The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-03-07
That SeditiOuS Article.
THE WORDS FOR WHICH GRANTS AID
MINISTRATI0N PROPOSE TO IN
DICT DOM PIATT.

The sickening apprehension fel
by the people, to which we referred
last week, that the Supreme Cour
would be found as rotten as the othe
powers of our unhappy Government
has been realized. The swift decay
that in the last ten years has made
our self-government a sham and .
mockery, and in the Executive ant
Legislative branches shamed US be
fore the world, has been silentl,
working is way through the Judici
airy, until now, in it's first trial, it of
tends with its stencil the nostrils o
all honest citizens.
The appeal made to the Judges o
the Supreme Court from the people
sorely distressed and perpIexed, was
to save them from the wicked con
spiracy of men they had repudiated
at the polls. They saw their faith
less agents for years robbing the
Treasury of their hard-earned taxes.
They saw their highest officials in
dicted for the meanest crimes. They
saw President coarse, brutal, and
ignorant, and appointing sycophantic
pimps to the highest POSITIONS
They saw him the associate of
roughs and the commissioner of
thieves. They saw carpet baggers
sustained by hayonets, manipulating
the polls, that ignorance and rascal
ity might tyranize over the South.
They saw rings organized in the lob
by control their Congress. They
saw huge monopolies created by
their Government eating ont their
substance. They saw themselves
reduced TO want, trade paralyzed,
and labor without employ, and they
made q desperate effort to right their
wrongs through the ballot.
With subsidized press against
them, with an army OF hungry Office
holders that-counting those of the
general Government with those of
the States-male horde of Treasu-
~ eaters greater than any standing
army in Europe, with all the accu-
muIatcd capital in the hands of mo-
nopolies arrayed on the side Of their
oppressors, they made one despair
ing effort, aud came up from the polls
with majority Of over half a mil
lion III their behalf. And of what
avail? Through a dishonest Return
ing Board, made up Of criminals who
have escaped conviction and punish
ment under the protecting arm of a
corrupt government, enough votes
are thrown out to render all their eff
forts vain, and saddle upon them the
old corruption and the old horde for
another term Of years, perhaps for
ever.
From this, appeal was taken to
five Justices Of the Supreme Court.
For that, no more and no less, was
the com mission Great d. 1t was be-
lieved that by such process the ques-
ton at issue, being a charge of con-
spiracy against corrupt men, could
he lifted from the political arena to
q tribunal of high toned, impartial
Judges who would decide in accord
ance with law and justice. To the
and disgust of all
thoughtful minds these Justices d.
yided as the partisans had, on a pc
litical line; and three independent
old men joined with the enemies of
the people in fixing corruption upon
US, and destroying all confidence in
the very foundation of our political
structure-the ballot. They decide
that fraud does not vitiate, and be-
yond this that they have nothing to
decide, and so send the question to
the people.
We have not the patience to argue
what the people, in their broad com
mon sense, will not considerable
fine spun legal technicalities under
which these aged scoundreIs seek to
hide their shame. Their real brief
is to be found in the utterance of one
of their commission, James A. Gar
field, who said boastingly. you'll
have to grin and bear it. We hold
the cards and intend to play them"
Poor political gambler! The stakes
for which he plays are the rights of
100000 of people, the peace and
prosperity of the only Republic
known to humanity. For all that
freemen hold most dear, these hands,
stained with plumber, gamble as the
soldiers of PLATE severed in derision
the garment of the Crucified Christ.