New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-10-17
OUR DEMOCRATIC C0NeRESsMHN ON QUE
RAILROAD AND LEVEE.

Our DEMOCRATIC C0NGRESsMRN ON OU
RAILROAD AND LEVEE.
We quoted the other day from ih
Congressional Rscor! the resolution @
Mr. Holman against national appropria
tions in the present condition Of tn
financial affairs Of the government" at,
associations or corporations engaged Of
proposing TO engage in public or privat,
enterprises" i: was shown that larg,
majority OF those Who voted for that res
olation were Democrats, and it was plain
that Democratic House could have Dc
feated the resolution had it chosen to dc
50. The Democrats who voted for the
resolution, with those absent, consti.
tuted majority of the House, and could
have defeated it. As the resolution
stands to-day the rule of the present
Democratic Congress, We hold that body
as much responsible for stopping the
great works of which Louisiana stands so
| greatly in need, as that Congress claims
to be entitled to the honor of econ
| omy for not having voted appro-
| priations for these works. IN cur
| comments upon the Democratic injunc-
ton upon our railroads and levees, We
incidentally quoted the vote of our three
Democratic Representatives for the reso-
lutions, while two of our Republican Rep
resentatives voted against and one mir.
Nash) for it. The Bulletin seems astonished
to find the names Of Messrs. Ellis, Glib
son and Levy, as special representatives Of
our levees and railroads, among those who
voted for this injunction. 1t says:
But tho point is, if Messrs. Gibson and
Ellis voted for this resOlution-which We do
not, can not be.ieve-hOv is it that they
could afterwards assure US, as thsy did on
more than one occasion. that the appropri..-
ton for the leveas would certainly be made
within . very short timel 1t these gentle
men had already committed themselves to
the policy of refusiog government aid TO
any and every scheme Of local improve
ment, on what principle of good faith to us
could they authorize the expectation of
national Ievee system in the Mississippi
valley last winter!
Independently Of the fact that the Re-
PUBLICAN never knowingly imputes to its
political opponents acts of which they
are innocent, we have only to refer to our
authority, in the hands of or accessible to
the Bulletin. The action of the House will
be found in the Congressional Record for
1876, printed on page 227, and among the
yeas voting for the resolution will I'M
doubtedly be found the names of Messrs.
Ellis, Gibson and Levy. We noted, sub
sequently, some speculations that the
Democratic House would next winter pass
the railroad and, perhaps, other appro-
priations vital to Louisiana, but we knew
that this could not be done so long as the
financial affairs Of the government con-
tinued as they we're and are, nor until the
Democratic majority Of the House should
rescind the resolution by which they are
bound in honor and in principle. As for
a vote for protection or against internal
improvement, impairing the poll of the
Democratic Representatives single vote,
we had no such insane expectation. We
know that all Democrats enjoy an indul-
gence to vote any side of any ques-
ton without thereby imlairing their
party allegiance. The resolution adopt
ed in this campaign that the Dam-
ocratic State candidates should not
recognize the Republican State candi-
dates has been extended to the national |
electors and other candidates, so that the |
fatal obligations which the Democratic |
candidates for Congress have incurred in |
voting for the Holman resolutions, unless
told by them, will never reach the Demo-
cratic ear at all We have attached no
political importance to the painful posi-
ton occupied by these Representatives.
We knew that they could not obtain protec-
lion to rice and sugar under Democratic
platform which demands that all Custom
house taxation shall be for revenue alone,
Ind which denounces the present tariff.
among other articles, sugar
md nice, as "a masterpiece of injustice,
inequality and false pretenses.
We knew that our Democratic Repre-
entatives had pledged themselves, with
be Democratic majority, that no national
id should be granted to such works as
be Texas Pacific railroad and the levees
4 the then 'present condition of the
nancial affairs Of the government.
We know that if Mr.. Tilden should be
Iected on the st. Louis platform he will
Q bound on principle to veto any act for
10 direct or indirect protection Of sugar
I'D rice, and also to veto any bill for an