The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-02-26
ARE THE PEOPLE TRUE?
Too Many CrOp-eared and Bob.taiIed
q POliticiasS. ~

II ~ POlitfciA1S. E@
, Editor New Orleans Democrat:
II It does me good to read your two lead.
ing editorials of 25th instant, "The Poo.
pie are True" and we must "Move." III
the DEMOCRAT remains true to its mis-.
sion, il it will move" we may vet over.
come our worst enemies-the Radicals
not excepted the ''crop-eared and bob
tailed politicians" For three years. IN
i my humble sphere, I have been preach
ing to our more intelligent men of all
classes that Louisiana's curse of curses
is the horde Of would-be leaders. Every
parish 9n in the State has one
or more leaders Of State politics,
and every ward I'm New Orleans
has more than any parish outside tho
city. and as you say. every parish or
ward leader imagines that the salvation
OF his parish through compromise
| with kellOgg-is the salvation of the
State. Ii q " leader can get q good
Board Of Police for his parish, Louis
lana Is redeemed. If another "leader"
can get q Conservative judge for his
parish, the State is relieved from her
thraldOml Cold, selfish, narrow-minded
politics ,nHicts with statesmanship at
every turn, and our poor State staggers
along toward complete destruction.
In 1874 the tyranny OF the despot cul-
minated In his undertaking to deprive
us OF our private arms; it was the last
straw on the poor camels back, but the |
back did not break; on the contrary,
the camel kicked up, and in fifteen min |
utes sent the burden whirling into the |
ar and the pack masters PROSTATE in
the dust Before the wrath Of an out
ragged people the whole pack of thieves
and robbers abandoned the State to her
legitimate masters It the peos,ie-and
took refuge in the Customhouse. They
knew they deserved to die, for they had
inflicted worse than death on us, and
they ran as If they expected death.
There was porpetrated blunder BY
the numerous leaders" that will never
be excused by the calm historian. That
Q people who had gone to ,he extent of
lorcibiy Opposing a tyrant-a cowardly
have next day been
found hobnobbing with him, "confer-
ring with him, Is past comprehension.
Again, last winter we had Grant run
g the wall. He had out Heroded
Herod, and had run d Legislature of a
rec people (?) out Of Its hall at the point
# the bayonet. The decent members
II that Legislature, acting for ,
moment under the commonest
impulse OF freeborn men, retired from
he scene, and left Kellogg and his
ninions without o quorum and paral-
zed as a government. The country was
hooked, and Grant saw he had gone
90 far. All we had to do was to stand
till and the game was ours. Alas! the
orde Of leaders" appeared on the
Gene; Grant threw out q glitterinp :,
ait; they bit voraciously, and Grants
sherman, Wheeler and FRYE. hauled
cor fiuttering Louisiana ashore. Com
romise" did for Louisiana, in the wav
harm, what Grant and Kellogg. ms
espots, could never have done.
But 1t makes the heart ache to think
1t. Your Arkansas man s view of the
use Is entirely proper to all outsiders
hey don't know how we are c,1rsei
ith leaders, and of course theyI
INK the fault lies with the people.
nd at last 1t must. There Is some
'dlcal defect In u people who can be
JUS bamboozled and trified with. In la
emery, the man whom the people IN
lose for their leader at their conven. :
On, this people have ever found n 8
ave, consistent, self-sacrificing. true
ader, and they have permitted him to
overslaughed, blotted out by narrow
lnded patriots OF the hour. Can we
that we don't deserve to suffer for III
Is? Why shall a man propose to sac
Ice himself for people who prefer to
, themselves be the handle OF small
liticians Is it not grave question
lether this people have yet ascer-
ned the truth of the proposition.
at there Is but one enemy against des.
tlsm-stern aggression
LAST D1TCHER.