The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-04-07
THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE.

THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE.
Has the age of mircles past He who
reads the columns Of the DEMOCRAT this
morning will be almost forced to re-
piy "no." The commissioners who
were sent here by the President to as
certain what government has the sup
port and confidence OF the people of
Louisiana arrived in this city Thursday
night, and yesterday forty thousand
citizens in Lafayette Square answered
the inquiry through the resolutions
adopted at that monster meeting,
and printed in our columns to-
day. And, with this emphatic
ntterance of the people Of New
Orleans, we print the declarations OF the
people OF twelve parishes, expressed in
public assemblages, accounts OF the
proceedings Of which reached us just in
time to be published In this issue OF
the DEMOCRAT. Indeed, the throbbings
OF the popular heart of this State may
be seen in our columns this morning,
and the commissioners Of the President
may read therein the earnest and de-
termined utterances Of o people who
long for peace, who are pleading for
Justice, but, who, having endured eight
years OF oppression, lawlessness, plum
der and shame, are now resolved to
maintain their rights under the consti-
tuition of the United States, and to pro-
tect their property and their interests
from further spoliation. at any and all
hazard, and, IL need be. to the bitter
end.
The resolutions Of the people every
where express the sincerest loyalty to
the Union and the utmost confidence in
the purposes Of the President. But
without an exception, whether they
eminate from the citizens OF New Or
leans or from the meetings OF the peo-
pie In the most remote parishes, they
proclaim the Nichols government to be
the legitimate government Of the State,
and, denouncing Packard as usurper
and public enemy, proclaim the pur-
pose Of the people to resist the estab-
lishment of his fraudulent government
and TO dispute It's authority upon every
foot OF Louisiana territory.
The universal and almost simulta-
neous expression OF these sentiments
must convince the Commission that they
are rooted In the hearts Of the people OF
this State, and that IL the President
should determine to overthrow the
Nichols government, or even to i'm
pair 1t in any respect or measure, his
scheme would be unsuccessful, unless
he first crushed out Of the people
that spirit to defend the right
which constitutes the only safeguard Of
Republican institutions and without
which men are slaves. we think the
commissioners of the President cannot
fail to be impressed by the universality
OF the determination Of our people. ex-
pressed through the DEMOCRAT this
morning, not to peaceably submit to
Packard nor to any interference with
the State government they elected by
over eight thousand majority; which
they have organized, and which Is now
discharging Its functions.
The President has expressed an earn
est, and, we believe, a sincere desire
20 restore peace and prosperity to this
State. This we assume to be the desire
also Of every member Of the Commits
sion, and the Commission will very like
" Influence the President in adopting
measures for that purpose.
Can the commissioners then recon-
mend the President to recognize as the
Governor OF Louisiana. a molevolent
enemy and bitter and vindictive hater
Of the whole white population OF the
State, and whom the white people
loath, detest and despise as public
enemy IL they cannot conscientiously
recommend the President to recognize
such man SO the Governor Of this State,
then, after they have read Packard's
so-called inaugural address; his subse-
quent published denunciations of our
white citizens; his threats to array the
negroes against the whites, and.
on the ether hand the expressions
OF abhorance and disgust of Packard
which are contained in the utter
ances Of the people. printed in the
DEMocRAr this morning and In previous
issues. they must advise the President
that Packard Is not the Executive OIL