The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1877-07-21
Necessity Of an Aggressive
Policy,
n. @. Democrat,

~. -. btttOtitti
1t docs rot require a very large
amount OF sagacily to perceive that
the future welfare and political quiet
of This State depend upon the adop
| ton of vigorously aggressive policy
! toward the horde of raScals who tol
eight years past, in the control of our
politics and the administration of our
public affairs, have plunlered the
people and stepped aud saturated
themselves with perjury, forgery,
cmbezzlemcnt and common theft.
The clements through the organiza
ton of Which these po!iticel schrmcls
and unconvictcl robbers held their
power, oppressed the people, pros
tratcd orr commerce and cmasculatcd
our industries, still exist among us,
and under favorah|o circumstances
may be rro'gan;zcl, if not TO again
completely dominate the State, at
{ least to corrupt and dcbaee our gov
crnmcnt ard give to our politics many
of the most Objectionable character
istics of free negroism.
We are not sounding an idle alarm.
, The public sentiment throughout the
! North and Vest which sustained car
pctbaygery and free ncSroism i'll Lou.
isiana, still retains viru'cnt and fl
natical energy, and threatens to re-
instate tho power of the Returning
Board, even if to do 80 it be necessa-
ry to dcstro;: the Federal Admins
tration it created. Jas. G.. Blaine,
the boldcst and most audacious of the
leaders Of this sentiment, at a public
dinner given on the bud inst. at
Trenton, y. j., to cx-Secrctary Robe
son. one of the most corrupt of its
leaders, defended Rcpuhlicanism as
it was administered by Grant; that
is, as exhibited in the rule Of the
bayonct, the political tibet and the
ignorant negro in Loui>ian. In Iowa
the Republicans in convention rcpu-
diatc the Presidents Southern policy,
and announced the reorganization of
the crusade of sectional bate and the
legitimacy of ca'pctbasscry. Pack
ard is prvambHlating the States to
fire the Radical heart, and from every
quarter we hear The rote of prepare
ton for the revival Of Grantism and
its restoration in the South through
the oi Ganization Of the color line and
the reinstatement of Retaining
Boards.
Is it then wisdom, or policy, or
patriotism on the part of the author
tiles Of Louisiana to grant any indnl-
gcnce. liberation or mercy to the
crimes of the able and experienced
managers of tho Radical party i'll
oar midst? Will the people justify
t'v;r officials in permitting criminals
like Matt Wells, Tom Andersen. Geo.
B. johnson and ". p. Kellogg to en-
joy immunity for their offences, and
rocking with cr'ncsto stalk in our
midst, living evidences of the impo-
tcncy OF! Justice and the cowavdico Of
the law in Louisian? Will the pco-
pie tolerate a feeble and mistaken
policy, which leaves these able and
unscrupulos men free to rcorganizc
the ignorant and facilc negroes and
the corrupt elements of the whites
into new and disturbing party or
ganizatioD, TO again agitate society
aud disturb and unsettle all our pri-
vate and public interests and indus
tiles?
If there DC any persons in our
midst who arc disposed to advocate
the exemption of these notorious
criminals from prosecution, let them
read the political news from every
Northern and Western State. If they
do this, they will find a tremendous
movement going on to reinstate the
supremacy of these rascals in the
politics of Louisiana, and they may
then realize that the only safe and
statesmanllke policy, indeed, the on
ly honest and manly policy for the
authorities of Louisiana to pursue is
to enforce the law, regardless of per-
sons, and thus sweep from our politi
cal and social systems, and into the
Pcnitentiary, the malcfactors of all
grades, whether they be pickpockcts,
embezzlers of the public funds, or
officials, who have committed per-
Jury and forgery in the exercise of
high and sacred public duties.
But we are told that in tho political
compromises of last Spring, which
resulted in the establishment of the
present governmental situations, State
and Federal, it was stipulated that
none of the Radical leaders and ex-
officials should be prosecuted. We
know of no such agreement or stipu-
lation. 1fany such exists the people
have been kept in ignorance of it,
and it can have no binding power be-
cause it is an immoral and criminal
contract, contrary to tho policy of
the law and to the genius of civiliza-
ton. There is no power in the State
that is authorized to grant ''indul-
gcnces" to public criminals, because
any such power would be destructive
of all government and morality.
But granting for the sake of argu-
mcnt that tho authorities of Louisi-
ana entered into a contract with Mr..
Hayes and bis friends to the effect
that, in consideration of the estab-
lishment of the legal government of
Louisiana the whole horde of Radical
malefactors should 60 free, how can
the authorities of Louisiana now be
held by that bargain? Have the men
now threatened with prosecution, and
who are seeking immunity under the
terms Of this bargain, become peace.
full and aw-abi1ing citizens of the
State, and are they yielding that ODE
dicnce to the constituted authorities
which is essential to civil order?
BY no means. Tho administration
Of public affairs is seriously interrupt
on ou1 omho rroeoo1 h,, the criminal