New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-04-14
ArFEOTBD TDrBEOILITY.

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Generally, when men do not wish 10 do
thing, they sit down in helpless guise
and declare shey ''can't do it" For both
man and boy this plea usually precedes
non-performance, for the reason that the
unwilling mind is but poor auxiliary to
physical effort. The semi-ofhcial reports
of the Associated Press place President
Hayes in almost the attitude assumed by
Mr.. Buchanan when he helplessly protested
he could not coerce a sovereign State.
The following plainly refers to the Presi-
dent:
The impression is general in high quar-
ters that it will require heavy reinforce
ment of troops in Louisiana to sustain
Packard. The troops can not be spared.
Mr.. Buchanan's affected inbecility made
it necessary for President Lincoln to CO.
cree not one sovereign State alone, but all
of the eleven erring sisters who were en-
couraged into an attitude of rebellion by
his senile regrets of inability.
This impression" which we are now
told is general in high quarters, " what
ever that may mean, is most mischievous
and pernicious one. In the first place, it
is entirely baseless, as with anything like
a showing of manly frmness at Washing
ton, there will be no hostile opposition
here to Federal authority; besides, in case
of conflict leading to extensive war, it
would not be necessary for the President
to employ one man Of the regular
army. When the civil war began, the
force of the army, rank and file, did not
exceed ten thousand men, and it made no
considerable figure in the great conflict
A large proportion of the officers was
composed of Southern men, some of
whom treacherously betrayed their COM
mands, including guns, garrisons, muni-
tons of war, and everything except the
men. To the everlasting honor Of the
brave privates, be it said, that none were
so base as to desert their country in the
hour of danger. Heightened, honorable
officers, educated at the expense of the
government and kept for years on liberal
salaries, with light duties attached, mo-
nopolized the whole business of going
over to the enemy.
"The troops can not be spared" Why
not9 Crazy Horse has surrendered, and
Sitting Bull, in imitation of more civil
lied and pretentious enemies of the
United States, on a previous OCCASION
has made tracks toward Canada CT the
British Possessions of the meridian of the
headwaters Of the Missouri Wade Hamp-
ton, more successful in 1877 than he was
in 1865, has driven the Federal forces out
Of South Carolina, happily without loss
of anthing save the national honor.
There is no demand for reinforcements in
Texas, Arkansas or the plains. We are,
therefore, at some loss to know what the
President, the agent Of the Associated
Press and the Democratic party want to
do with the army, that the few troops
necessary to enforce the provisions of the
constitution in this State can not be
spared. For what are troops employed
and paid if they can not be spared at
time when they are most needed by the
nation to uphold the laws9
We suspect the President has not in
any manner authorized any one to say
that he entertains the opinion above at
tribused to him. The Washington spe-
cial reporters as well as the Associated
Press man have been putting words in
his mouth all winter, even to ordering
the troops from our State House and the
starving out Of Packard. Few if any of
these oracular sayings have been realized,
but constant failure does not seem to i'm
pair the confidence Of this gullible COM
munity in the entire credibility Of those
who are paid to deceive them.