The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1877-04-28
The REPUBLICAN PARTY AND THE
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT.

1t becomes my duty to announce TO
you that the aid and countenanee Of
the national government has been with.
drawn from the republicans Of Louis
lana therefore an
Eoune" to you that | am compelled to
abstain for the present from all active
assertion OF my government
:. b. PACKARD, Governor.
There. we have an honest confession
at last though it nowhere appears that
the person making il is honest. He
7tumbies on the quality apparently
quite unawares Ii IS either this, or he
appeals to the republican party senti-
ment and cares only for the verdict Of
the republican party. This Is y hat the
democrats have charged ever since the
war closed, that the southern state gov
ornaments under the reconstruction pol.
icy of tAenational government were run
not III the interest Of all the people but
solely III the interests and for the bene-
hit ot the republican party. This deeia-
ton of PackaTd's makes the thing plain
to even the most obtuse comprcheu-
sion. The negro was enfranchised not
because he deserved it, not because he
was to be benefited by it, but simply
because it was found that he could be
thrown as unit into the embraces OF
the republican party, and periorce,
against the democrats The republi-
cans have always bitterly denied this
charge. Can they do SO longer, since
Packard has either designedIy and in
pique or unwittingly let the cat out OF
the bag in this very effective way?
As on as the countenance of the
general government, or the national
government as Mr.. Packard iUrcibly
puts it, is Withdrawn from the republi
ean state governments of the south
they crumble to pieces and fall Under
q system Ike ours, where governments
are supposed To be erected and main.
tanned only by and with the consent Of
the people themselves, this ought to
surprise no one, and yet is wonderful
that for fifteen years the republican
party has been able to so hoodwink the
north, and mislead the people regard
ing the relative strength of republicans
and democrats in the south, but more
particularly Louisiana, as to convince
them that the governments set u,I and
maintained 10y them were sustained by
! the masses of the people, in the states
so governed. Yet, so it is, for surely
the masses OF the people, even those
adhering to the republican party, do
| not believe that the interests of that
party are or should be paramount to
that OF all the people. government and
genius of the United States.
Packard has certainly delivered the
republican party a terrible blow
To an ordinary apprehension, il
seems 10 be impossible that it can ever
recover, without the full military
strength of the nation again acting as
an armed unit in its support. Since
the military satrapy has passed away
and since the government has fallen
into the hands of q republican who has
some respect for other force than the
bay onet, we have hopes that not only
the strength OF Il at dangerous party i.
broken in the southern states. but as 9
national organization it is so weakened
that hereafter it can be controlled, anc
forced to respect some Mt least of the
fundamental rules of Representative,
government
The democratic party in the south
has always claimed that the govern
ments set up here by the republicans
were foreign and oppressive to the tax
paying intelligence of the people
| Packard's address leaves no doubt of it
and it is perhaps fortunate for the
negro that the denouement has come
thus soon even. We repeat predic
ton made six years since. that the timt
is near at hand, when the democrati,
party will be called upon to defend tn,
negro in his new found right OF SUFFRAGE
| ssssailed by his late self-constitutet
champion, the republican party 1t i
coming just so surely as that tomorrow
sun viii come.