The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-12-29
NEW ORLEANS, DECEMBER 70, 1877
THE COURSE OF THE GOVERNOR.

istration. We know that the editor of I'll
VSadtcator, who Is our longtime persona
friend IL sincere and patriotic man as we
as fearless and trenchant writer but he
previously In error in his present warfar
upon the Governor Of Louisiana.
Thedirst attack of the Vindicator was part G
nm article highly complimentary to the DEMO
sRAT, ard very gratifying to its editor. who's
poor services to the State were iatteringly re
ferred to. The attack upon the Governo
was based upon an entire misapprehensiol
of some brief remarks made by him in th,
Printing Board when the question of th,
disposal Of the printing contract was undel
discussion In the course of those remarks
the Governor said that he desired to keer
the good people of the State united
Strangely, our contemporary interpreted
this into the expression Of purpose OF
desire to dissolve or demoralize the Demo
cratic party into sort Of mongrel concern
How our friend could have attached such a
meaning to such words weare at loss to I'M
tierstand. We read them at the time with
sincere pleasure. and subsequently heard
them from the Governor himself i'm CONVERSE
fion. We understand the Governor to enter
tain views on this subject entirely different
from those attributed to him by the Vindi-
Gator, and In full accord with those enter
tanned by that journal itself and by ourselves.
We understood him then, as we understand
him now, to desire, as earnestly as any
man In Louisiana, that their shall be no
division In our party; we understand that he
believes the opposition to us Is too powerful
and numerous to admit of any dissentions or
divisions among us, or Of any purpose to
dissolve and break up that grand party or
Ranizatlon whose banner he carried through
the last canvass and which won the State
from Its despoilers. We have no authority to
speak on this point for Gov. Nichols. but
simple justice both to him and to our friend
OF the Vmdicator requires that we should
set him right according to his own utterances.
. The Vindicator has followed up the first
attack with several Others one of especial
bitterness Ia Its issue of the 18th inst. In the
latter article the Vindicdtor makes sweep
ing denunciation of those who hold places of
honor and trust under the State administra-
tion, as time-servers lick-spittles, reformed
thieves and captured enemies. We do not
understand the Vmdicator to include the pub
lie officials of the State en- mdsse in this de-
nunciation. But the tone of the article is
well calculated to create the impression that
Che administration and the civil service of
the State are as corrupt and debauched as
were those Of Warmoth and Kellogg.
This Is terribly unjust. Many of the best
men in Louisiana are holding offices by ap-
pointment from Gov. Nichols. A vast ma
jority of the officeholders are good and true
men; indeed, the Objectionable appointees are
30 few that they do not faint or tinge the
mass. And who is responsible for those few
Objectionable and unpopular appointments ?
Gov. Nichols alone? BY no means.
The DEMOCRAT last winter and spring was
not In full accord with the policy adopted by
the Administration and the caucus in con-
Quoting the issue with the Packard usurpa-
ton. But that policy was adopted after
mature and patriotic thought by those in
authority, and in whose integrity of purpose
we trusted. They had lights before them that
we had not, and they acted according to
those lights and their best judgment. The
offensive appointments which were made we
have much reason to believe, though we have
no authority for it, were made in carrying
out that policy; therefore, the responsibility
must be divided, and no greater or more
cruel injustice could be done than to shout
der the whole OF 1t upon the Governor.
We are all free to differ about the wisdom
of the line of action adopted in that great
and memorable crisis of our affairs. We have
already said that we were not in accord with
it. But after it was agreed upon it would
have been the height Of folly, If not GRIM
inality, to attempt to embarrass or de-
assailing 1t. Despite our fears it succeeded. |
The policy which we, and those who thought |
with us, desired to pursue, we believe would |
have also succeeded. But that belief may
be the inspiration of the vanity of man. |
Whether 1t would have succeeded or not, no |
human wisdom can now pretend to tell: it |
remains one of those untried and uncertain |
schemes Of the past. Probably it would |
have saved the State in q blaze of chivalric |
glory, and, again, it might have been the SOW |
ing of the dragons teeth, which would have
filled the State with armed men, drenched its |
soil in human blood and in the end failed of |
its purpose.
4 But the policy adopted proved o success;
&c won the game, and where has 1t placed us ? |
why, with already large measure of relief |
from the troubled, uncertain and embarrassed |
legislation of last winter and spring, upon
the eve III the assembling of the Legislature |
of 1878. unembarrassed and committed to a
great work Of reform.
Let us not waste the precious opportunity
we hold to relieve the burdens Of this State in
lierce and defamatory wrangles among our
rnlyes. III the Legislature about to assemble
his Ia its great obligations to the State, II
he Governor or any other public officials
Iaiters III hss duty to the people, we shall not
q behind our friend Of the Vasdicator IN de-