The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-04-13

Ito the present, which has uniformly
lrepudiated and rejected, as intrinsic
cally unsound, the views Of Mr..
Clay, on the several subjects
named. With the exception, perhaps.
OF the policy OF works OF improve
ment by the National Government.
Mr.. Clay never succeeded In impressing
his views and policies on the admins
tration OF the government, nor In con-
vincing the public mind; nor has his
tory furnished any evidence justifying
the conclusion that his views and
policies were Of the sound and farseeing
character attributed to them by the
Times. His protective tariff system has
certainly never commanded the sane
ton Of the public opinion, and the
legislation OF the Republic since the
great sectional commissions which 1t
produced.
His financial system, including q
great national bank which commanded
and controlled the national revenues
and the commercial and monetary az
fairs OF the country, has been regarded
and denounced by oil parties, for the
last thirty years. as one OF the greatest
fallacies and, in Republic like ours,
one OF the most incongruous and anom-
alous projects ever proposed and advo-
Gated. And most certainly there Is no
portion Of the American people who
will now indorse and applaud the vio-
lent opposition and protest Of Mr.. Clay
against the annexation OF Texas, which
led to his rejection, and that OF Martin
Van Buren,, as the Presidential nomi-
nees OF the great national parties In
1914. As for his views on the slavery
question, they were never 80 positive
and clearly defined as to command gen.
eral approval or to enable the historian
to pronounce judgment upon their
soundness.
With our great admiration for the
high personal qualities Of Mr.. Clay we
should hardly have expressed this dis
sent from what we regard as the grave
historical errors of the Times, IL we were
not provoked thereto by he concluding
OUB6l FdUiOub WuAiA WO AAu Ill thO GA
ticle referred to. to wit;
The anniversary will be celebrated to-day by
the Henry Clay Wing Association of this city,
body comprising many of our best cit zens, and
We learn that 1t IL only owing 70 existing COM
plications that this liz not made the occasion OF
movement looking to reor gaDization of the old
party. Louisiana has always been strongly
Whig State, and IL 10 believed that under favora-
BILE auspices the old lines could be drawn again
and the present division OF parties obliterated.
II political movement looking to the
reorganization Of the old Wing party Is
seriously contemplated it would be we'll
for the reorganizers to be better In
formed as to the facts concerning the
history of that party than they can ever
be by adopting 80 erroneous an idea as
that this was always q strongly Wing
State.
A very superficial knowledge and
reading Of the political history Of Louis
lana would have shown the reverse Of
this statement to be the fact.
With the single exception OF the cleo
ton Of General Taylor, in 1s48, who
could hardly have been regarded as a
representative and embodiment Of the
old Wing party Of which Henry Clay
was the idol and recognized chieftain,
Louisiana never, after 1910, recorded q
majority OF her votes at any general
election for that party. Every Cover
nor elected by the people, from 1870
down to the act Of secession, was a
Democrat. During that period, too, her
Senators and Representatives were,
with rare exceptions, of the same party.
It is certainly true that during the ex-
istence of the Wing party in this State
it was very strong and respectable
party, and waged vigorous and heroic
contest with its adversary. But 1t Is
equally true that 1t was enabled to make
such sturdy contest (and thereby i'm
paired its integrity and sullied its rec
ord) through alliances with other fac
tions, such as the Native American party
In 1s41, and the Know N othing party in
1853, and that these alliances inflicted
blows on its prestige and reputation
from which it never recovered. Whether
It's reorganization can ever be effected,
with such record and in the present
political circumstances Of our State, Is
question which we reserve for future
consideration.