The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1877-03-10


States of the Union is the question OF
government or no governmental
social order and all the peaceful in
dustries, of the happiness that belong
to it, or a return TO barbarism. 1t is
question in which every citizen of
the nation is deeply interested, and
with respect to which we ought not
to be, in partisan sense, either Re-
publicans or Democrats, but fellow
citizens and fellow men, to whom the
interest of common country and a
common humanity are dear.
The sweeping revolution of the en-
tire labor system of a large portion of
our country, and the advance of a.
000,00 of people from condition of
servitude to that of citizenship, upon
an equal footing with their former
masters, could not occur without pre-
senting problems of the gravest mo-
ment, to be dealt with by the eman
cipated race, by their former masters
and by the general goveTnment-the
author of the act of emancipation.
That it was wise, just and provi-
dental act, fraught with good for all
concerned, is now generally conceded
throughout the country that a moral
obligation rests upon the national
government to employ it's constitu
tional power and influence to establish
the rights of the people it has emaD-
cipated, and to protect them i'll the
enjoyment of those rights when they
are infringed or assailed, is also gen
orally admitted.
The evils which afflict the Southern
States can only be removed or reme-
died by the united and harmonious
| efforts of both races, actuated by mo-
tives of mutual sympathy and regard
and while i'll duty bound, and fully
determined to protect the rights of all
by every constitutional means at the
disposal of my administration, ain
sincerely anxious TO use every legiti
mate influence in favor Of honest and
effective local self government, as the
true source of thuse States for the
prosperity Of their citizens. In the
effort shall make to accomplish this
purpose | ask the cordial corporation
of all who cherish interest ia the well
fare of the country, trusting that party
ties and the pref of race will be
freely surrendered in behalf of the
great purpose to he accomplished iii
the work of restoring the South.
1t is not the political situation alone
that merits attention the material
development of that section of the
country has been arrested by the 40
cial and political revolution through
which it has passed, aud now needs
and deserves the consideTate care of
the national government, within the
just limits prescribed by the coustitu
tion and wise public economy. But
as the basis of all prosperity for that,
as we'll as for every other part Of the
country, lies the improvement Of the
intellectual and moral condition of
the people.
Universal suffrage should rest upon
universal education. To this end lib
eral and permanent provision should
be made for the support of free schools
by the State governments, and. if
need be, supplemented by legitimate
Let me assure my cOuntrymen of
the Southern States that it is my ear
nest desire to regard and promote
their truest interests--the interests of
the white and colored people, both
and equally, and to put forth my best
efforts in behalf of civil policy which
will forever wash out, in our political
affairs, the color line, and the distinc-
tion between North and South, to the
end that we may have not merely q
united North or united South, but
united country.
l ask the attention Of the public to
the paramount necessity of reform in
our civil service-a reform not merely
as to certain abuses and practices of
so-called official patronage which have
come to have the sanction of usage in
the several departments of our gov
ernment, but change in the system
of appointments itself reform that
shall be thorough, rational and COM
plete; return to the principles. and
practices of the founders of the gov
ernment. They never expected nor
desired from public officers any par
tisan service. They meant that pub
lie officers should owe their whole
service to the government and to the
people. They meant that the officer
should be secure in this tenure as long
as his personal character remained
untarnished, and the performance Of
his duties satisfactory. They held
that appointments to office were not
to be made, nor expected, merely as
rewards for partisan services, nor
merely on the nominations. of mem
bers of Congress, as being entitled in
any respect to the cohtrol of such
appointments.
The fact that both the great politi-
cal parties of the country, in declaring
their principles prior to the election,
gave prominent place to the subject
of reforms of our civil service, recog
nizing and strongly urging its neces-
sity in terms almost identical of their
specific import with those have here
emnIoyed. must be accented rs a con-