The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-09-18
paid the defenders OF the right, and to sympa-
thize with thieves and ruffians who would
crush it In the dust.
SOUTHERN CONSTITUTIONAL CON
MENTIONS.

slanderous abuse of the South.
1t would seem but the suggestion Of wis
dom for @ paper that constitutes itself the
mouthpiece and champion against all assail-
ants OF an administration that breaches re-
Cancellation as it's cardinal principle, and
whose whole prosperity must necessarily de-
pend upon making it's practices conform to
| it's professions in this respect, to somewhat
temperits vrulence and malignancy toward
those whom it sproposed toconciliate. When
it was apparently to the interest of the
Times to villify us, however wantonly, we
never dreamed that 1t would ever hesitate to
do SO through any computations of con-
science, but since 1t continues to do 50 when
policy and self-interest would seem to dictate
O contrary course, we can but attribute Its ly-
ing to an inherent depravity that can be re-
strained by no considerations whatever. 1t
should know that upon mutual proper UNI
derstanding between the people Of the two
sections more than upon any other one thing
depends the success Of the present Admins
tration, and certainly it is not promoting this
end by such editorials as have recently
| graeed it's columns In relation to the
South. Mr.. Hayes can be made accepta-
BILE to the "stalwart" Republicans Of. the
North only when their minds shall have been
measurably disabused of the absurd and bane-
full ideas OF Southern barbarism and lawless-
ness, with which they have been so indus
triously and persistently inneculated since the
war by the Times and its conductors Of the
Northern press. Under these circumstances,
with regulations Of the Presidents Southern
policy already on file from various parts of
the country, and denunciation Of it immi-
nent in itsown State and already proclaimed
as the special vengeance that Conkling and
Cornell will reap as their own at the coming
convention, the Times would do bet
ter to publish such t1tterances as Hamp-
ton gave at Rockford, and by pro-
claiming the new evangel in whose
spirit the old soldier of the Confederaey spoke
in behalf of his people, than by splitting its
venom at the South and resurrecting the
stale ISLANDERS of the dead, unhappy past.
These remarks are induced by an article
that recently appeared in the Times, entitled
constitutional Amendments in the South"
into which as much bad temper and men,
dacity are compressed as column of loaded
matter can well hold. It begins with chary
and ungenerous commentator of the Georgia
constitution, and then takes up Louisiana as
the next State that proposes to alter her
fundamental law, and vents upon her in an
ticipation the abuse that it could not, with all
it's cheek and unscruplous venom, find
plausible excuse for in the case Of Georgia.
It says, by way of introduction:
Louisiana, perhaps more than any other State
| In the South contains class Of political lead
| ers who have never aequiesced in the results of
| the war, and who will never cease to be bitterly
opposed to the reconstruction acts and the
amendments to the national constitution. It
was by the influence of this class of men that
the passage of the infamous black laws was
| secured.
Then follows synopsis of these "black
laws" which prove to be a series Of legisla
tive enactments regulating the conditions Of
labor contracts with freedmen and for the
prevention Of vagrancy. These enactments
were passed Immediately after the war by the
| first Legislature that met after the cessation
of hostilities, and before the enfranchisement
of the negroes. Many of their provisions
were rigorous and severe, and all were crude
indeed, In the light Of these latter days, and
it Is a palpable falsehood to suggest, as the
Times more than does, that it is the purpose
Of our people to revive them, and that
this is their motive In moOting the
| revisal Of our constitution. At the
4 time they were enacted the freedman
/ and what should be done with him was a
problem which even the Northern mind had
not digested solution of. But without seek
ing in any way to palliate or excuse this leg
islation, let us inquire who were the men that
suggested and carried it out? The Times at
| tributes it to "class of political leaders who
have never acquiesced In the results OF the
war, ETC." We did not know that such q
class Of men existed in this State, and 1t is
only by reference to the legislation OF that
day that we find whom the Times includes in
that category. The Hon. George Williamson
our present minister to Central America, was
one of the most conspicuous members OF the
House at that time, and he is accredited with
originating and securing the passage OF these
very laws. From present appearances it would
seem that Mr.. Williamson had accepted
the "results of the war;" at least on that
plane of loyalty which is based on the "old
flag and an office" We are willing to defer
to the opinion of the Times, however, on this
point. Again, equally prominent in the Sen
ate was Gen. T. c. Anderson, OF Returning
Board immortality, who had something to do
with this same legislation, and whose vote the
journal of the Senate shows, Upon the only
occasion on which the vote was recorded, was
in favor Of it, and it may be fairly assumed
that he sustained it all the way through. AS
to his status we again defer to the Times.
Through half column more of pure ma
: lignancy, the Times devotes itself to assert
' hing rather than arguing that
There ia no evidence that the Democrats Of
Louisiana desire constitutional convention
for the purpose of correcting the evils OF which
Z thew complain On the contrary there is only
= too much reason to believe that they are mos
) anxious topreserye those features OF the fund
amental law which fair-minded men desire te
a see changed.
Having reached this conclusion, the Times
] squares itself and gets down to solid lying
as follows, to wit:
. The much abused election laws, for instance
u which were 50 obnoxious when their admins
+ tration was in the hands of Republicans, arr
~ noxp com nj aimed of Indeed the PROPOSE