The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-12-14
WILL THE LEa1sLAruRE DALLyy

MONROE. La, DECEMBER IA, 1877.
WILL THE LEGISLATURE DALLYg
But little time will elapse before the
assembling Of the Legislature, when, il
is to be presumed, the question Of call
ing q constitutional Convention will be
disposed Of, one way or the other.
Enough has been said and printed
without the addition Of u syllable from
US In fact, more has been said than
has seemed to US necessary In a matter
where, as In this case, the road is SO
plain and straightforward. There has
been an inundation of talk, q food OF
ideas, hurricane of thought, all about
the simple question, whether, or not,
the people Of Louisiana, out Of bond
age, should longer live under u Consti-
tuition made expressly to keep them
aud their children in bondage forever.
Men have been taken aside, confiden-
TALLY, and counseled, as with the ten
derness Of q parent, to lend their sup
port to, the framing of n new COnstltu-
tion. They have been coiiared, but
ton holed and walked right off, as i,
were, to be told that we are living I'M
der the Constitution of the aborigines
of Africa and the adventurous path
finders of Maine. The industry Of the
newspaper men, in this particular,
must be the subject of aamiration-ana
we are here to claim our share of it.
The pains we have been at and the la
Dor we have undergone to array the
people in their own interest, are relics
we cherish. We have no apology to
offer, except that we have been looking
aroused by the reflection that LOuisi-
ana IS not redeemed. In this glance
backward, long columns of type have
marshalled themselves to remind US oi
what the country has suffered and to
warn us of immediate, preparation 10
recurrence of the evils. And 80, we
have been moved to advocate the fra
ming Of u new Constitution. .s... ..
The members of the Legislature will
very soon take up the discussion, and
the prospect is that the discussion will
be very lively. Exactly why tho call.
ing of a convention of the people should
be opposed by the representatives, OF
the people, we cannot we'll compre-
hend, but it has been urged by opgo-
nents of the movement that the State
requires repose and that the needful
init nsa1 r,h, hx
amendments. Members of the Legis-
lature had better remember the travail
and pain which gave them their birth
rs legislators, and ask themselves il
they. will discharge their duty to the
State, their common mother, In neg
Letting the opportunity to prevent the
agony ut the next election. 1t was not
repose when they were elected, but
the hope Of repose and reform nerved
the people to action, and they acted in
the belief that repose would he undis.
turbed and reform thorough and CON-
plete.
Amendments will not answer. The.
plan Is bunglesome, expensive, inprac-
ticable and dlstasteful. Patchwork is
not the need Of the hour. A whole
garment, brand-new, Is the demand OF
the great body Of the people. Their
sufferings require it; their necessities
delnand it. The General Assembly
shMld not wait to he urged to provide
for a rehabilitation of the State. 1t is
thee duty of each member to redeem
the promises made to secure his cleo
ton anu to satisfy the people with per-
manent and lasting reform-and with
nothing less will they be satisfied. The
last election was not won for empty
honors, or tor the elevation of individ-
uals, but for the supremacy of right aud
the permanent overthrow of Radical
isn and Negro rule. The work is not
complete. The people have spoken,
and loudly, but their servants seem to
hesitate. They are temporizing with
sullen facts coquetting with sover-
eigns. Gentlemen Of the Legislature,
call a convention, or else look we'll to
the heavy hand of IL people who are
not to be trified with