The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1877-01-21
This Tide.

Tbs Tide.
The current of Presidential events seems
to set at last in favor of good government.
The nomination of Mr.. Tilden was, as is
now universally recognized, a piece of good
luck, go called,-in other words, providen~
tial. Locally speaking, the nomination for
Governor of this State of Gen. Nichols
was another piece of good luck. He is no
6gure-head politician, but exactly the man
for the place, capable at once of meeting all
it's exigences and of conciliating influences
naturally prone to be hostile to his State.
Then there was the Oregon flank move
ment-a mixture of thunderbolt and joke
that swept the field of artifice and left a
grand national scheme of pettifoggery
harmless butt for ridicule. That event GER
tainly came in at 80 fortunate moment and
played part 30 unexpected and irresisti-
BILE in driving the conspirators from dan.
gerous position as to look really providen-
tial
Then again, who could have foreseen the
honesty go unexpectedly manifested by the
Radical Supreme Courts of South Carolina
and Florida, and the honest report of Gen.
Barlow, an emissary of Grant, sent to
Florida especially in the interest of Radical
fraud9 Truly the tendency of events has
been all one way, and that way to the dis
comfiture of plots and schemes, of concerted
villainy anjapparently invulnerable power.
| Here in Louisiana the tide has had the
same set. Especially do we seem to have
| been fortunate in the presence of Gen.
Augur as a commander. That gentleman ap-
pears to have viewed his position and power
with the eye of true soldier and An enlight-
ened patriot rather than as a partizan tool.
Such a man as Ruger would perhaps have
trumpet up plea to prevent the occupa-
ton of the Supreme Court room, the Dis
trct Courts, Police Stations, Mortgage
office, Sheriffs' Office, etc., by the adherents
of the Nicholls government Bad faith
could have assumed great plausibility in do
ing so. Thus, there might have been said to
be danger ofcollision between opposing arm
ed forces at every one of those points, and
was it not Gen. Augur's place to keep the
peace 2 Some people would have been fear
fully uneasy about that peace.
Gen. Augur, however, was a military
man, and, therefore, not to be deceived by
a bogus danger. Such men have an in
stinct that warns them when there is going
to be a sure enough conflict, and con-
temptuous prescience of an impending
back-down. Gen. Augur probably had no
great apprehension of bloodshed, and was
too much of gentleman to pretend it.
The result of his views and honorable
though watchful forbearance has been to
enable the Nichols administration to put
itself before the world in the position to
which it's inherent power entitled it, that
of de factO government. If the day of
LopsiaDa's humiliation is really over, if
future of untrammeed prosperity is truly
now dawniug on her abe will not forget in
the zenith of her future glory that the alb
sence of such men as Ruger and the
presence of such as Augur, had something
to do with fastening the advent of that
happy era.
When we reflect, too, on the detection
from the Radical cause of such men as
Pinchback and Demas, and on the alliance
and good offices of such as Casey and Long
street, no one can fail to recognize the
steady strength of the current which has
, been bearing Louisiana onward to harbor
of safety and peace. 1t may be that she is
farther off from it than seems to be the
, case, but there are few men in our midst
who have any apprehension that Packard
will ever replace Nichols as Governor of
this State.
THE ONLY DIFFERENCE.-what ia the Il far