The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-17
OUR CUsTOM-HOUSE.
THE AIM or THE PRESIDENT IN HIS
DISTRIBUTION OF FEDERAL
PATRONAGE.
can Party In this state ON
New BASIS.

RIoes HOUSE, Washington. Nov. 10. 1877.
hear upon pretty good authority. that
THE CotLECToRsHrP DEAD. LOCK
Is TO be loosened this week by sending In the
name of Efingham Lawrence to the Senate.
This will. In all probability be done before this
letter reaches you and 1t may be tomorrow.
But whether It is done or not and even II ut the
last moment the President should reconsider
what now seems to be his conclusion. II Is worth
while to briefly review the circumstances which
have brought Lawrence to the front.
In order to clearly understand the situation.
1t Ia necessary to know the objects which Mr..
Hayes has had in view in his
DISPOSITION OF FEDERAL PATRONAGE In IouIsI-
ANA.
His central hope is to break UP the color line
and lny the foundation for a recast Of the polti-
co-social state of the South. He has been led to
believe that the Democratic party in the South
10 held to It's proverbat solidarity as a White
Mans Party" by rigorous social distinctions
rather than by the force of purey political
principles or traditions. and his one absorbing
desire is to see the Republican party there re-
lteved from what he calls
SOCIAL PRESCRIPTION.
This prescription. according to the Presi-
dents notion, operates In two ways: First in
the upper classes" Of society by rendering IL
impossible for white man to DO q Republican
without surrendering his general social posi-
tion and contenting himself with such recogni-
ton and standing In society as may be vouch-
safed by the restricted circle Of his own fellow
offlce-holders and party compatriots and their
families. Second by arranging the white sub
stratum of the Democracy solidly against the
black rank and file of the Republican party and
holding 1t there shotgun In hand. to impede
4 bn, A.~t - Al.
box. tits not my object to criticise The Presidents
views or to analyze them In the light of tho ex-
act facts. But rather for tho sake of argument,
to give them without question as to their cor
RICHNESS. In order to reach discussion of the
methods by which he hopes to alter the situa-
ton.
JACK WHARTON
was appointed Marshal upon the strength of
representations made to the President that that
the world possessed a peculiar hold upon the
directions and respect OF the jetnesse doree If
Louisian nat =, rollicking. devil. care
young fellows who are generally credited up
North with the pursuits Of drinking good
deal of whisky. carrying great many six
on me %piR e a
element which has hitherto been soil lily Demo
cratic was repeated to the President until
Rhoderick' Dhu Of the swamps and bayous
whose slogan cry to the boys In the brush
would be worth 2 thousand stump speeches.
SO Jack was appointed. with the understanding
that his office was to be made the nucleus
Of Republican element capable Of holding
he shotgun na, Of the
the white bhoys. armed cdp-a-p pie. should be
watching aa eSeh Other with ITCHING trigger
lot In peace. Whether Jack will meet these csc
expectations. or whether the expectations them
selves We're based upon any real state of facts.
| shall not Inquire. My mission is fulfilled In
describing the considerations which led to his
appointment But think may say this much
to wit: that any recurrence Of the necessities of
the past which caused the shotgun to figure in
Louisiana politics as a fact or menace would
glory and utterly irrespective of Jack Whar-
tons peculiar hold on the b'hoys."
ANY how. am too conversant with the late
situation In The South not to know that
THE SHOTGUN"
is phrase which fell into common use by me-
tonymy for the operation of that instinct of
de4'aief resort. which s natural to any free-born
people when the customary, appliances Of dis
rights. The Southern people found out that a
solid negro majority meant wall Of Ignorance,
OF the community and its places of power and
responsibility. To break through this wall was
q sine qua non Of existence. 1t could not be
have preached the gospel to drove of hogs as
iosophy Of politics. Hence if blows fell. it was
sense would have been worse than wasted.
the :, tent Of Jack Wharton
was sa avae o
Republican party. We know that Jack himself
Is not likely to be inundated" that he would
undoubtedly be permitted to vote any ticket he
pleased at any poll in Louisiana. aud that when
he came up to vote the hhoys would present
shotguns, standing and in silence. while the
board, proceeded to exercise his heaven-born
right Of untrammeled suffrage. So far so good.
certain state OF affairs . having been assumed
to rectify things. and he was appointed. hope
he will be confirmed. And then.
WHEN THE NEXT ELECTION COMES ROUND.
I shall expect to see the traditional bulldozer
OF Coushatta take to the, brush and. from his
leafy covert, watch with admiration and with re-
versed arms the triumphai march ofthe redoubt-
able Jack in his new role Of propagat9r Of uni.
implicit of believers in the divine right of the
man who can pull the quickest trigger to rule the
corporal Wharton as can clasp at once, and
take drink also-at his expense. SO you see l
am sound on the question Of prescription.
needs of the hoi polloi and having assured the
future. protection OF the passive colored voter.
turned TO consider
#R THE CoLLECToRSHIP
Of the port Of New Orleans as a means Of re-
per circles" Of Louisiana society. This was a
case of more delicacy. for that it involved din
nor-gly1ng ana dlnner-fecelVlng; reciprocity
of invitations, to balls and routs and conrersa-
clones: reception of the gay young Republican
as sutton for the hand of the fair daughter of
the aacien regime: in short. fusion of the new
Radical strain with the sang dZ0l of Louisiana
Democracy and the demolition of the hated
barrier OF arstocracy which had erstwhile kept
Radical members Of a Kell gg Legislature out
of the bosoms of the families of the nObtesse.
That is to say. while there was a smell OF blood
and fume Of gunpowder hanging about the
marshals office, the 9dor. that ,permeated the
Custom House was to be of ratchouly and ottar
Of roses. Under this romantic dispensation
was appointed. But he had not been there long
before it was ascertaned that he failed to fill
the BILL Mad Wells and Tom Anderson were
directly discovered in the wood pie. and it is