New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-03-20


cOlOred race, in tbs language of the martyr
President, as "the wards of the nation"
They were enfranchised, and the party and
the nation were pledged to make the col
Ored man the equal, before the law, of any
other citizen. This great end has been but
partially attained, and the Republican
party can not now abandon this principle
without producing such a schism in it's
ranks as will preclude it from ever again
carrying q presidential election. A "sOlid
South" with the aid of two or three North
ern States, will again rule the nation. The
results of the war will be virtually an
nulled. The abandonment of Governor
Packard to the White League would be
such sacrifice of principle as we have in
dicated.
1t being conceded that Mr.. Packard is
the legal Governor of Louisiana-and on
this point we challenge the closest scru-
tiny-the only reason that can be and is
offered for allowing General Nichols army
to subvert the State government, is that it
will cause less scandal than would the
employment of the army of the national
government to uphold lawful authority;
that the Republican party of Louisiana has
given considerable trouble to the national
Republican party in the past, and this is
good opportunity to turn it over to the De-
mOcraoy. That the party in Louisiana has
been the Su6ject of trouble to the national
party we will not deny; but that it has been
the author of that trouble we do deny in
the most emphatic manner.
1t has been the cause of trouble because
it has ever been resisting the attacks of
wsrlike and unscrupulous foe, and has been
obliged to resort to remarkable methods in
self-defense.
1t has been the cause of trouble to the
national party as the negro was the cause
of trouble to the country previous to the
war, because it has been the uictiBl of fla
grant wrong and injustice, and not because
it has been guilty of wrong and injustice.
1t has been the cause of trouble to the
national party as the flock is the cRuse of
trouble to the shepherd, because of the in
oursions of the wolves. The shepherd does
not, however, in order to relieve himself
from further trouble, deem it good policy to
abandon his sheep to the fostering care of
the wolves.
If the party in Louisiana has in times
past been a burden to the national party,
we respectfully and mOdestly suggest that
the balance was fully restored by the part
which the Louisiana Republicans, under
the leadership of Governor Packard, bore in
the late campaign.
To the charge that the Republican party
in the South is controlled by men Rctuated
by mereenary motives, and not by those of
principle, we enter an unqualified denial,
and point to the fact that the Democracy
were unable, by the most lavish use of
money, to swerve solitary electOr or mem
Der of any eanvassing board from the strict
path of duty in any of the Southern States,
in the face of the fact that most of them, at
least in Louisiana, were poor men. We call
attention to the further fact that in all the
Investigations by Democratic committees of
Congress and the State Legislature, there
has never vet been proved any act on the
part of Ex-Governor Kellogg or Governor
Packard, or any man of present high stand
ing in the Republican party in Louisiana, in
public or private life, which an honorable
man might not do.
To the charge that the Republican party
is an "alien" party in the State, we reply
that the party is not close corporation,
and debars no man from its councils fer the
reason that he may have been born north
of Mason and DiKOn's line and have served
in the Union army. Governor Packard has
been 8 resident of Louisiana for fifteen
years; his interests are all here; his family
are all natives of Louisiana. His promi-
nence in the Republican party is due to his
integrity, his ability, his tirmness and his
peculiar fitness for the position of a leader.
Governor Packard is the only man of North
ern birth elected to State office by the Re-
publicans at the late State election. Lieu
tenant Governor Antoine, State Treasurer
Dubuclet, and Secretary of State HonOre,
are natives of Louisiana; Attorney General
Hunt, who, to use the language of Hon. E.
w. St0ughton, is "the foremost man at the
bar" of this State, is a native of South Caro-
lima; Auditor johnson is a native of Ala
bama, and was q Confederate soldier dur
ing the war, and Hon. William G Brown,
Superintendent of Public Education, is, we
believe, a native of another Southern State.
The secret of the violent hostility of the
Democracy to the Republican party in Lou
isiana is not, then, that it is a party devoid
Of principles, for it's members have ex-
hibited the very highest devotion to princi.
pie.
1t is not that the financial admins tration
of the State has been bad, because duriD g
Governor Kellogg's term of Office the State
debt was reduced from S4O,OO0,0OO, actual
and contingent, to SIS, 900 900, and the State
taxes from twenty-oDe and a half mills to
fourteen and half mills on the dollar
1t is not that the State authorities have
not punished the perpetrators of political
murders and massacres, because the Demo
Gratis themselves being guilty of melting
those horrors, could have prevented
them, and because, forming in great part
the juries, convictions of Democrats for
such Offenses in State courts have been i'm
possible.
1t was not that the Republican party was
an "alien" party, for we have shown that
that charge has no foundation.
The root of the hostility is that bitterness
which arises from defeat in arms and loss
of property in slaves, which twelve long
years has failed to modify in any marked
degree. 1t has taken the form of deter
minatiOn not to accept in good faith the re-
suits of the war; to take advantage of any
inclination on the part of the friends of lib
erty and equality in the North to even tenn
pOrarily abandon 1.-THE wards of the nation, .
~ -. & IL nN.a.ea-
''shutf9 the negro out of politics" and thus
practically repeal the fourteenth and fif-
teenth amendments to the constitution of
the United States.
We appeal to all fair minded and honora-
BILE Republicans in the United States to
yield us at this time their sympathy and
moral support. If the policy of the new ad.
ministratiOn toward the South shall bring
into oar ranks greater numbers and strong
friends, we shall receive them with a most
profound and heartfelt welcome and most
substantial tokens of gratitude. If that
era of unbrOken bitterness OF which We
have spoken has begun to melt away, it il
bright period in the history of the South
and especially in that of the Republican
party of the South. But as political con
vietiOns and partisan passions lie deep
seated in the heart, it does not follow that
because a leading Democrat may accept an
office from Republican administration he
will carry any following with him, or that
he may not himself employ the power Of
his office to the injury Of the appointing ad-
ministration. We wish especially to except
the new Postmaster General from any
such suspicion.
The Republicans of Louisiana ardently
desire to see their party enlarged and made
powerful, but they wish to see it enlarged
on basis Of Republican principles. They
have passed through so many trying scenes
that they do not feel that they can be very
anailN read ont of the Marty. Thera are