The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-03-04
REyOLUTJOyARY TENDENCIES.


Whenever the white people OF Louis
lana find themselves in position to
move i'm an effort to re-establish consti-
tutional government In the State, or to
meet out justice 10 the corrupt men In
power, politicians and presses OF nearly
every shade Of opinion throughout the
North turn upon and charge them with
attempting to carry out political trick.
Neither our enemies nor our professed
friends In the North seem willing to
credit us with any motives in our politi-
cal movements save those which influ-
ence demagogues and tricksters. SO
long MS we are obedient 60 ,lsurped au-
thority; so long MS we are quiet under
robbery 50 long as we bear our backs
to the lash and bow before and thank
the power that smites us, il is all very
well; The situation Is satisfactory; we
are good citizens and true patriots. But
the moment we display a purpose to de-
stroy the despotism Of corruption which
dominates the country, blighting every
industry and every interest, a universal
howl goes up to Heaven against us.
The recent attempt TO impeach Kel-
logg by the House OF Representatives
has furnished the Northern press new
opportunity to raise hue and cry
against Louisiana. and the New York
Herdld's voice leads the wild chorus.
According to that journalistic oracle the
people Of the South are all fools. "The
South" we are told, "can never be
great until it accepts fully the lessons Of
the war;" '"The South lacks common
sense" "The South must teach the
negroes-as we teach our myriads Of
aliens that government means the
election Of good men to Office" eve
find in the South, wherever the Demo
Gratis have gained power, u tendency to
revolution"
This is the same old story we have
been listening to for years. Whenever
interference in the local affairs Of the
Southern States Is TO be justified, we
are told that we have not accepted "the
lessons OF the war" that We are fools,
that we are rebellious; that we ought to
instruct the negro and make him o
highly enlightened and useful citizen.
What lessons of the war" we would ask
our censors, have we not accepted? We
have accepted the emancipation Of the
slaves and there are scarcely a
thousand men among us who desire
to see the institution OF slavery re-es
tablished. We have accepted the en-
reimbursement Of the negroes, and
we know of none who wish to
exclude any one from voting on
account Of race. There are many
thinking men In the South, as there
are in the North, who favor a
qualified suffrage, but none that
advocate race qualification. We know
Of no party, faction, or leader that is
seeking dissolution of the Union. In
deed, we have learned all these lessons
of the war by rote, and acquitted our
selves with credit whenever we have
been subjected to fair examination. If
the Northern press would have the
South learn any other lessons of the
war, they must be lessons in the deep
humiliation and shameful degradation
to which Blaine and Morton would
bring us. If the South can never be
great until It fully accepts degradation
and humility, we should prefer it to re-
main in poverty. When it seeks to find
a path to greatness by such means il
will be unfit to form part OF republic
That there Is tendency to civil strife
in some Of the Southern States; that
after every election In which the Radi-
calls are defeated there follows revolu-
tionary movements; that wherever the |
Radical party has full sway there is dis |
and often turbulence, is GER
tainly true. But only an utter ignorance
of the Southern situation could have led |
the New York Herald to attribute these |
to the Democracy, and to
cite the impeachment OF Ames in Mis-
sissippi and OF Kellogg in Louisiana as
proceedings.
When the Radical party had control
Of Texas, that great State was in con-
slant fever Of discomfort; civil broils
occurred in many counties, and hostile
spirit pervaded the whole people. We're
The Democracy responsible? BY no
means. When Davis administration
its schemes of plunder, it
also organized an army Of brigands,
,alled State police, composed of the
worst class OF negroes, white thieves
md murderers, who rode over the State,
and insulting the people
)ften committing murder-robbing and
The conduct Of Davis State
Dolice was almost unbearable, and only
he strong resolution of the Texans to
,e patient prevented terrible revo-
utiOn.
Can a people be said to have revolu-
ionary tendencies simply because they
re impatient under insult and pillage?
Sow mark. So soon as Coke was elected
Governor and his administration organ
zed, all excitement, all Revolutionary
endencies" disappeared. An honest ju- :
iciary was established; public plunder
eased, and the government became a
to instead Of ferocious per-
ecution Of the people. The Democracy
established the reign of the constitu- {
ion and the laws prosperity, peace, {
wealth followed, and the
eople were content. {
The story Of Arkansac ic varv c;milar r