The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-08-31
A NEW CONSTITUTION.

Il; il.-t n
The concurrent testimony Of. the
country papers Of this State. is to, the
effect that Louisiana requires new
Constitution. We do not :, know
whether our contemporaries have. been
reading the TELEGRAPH, or not; or
whether they nave been considering
that Georgia and other redeemed South
ernatatss have remodelled their recon-
struction constitutions In accorSlance
with the requirements Of republican
ci4ffzattoh; but 1t is u fact that the
country press Is unanimous, with only
onese nay, ia favor OF q constitutional
convention 'sf :H'. % -' .a"i"-i1
The huge Metropolitan dailies, nota-
bly,, the, N. o. Times and N. Q. Plea
yune, whose editors are always in
search Of a local item from the country
press concerning the weather, the
worms, &C., and snap at such itsms as
q mountain trout at y fy, have man
aged to steer clear of the calling of q.
constitutional convention. We have
been watching their columns with In
terest for an expression Of an opinion,
but. fad none. What we might learn
from, consulting the war dispatches
from Europe, or have learned from
reading the New York Tribune, Chica-
20 Tribune, or Financial Chronicle; or
what Capt. Cain, Or some other New
Orleans Police official has done with a
suspicious character, we have have been
stuffed full of from these huge dailies.
The New Orleans Democrat is u slight
exception. That paper has noticed the
general demand for a new Constitution
ON the part of the country press; and
favors the demand, SO far as to say that
all the changes required may he made
by amendments submitted to a vote OF
the people by legislative enactment.
The Democrat thinks this the cheaper
plan for the correction of an enormous
fundamental wrong. ,.g.:, -a,. q.
The only paper In the country OPP
posed to convention for the formation
Of Il new Constitution is the Alexandria
Democrat. We have the Democrat
before U.S. Its objections are very we'll
stated, and the source commands our
respect. Its objections amount to a
matter of dollars and cents-expense
to the State for holding a convention !;
aud to AN unwarranted intimation that
u convention is called for by the 'outs''
who desire to be of the Gins" ..a
We shall not discuss with our Alex-
..ins" aud the "outs." Since Louisiana,
after u long and laborlous> struggle,
passed into the nanus VI the real gov
ernink cAass-si reformation to wines.
the Democrat was an aDle Contributor,
and u reformation OF an evil under
which we and all the people suffered.
together - we cannot conceive that
there is 80 small distinction among
the resurrected Ms the Sins" and the
"outs." There may DO such u disttnc-
ton, but it ia totally unworthy of men.
1t has nothing whatever to do with
the formation of a new Constitution.
AS well might it have been said, when
the whole political and social influence
of the best people in the State was at
work to put down Radical government,
that the motive was one to get the
.sins'' out and the "outs" in. '.-'
The New Orleans Democrat, admit
ting that the present Constitu ton is
great wrong, it not a fraud, suggests, as
n matter of economy, that all the neces
sary changes may be made by amend
ments to be made by the Legislature.
The Democrat is a very good news
paper, but the people know their rights
and interests.
Consider the question as Que of ex-
pense: Win the Legislature be more
expeditions than II convention? We
believe not. The Legislature, rs we
said weeks ago, should have called q
Constitutional Convention among the
first acts of that body. The members
Of the Legislature lodged the question,
even while many prominent. members
knew fully as we'll as they knew the
road home, that there was no safety In
Louisiana for good government until q
new Constitution was framed.