The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-02-26


England, and finally yielded bis oppo-
nents q victory which brought upon
them shame, disoord and ruin. Mr..
Hewitt, with victorious party at his
back, and q beaten and demoralizsd
party In his front, abandoned the field.
permitted victory to be turned into
disxreceful defeat. and brought upon
himself ridicule and eontempt-ihfinite-
ly worse--upen his own party shame,
diseord and ruin" Such are the effects
OF boldness and oowardice In political
leadership.
And now ID seems that an effort ID
being made by tho Hwash-bucklers Of
the North who have brought their party
into this miserable situation, to flx the
responsibility upsn the Southern DenrA
scrats; and they are terribly indig.
Hant because Southern leaders dis.
play reluctance to follow them
into q puerils system Of tlllibustering
and other half way measures, not really
to destroy Hayes and tho oonspirators,
but to keep up tho morale OF the Demo
cratic party In tho North for local polit-
lcal purposes. No such policy can give
tranquility to the South. or, indeed, TO
any other part Of tho country, and we
trust tho Southern Democrats In Con-
gress will participate In no such tom
foolery. The attempt to fix the defeat
and decentralization Of the Tllden cause
upon the Southern leaders 10 unjustifia-
bic and should be resented. From the
moment II became known that Tilden's
election depended upon South Carolina,
Louisiana and Florida, the Northern
Democrats faltersd; they hesitated to
assume the responsibility OF resisting
even wicked and lawless conspiracy
on the result Of the election in
three "rebel States" For ten years
tho Republican leaders have held
us down in the very dust, and then the
party whose fortunes we saved, shrank
from us us II ashamed to accept power
and fortune through our efforts, shrank
from raising tho banne and wearing
the crown our bleeding u nds had won.
The charge that the South wavered
arst In tho great crisis that was upon
the country, 10 untrue. There may have
been, doubtless there were, some few
Southern men In Congress, eager for
official preferment, who were ready TO
sell out the country to advance their per-
yonal interests, and Ben Hill may have
said that the South would not fight
on the issue presented. But those
men are not types Of Southern leaders,
and Mr.. Hill interpreted his own feel
lngs and inclination and not those OF
the South, ut least not those OF
Louisiana. The South, It is, true, Was
determined not TO take the initiative In
resisting the conspiracy; but she was
as ready and willing to fight 40 she
was when she sent forth her sons to
battle 90 the mountain sends forth its
eagles and the summer clouds It's light
nings. The constitution and the integ-
rity OF tho Republic were ut stake, and
she was ready. ut the first tap OF the
drum, to follow the Democracy OF the
EAHb AHu Vebs la hA y sok VI %"7eiaVhs
to defend and preserve them. But the
drum tap was never heard instead, there
came the tiny squeak Of poor Hewitt's
voice begging for peace, and then oil
course the retreat, and then the shame
full, disgraeeful. pitiable route. :.
Louisiana, as we have said time and
again, withdraws from this miserable
business. She will not follow the for
tunes Of u party disgraced and ruined
by its own cowardiee and imbecility, and
she will not lightly strike hands with b
party from which she has only received
wrong, contumely and contempt. She
stands on her own interests, and we
think the whole South should dc like
wise. Louisiana will, until there Is u
new organization ofparties. make all her
political com binations upon the narrow
and selfish basis Of self interest.