The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-03-28
The CloYen Foot.

ly nothing to show that he intends t.
act honestly toward the South, be
yond the hopes and surmises of
few optimists, and the eager antici
pations of a few hungry office seek
ers. We have had plenty of fai
words, and possibly plenty of fai
promises; but nothing is easier thar
to gloss over the words and evade o.
repudiate the promises. If we ar,
not greatly mistaken, the process o
evasion and Reputation has alread,
begun. Rutheriraud's acts engende>
The suspicion that he intends tt
keep the word of promise to the ear
but break it to the hope. Evarts
FASTENED to repudiate Stanley Mat
thews, who is now generally repre-
sented as having spoken without au
thority. The Blaine party ha:
ceased its attempt to storm the
Hayes outworks, but is busily en-
gagged in undermining the citadel
AS the spurious president is seen tc
weaken, the Radical organs all along
the line pluck up courage, and strike
at him over the shoulders of Stanle,
Matthews. Rutherfraud appears tc
be holding himself in readiness to
repudiate himself, and it is to be
feared that he is too sharp at bar.
gain, and too much Of an Ohio Yam.
kee, for the unsophisticated South,
crners to cope with.
There can be no doubt that the re
Gently promulgated plan for new
elections in the South is the work OF
james C. Blaine, who is thus en-
deavoring to insinuate himself and
his policy into the embraces of the
administration. But there is reason
TO suspect that Rutherfraud looks
kindly upon this plan. He is throw
ing out his feelers in all directions,
apparently with the object of cling
ing where he finds the most certain
support. 1t is by no means improb-
able that this plan may be adopted
with the view of harmonizing the
two wings of the Republican party,
although it is safe to say in advance
that it will harmonic nothing in the
South. The plan is too evident
trick, too manifest attempt to re-
peat the Eight-to Seven swindle.
The first proposition is that the
work OF the infamous :anvassing
board shall be accepted, that Cham
berlain shall be recognized as COVER
nor until new election can be held,
and that the bogus legislature shall
pass law for new election and re-
gistration. A board is to be formed
for the control of tie election
which it is ropo-ed to fashion after
the manner of the Eight. to-Seven
swindle, Chamberlain and Hampton
each to select one member, and Gen.
Ruger the third. A canvassinu
board is to be created by similar
trick, and the army of the United
States is to be used for political pur
poses as it was during the last cam
paign, if not a ''lttIe more So"
This plan is most abominable and
entirely inadmissiblc. The intro
duction of the army into the politics
of the state is sufficient to condemn
it at once. The lawless and usurp
ing policy of military interference,
which President Grant twice de.
clared to be unjustifiable and repue
nant to the spirit Of our institutions,
and which he repudiated in his ele-
venth hour repentance, cannot be
honestly renewed or continued by
by his spurious successor. The en-
tire abandonment of that policy, in
the interest of peace and the Consti-
tuition, is the first necessity Of the
present time. The plan is again in
admissible, because it merely sub.
stitutes a Two-to-One trick for an
Eight-to Seven swindle, erecting
Gen. Ruger into the Joe Bradley of
the occasion. 1t would be Gen. Ru-
ger who would control the election.
count the vote, canvass the result,
and create an dliundc affair in the
shape of such a government as he
should be ordered to make. We
know what be has done heretofore,
and it is not to be supposed that he
would be less sub seryient to- this adj
ministration than to the last.
A similar plan is proposed fol