the half OF
our country
| | would not put considerations of money in
competition with justice and right. But the
| expenses incident to reconstruction under
the system adopted by Congress aggravate
what regard as the intrinsic wrong of the
measure itself. 1t has cost uncounted mil
lions already, and if persisted in will add
| largely to the weight of taxation, already too
| oppressive to be borne without Just complaint,
and may finally reduce the Treasury of the
nation to condition of bankruptcy
We must not delude ourselves.
It viii require q strong standing army
and probably more than two hundred millions
OF dollars per annum, to maintain the SUI
premacy OF negro governments after they are
| established. The SUM thus thrown away
would il properly used, form a sinking fund
large enough to pay the whole national debt
III less than fifteen years. 1t is vain to hope
that negroes will maintain their ascendency
themselves. without n,ijtury p0trer they are
srbody incapa5je Of holding IN s,Fgectjoa the clHe
peofls d, tie SotH.
How far the duty Of the President, ITO pre-
serve, protect, and defend the Constitution
requires him to go IN opposing an unconstl-
tutlonal act Of Congress- is very serious and
ated much, and felt extremely anxious to
reach a proper conclusion Where an act has
been passed according to the forms Of
the Constitution by the supreme legisla-
tive authority, and is regularly enrolled
among the public statutes OF the coun-
try, Executive resistance to it, especially
in times of high party excitement, would
be likely to produce violent collision between
the respective adherents OF the two branches
CT the government. This would be simply
civil war; and civil war mustbe resorted ito
only as the last remedy for the worst OF evils.
Whatever might tend to provoke il should be
most carefully avoided. A faithful and eonsci-
entious Magistrate will concede very much to
homes. error, and something even to peryarSe
malice, before he will endtnger the public
peace; ami he VIII moi adopt forcibie measures,
or such as might lead to force, as long as those
which are pe&ceable remain Opo,l to him or 70
his constituents. 1t is true that cases may
occur i'll which the Executive woald be com,
pelied to stand On its rights, and maiHtain
them, regardless Of ali consequences. Il
Congress should pass an act which is not only
n palpable conhtat with the Constitution, bat
will certainly, il carried out, proiuce imme-
liate and irroparabls ivjurv 70 III organic
tracturo OF tine government, ard i there be
neither jntti:!Hl renedy Tor tie wrongs it il
t1'aIs, nor poEcr N The psopie 10
protect Themselves without the official aid OF
their elceted defender il, Tor instance, the
legislative dep rt-aent SHOULD pass an act,
~ Il t1roagl ali tae forms OF Law, to abolish
a coordinate dep .r-mant Of tbs Government
-in such Il case he President must take the
high responsibilities Oh his Office. ana save
tAe life of the II .tion a. Ill hazards. the So
called reconstruction acts, though "a plainly |
demonstrations as any that can be |
imagined, were not believed to be |
within the class last mentioned. |
Tie people We're not wholly disauned
OF the power OF selI-defense. IN all the
Northern Suites they still held in their hands |
the Scored right OF the ballot, and it was safe
to believe that in due time they would come
to tie rescue OF their own Institutions. 1t
gives me pleasure to add that the appeal tc
our common constituents was not taken in
Win, aud that my confidence in their wisdom |
and virtue seems not to have been misplaced. |