New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-07-14
REFORM.

AoVCA SupAOycu " utCelNo peOplo
than that of reform. Governor Tilden,
who owes his chief renown to his SER
vices in arresting the Democratic thief
of the century, claims that it will
be only necessary to disqualify every Re
publican from holding office and install
the Democracy as the Levites who can
alone minister at the altar of public ser
vice. The failure of the Democracy in
Louisiana to carry out the professions of
reform at the last session Of the Legis-
lature, is sufficient to prove that there
has been no sincere intention to reduce
the patronage or emoluments Of Office at
all. The sole intention is to seize the
government and realize as much from its
expenditures as possible.
The New Orleans Bulletin comprehends
this hypocritical clamor for reform, and
points out its insincerity as follows:
This Office of civil sheriff ie, at once, the
munity, and the biggest political bonanza
Of the Democratic party; yet by some
strange accident, which suspicious people
might regard as coincidence, the Demo
cratic House in tho last Legislature failed
to pass the Senate bill which provided for
the reduction of the vast income of this
particular office, amounting to over hun
dred thousand dollars. We never saw q
Legislature so deeply and solemnly i'm
and retrenchment. 1t assumed the violence
of q rabies, and Legislators possessed by it
snapped right and left at the State officials:
but this official was not touched.
We do not make this extract to injure
the Bulletin. On the contrary, we enter
tain sympathy for its Intellectual efforts
at reform. But, really now, does not the
Bulletin know that these city offices con-
stitute, in good part, the Democratic cam
paign fund? From all these properties sold
by the sheriff, from all these suits brought
aud conducted in the clerks Office, we may
suppose there is a contribution to pay
for club rooms or PROFESSIONS; to print
newspapers or campaign documents. To
ask the Democracy, therefore, to cut
down this income of the parish officers
would be to expect it to abandon the
chief source Of campaign support. This
is the more unreasonable because the
business men are understood to have shut
down on the political prestamos, or forced
loans, of the Democratic past. 1t is not
supposed that a merchant will lose as
much by his withdrawal of Democratic
patronage as it would cost him to meet
the Democratic subscription.
For these reasons we can not expect the
Democracy to follow the advice given the
rich young man in the Scriptures. 1t
would reform away the last dollar Of
salary, but is extremely chary
OF its own salary. The REPUBLICAN, has
seen and shown that executive patronage
is the chief cause of Republican response
bility. 1t is the great motive Of Demo-
cratic violence. But what can one jour
nal effect? If one party should 50 into
the campaign with basket full of COM
missions and the other should refuse to
give any assurance of Office to its friends
the contest might be very unequal. To
effect reform, especially to renounce the
patronage of the executive, would require
IN agreement on the part Of both parties.
Let the Democratic candidates pledge
themselves for such reforms, on condition
that the Republican candidates will do the
same thing, and something may be effected.
Unless reform be conceded by both par
ties, neither the Bulletin nor ourselves
could possibly reform the State govern
ment single handed. When, however, the |
period shall arrive that every election shall
be referred to the people, and the chief
motive for armed violence and social pro-
scription shall have been thus removed,
the REPUBLICAN may be counted in for all
such reforms as the Democratic party now
refuses to permit and the Republican
party can not make unaided and alone.