The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-04-12
THE WAY TO SETTLE 1T.

THE WAY 10 SETTLE III.
We believe that the honest purpose OF
the President is to restore good govern
ment, peace and prosperity to this
State. IT we are not grossly deceived
In thus believing, and il the object OF
the commissioners now In this city is
to aid the President In carrying out this
generous and noble purpose, their
duties are quite simple and may be dis
charged in very brief period Of time.
Indeed, we have no doubt that the
commissioners already have all the in
formation that is necessary to enable
them to report to Mr.. Hayes in the in
terest OF law and peace and the gen.
eral good of the State. They must
already understand that IL the
President were to determine to
maintain the claims OF 8. B.
Packard to the gubernatorial
office OF Louisiana he would be COM
PEELED to resume the bayonet poll
cy OF his predecessor. I'LL the State
with troops and hold the people In SUBJ
lection by the strongest and most des-
potic means. And upon the other hand
they must already fully realize that the
moment all Federal interference In
the affairs of this State ceases, the
Nichols government will assume full
and undisputed possession Of the State;
that 1t will without difficulty suppress
any opposition to it's authority, not only
Id New Orleans. but In the remotest
parishes.
The possession OF these facts is all
that is necessary to enable the Commits
sion to draw up report which will ena-
BILE the President to act intelligently In
carrying out his promise to establish
local self government in this State;
and to take the one simple step that
is necessary to establish civil or
der and prosperity in Louisiana the
withdrawal of the troops from the sup
port OF any government or faction
within our borders.
This Is what we and the people OF
Louisiana generally have understood
to be the end of the Presidents South
ern policy; such would be the course OF
a patTiot and statesman: such we be-
lieve now to be the purpose Of Mr..
Hayes, and 1t should be the end and
ambition OF the commissioners now In
this city to give the President all the
aid and advice In their power to enable
him to carry out so proper and so noble
q line Of action. This. indeed, was
what we expected the Commission to
do when, realizing the difficulties which
embarrassed the President in carrying
out his Southern policy, we defended
their appointment.
The utterances of the Commissioners
thus far have not sustained the high
opinion we had formed Of their disinter-
estedness and OF their purpose to serve
the ends Of justice and peace. There is
no word In the English language more
detestibie to the people Of Louisiana
than ''compromise"; there is no word
more suggestive to them OF humiliation,
wrong and disaster. They would listen
with less impatience to the expressed
determination of the President to sus-
tain Packard than to q suggestion from
any source to make "a compromise"
They would readily understand how to
meet any movement designed to set
Packard over them, and forty thousand
men, nerved With the energy
Of despair would render that
rough business for the Ad-
ministration to undertake; while
through compromise they feel, indeed
know, that they would be betrayed into
the hands of their enemies-sold out,
without an opportunity to strike q
manly blow. And yet. the first thing
we have had from the Commission is a
suggestion OF a compromise; and Of a
compromise which would amount to
total surrender Of the State to the Rad
icals and a confession that all our strug-
gle has been fraud.
Since the suggestion OF the commits
sion that the issue between the Nichols
and Packard governments should be
settled by thereorganization OF the Leg
islature on the basis Of the members
conceded by both parties TO have been
elected, we have carefully reread the
Presidents inaugural. and We ind
nothing ID that most noble. generous
and statesmsn-like document which