New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-27
CONDITIONS IMPOSED UPON PUBLIC DIS
CUSHIONS.

1t will be regarded by the people of the
United States as a singular conclusion
should the Democratic leaders in Louisi.
ana decline to meet the Republicans in
discussion upon the gu estions which sep
arate the people. We believe that the
schedule of the Demo cracy involves two
principal measures of campaign policy
l. Misrepresentation; and 2. Intimidation.
1t would certainly conduce to the har-
mony of the country if the Republicans
indicted upon such inhuman and unjust
charges should be allo wed to appear at
the bar Of public judgment They could
there disprove the MUST accusations and
show that were these charges even true
it would not follow that the advocates of
Tweed and the authors of violence should
be called to administer the Federal and
State governments.
We can not but express our surprise
that Mi. Nichols should have referred to
the Central Democratic Committee to de-
eide for him whether he shall assent to
| the invitation of Mr.. Packard. We even
see that the White Line organ questions
the propriety of Mr.. Nichols holding
any relations with his antagonist. 1t
says
We indorse the suggestions of "Lsst
Ditcher." If Packard will accept them,
LII: <1~A al Ill
him; if he refuses, he stands in the posi-
| ton in which We placed him yesterday,
| and General Nichols can not, under any
circumstances, hold any relations with him
Are we to infer from this that the con-
test is not to be conducted according to
the laws of civilized political. warfare?
Does this mean that the Citations Of the
leaders and their respective parties shall
be discourteous and hostile? Such q
proclamation, if authorized by the Democ-
racy, would occasion q natural solicitude
throughout the nation lest the campaign,
conducted as in Mississippi, should close
with charge all along the Democratic
line as on the fourteenth of September, in
New Orleans. We have noticed with
much concern, though without surprise,
that the White Liners defeated in the
nomination of Mr.. Mich oils have regained
control of the Democratic party. They
have formed around that chieftain as his
campaign staff, and it will have been seen
that the press so decided in opposition to
his nomination now presents conditions
upon which alone he shall conduct the
canvass. The conditions put in the
mouth of Mr.. Nichols prove that he has
been so captured by the White Liners,
because he was reported at Baton Rouge
to have said
And after the interval between this time
and the time l shall take my oath as Gov
ernor of this State, shall cease to be the
representative of the Democratic party
and be the representative of the people
not of one set-but of the whole.
We looked upon this dec laration at the
time as pledge Of tot al abstinence from
Democracy for and during the term of
his natural life; but We certainly can not
see how a man who, claiming to be ''the
representative of the whole people, shall
restrict his counsels and correspondence
to less than half of his constituency. Yet
Mr.. Nichols seems to have surrendered
the independent position first taken, and
submitted his actions to the discretion of
the most violent members of the Demo-
cratic party. At this moment Mr..
Nichols seems in the hands of COM
mittee composed Of the very men who did
all in their power to secure his position
for themselves.
The proposed imposition of conditions
Of discussion is unhea I'd Of It is an alb
solute duty of all candidates for popular
Office to meet without fear, and even to
court the controversy of all opponents in
opinion. We point to all the former con-
tests of the Union; to the discussions now
going en- elsewhere. Republicans meet
Democrats without demanding any con-
cession or any advantages. The Repub-
licans Of Louisiana perform a representa-
tive duty in holding themselves ready to
meet those who claim to have all the in
telligence and property of the State to de-
fend the Republican cause and expose
Democratic pretensions.
We are aware that in Mississippi the
Democratic orators moved with field
piece, that they fred cannon at intervals
during the canvass, and especially on the
day of election. We have seen that Mr..
Nichols, under his body-guard Oh White
Liners, advanced in the steamboat to
place appointed for public speaking, and
that cannon was fred from that boat all
along the voyage Of its approach. We
were not surprised that by the time Of its
arrival good many colored people had
come in to headquarters. It is not very
probable that if in a Democratic tete a
tete with the colored people, Judge
Howe lex Republican, should repeat this |
statement
MY colored friends" he said, "vote
against the Conservatives and you vote for |
war, capitalization, pickering, wrangling,
rlot and robbery; vote against the Con- |
and you plunge our State into |
anarchy for four more years at least"
He might be met by denial, perhaps dis.
proof. As his speech reads it leaves the |
logical inference that if the Democracy Of !