New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-06-09

/ CON0BESHlUNA4 N6oAhVA w AVOA0AANA'
There is an engraving called ''The Poll
tician." It represents an elderly gent
with broad brim straw hat and specta-
cles. He is reading ''the gazette" by
lamplight, and has become so absorbed in
the pursuit of some political scandal that
the candle has set his straw hat on fire, so
that while he is smiling with delight at
| the demonstrated stupidity of political
opponent, the hinder side of his straw hat
is in lovely confagration. The Demo-
cratic politicians of Louisiana furnish q
grave subject for similar illustration.
Having suspended the business of the
session, the Democratic majority Of the
House of Representatives has resolved
itself into o political grand Jury, with
power to send for persons and papers. as
well as to pervade the whole country with
subcommittee, prospecting for places as
the Californians used to prospect for
placers.
The Democratic politicians demanded a
committee for the development of pay
dirt in New Orleans, and were accommo-
dated with the usual outfit Of pans and
rockers, which they set up in the midst Of
very fine indications at the federal officers
of This city. just about the time that the
insatiate virtue of the monastic Democ-
racy was reveling in the delight Of dis
honest Cabinet officer, and profering
several chargers to receive the heads of
various Republican officials, it was per-
ceived that the government was moving
in somewhat the same line, but with the
honest motive of protecting the federal
revenues. Hence, simultaneously with
the arrival of the congressional inquest,
the Investigations Of revenue robbery
came to q close in the conviction Of
persons, some of whom were leading
merchants connected with the most
important legal and religious enter
p1ises. The most prominent among
these convicts ,oere not Republicans. These
men had been engaged not merely in
bribing "penniless officers" of the reve-
nue., but, by evading the payment Of reve-
nue. taxes on the commodity in which
they dealt, in destroying the business Of
honest citizens who did pay these taxes.
1t was thus proven to the popular mind
that the default Of cashier who handles
money does not prove the integrity Of q
man who handles none; that robbery
knows neither politics nor religion, and
that if the outside Democracy could ''put
itself IN the place" of the inside Repub-
licans the treasures Of the United States
would be none the safer for it. So the
fragrance of burned straw began to
ascend until the public spectator was like
Fay, the son of Fitz, clicked to death"
with the confusion which the uncon-
scious Democracy was preparing for
itself. We will predict that when
the sugar and cigar frauds shall have been
fully examined and exposed, the selfish
.speculations by which leading merchants
have ruined some industries in our city
will be obvious. While the Democratic
politicians have seized upon this ruin as
one evidence of misrule of Grant and
Kellogg, far more intense and pungent
odor Of burning will titillate the public
nostrils. These two-edged developments
are not, however, the consequences of
political preoccupation to which we have
adverted.
While the Democracy here were read
ing with delight the daily reports of their
spies at Washington, and when they had
even Withdrawn Representative, very
efficient in protecting the industrial inter-
ests Of Louisiana, to prospect for official
frauds in New Orleans, they were sudden
~ awakened to the fact that the levee
and railroad interests of Louisiana were
postponed to the indefinite indemnity Of
next session, while of the United States
Mint at New Orleans, it had been asserted
by Mr. Holman, the Democratic director
Of financial policy, that no one asked for
its continuance as mint, and that the
ignominious appropriation Of one thou
sand dollars, reported by the Democratic
Committee on Appropriations, was only
meant to keep the city Of New Orleans
out of the Mint property, by lapse Of
title, consequent upon the failure of the
government to occupy the building as a
mint This seemed bad enough, but
there was even worse "Five and twenty
sugar knaves all in row. got up con-
vention with the Sandwich government,
and according to newspaper report put
up three hundred thousand dollars to
carry it into effect. The New Orleans
Democrat made very light of this treaty,
and it said that ''the treaty existing be-
tween the administration at Washington
and the carpet-haggers of Louisiana" was
"a far more important subject than "the
treaty." as it facetiously
and with unconscious force termed a
treaty which threatens to rob Louisiana
Of the protection on her sugar and rice
interests. The Times, as sort of tender |
for this rushing locomotive, jocularly COM
plimented Mr.. Gibson upon having sat |
like bump on log" through the whole |
session of Congress, but with "having at
asst lifted up his voice and made bril-