The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1878-06-01
Our New Orleans Letters.
Number Two.

EDITOR OF VIND1CATOI:
In Letter No. One ! have Shown you
that Louisiana was snatchtl from the
death grip of Radicalism solely through
the theory and practice of ''extremlsm
but did not deceive you and Your lead-
crs concluded by admitting that the
work of the "cXtrcmist" was left imcom-
plete, and simply because there was no
'extremist' at the head of civil affairs.
When tho tail of "ConServatism was
attached to the kite Of Democracy at
Baton Rouge, in 1876, it was intended by
the tail makers to hold the kite down
among the clouds of Compromise and
Chicanery, and no riece OF work ever
better served the plans of its projectors
did not before use such plain Ian
guagc, but showed You clearly that the
successful managers of the political call
paign used the most faithful portion OF
the community to bear arms and stop the
bullets of the despot, while those whose
interest it is to check the progress OF gen
uine reform aided by class of namby.
pambyists, who are ever ready to en-
dorsc any thing that is called 'COnserva-
tism," have seized the reins of govern
ment and are guiding things wholly i'll
! their own supposed interests.
The supreme effort of the people on
the 18th September, supplemented by
! that of the 9th of January, was to rid
the State of RadicaIism-whlch, being
translated, meant despotism, indirect ne
gro rnle through the hands of bad white
men (most of whom were aliens), bur-
densOme taxation, absorbing and dan
gerons mon0polies, a debaucled judicial
ry, and general thievery in office. A
glance at the political platform adopted
at Baton Rong" in 1876, will show that
the mass of the white race went into the
contest that year resolved to wipe out
Radicalism as thus defined.
We have been in possession of tho
| State since January 9th, ISL, and l now
unhestatingly say that the hrhcst ofthe
people has not been carried ont. On the
| contrary, my candid belief is that the
! Radicals of the State are this day stron
ger than they were on tho 10th day OF
January, 1877: and if the course inangu-
rated by our administration is obstinate
ly adhered to until the campaign Of 1850,
we will find ourselves again under Radi-
cal rule, though it may be under anoth-
er name.
But why this opinion which, by the
way, is largely entertained ITO under
stand it we must review the course pur-
sued by our administration, and this we
must do candidly and without reserve.
The object OF these letters is to reveal
to ourselves our own weak points, with
the hope of protiting by the revelation.
1t is nonsense to argue that we must not
dispute amongst ourselves or point to
our errors because it will strengthen the
enemy. The latter are anything but
fools; they know more even of our weak
ness than the mass of our own people do,
and they will not be slow to profit by it.
| will illustrate this proposition.
In the winter of 1862, Butler was try
ing to capture New Orleans, and our
"COmmittee of Safety here were watch
ing the building of the great steam Ram
the Mississippi under contract with
the Messrs. Tiff. The Committee were
entirely satisfied, after thorough investi-
CATION, that our only hope of successful
defense lay in this floating ram, but they
were equally satisfied that, as matters
were being conducted, she was not 60
ing to be finished. We appointed a
Committee to wait on General Lowell,
commanding, and ask his official aid in
urging her completion. was with the
Committee. We found the General al
together indisposed to interfere. and
when we expressed the opinion that she
was our only hope and that she would
not be finished, he rebuked us for our
indiscretion in talking thus and rum
ming the risk of revealing our weakness
to the enemy. / replied to him, then
and there, that this was the last fear l
should ever entertain, for was morally
certain that the enemy knew fully as
much of our weakness as we did. 1t was
not week after the fall of the city be |
fore we saw in federal uniform here a
man who had been freely mingling
among our people all the winter. The
evening of the day of our conference
with General Lowell I advocated in
Committee the official announcement to
the people Of our just fears abont the
ship, in order that we might bring to
bear on the contractors the full force of
public opinion. There were members
who agreed with me, but the majority
resolved against us. The city fell the
ram was towed away before the enemy
arrived and she could easily have been
carried in safety to the Yazoo river,
there to be completed; but she was
criminal)y fired few miles above the
city and came floating by us in flames
a passing sign Of the incompetency and
perfidy of man. If, then, we have inter-
nal weakness, let it be pointed out and
discussed.
l have shown that our Executive, our
Legislature and our Supreme Judiciary,
were put in place by the bayonet; and
there is no common sense reader of these
letters who will contend for Que moment
that any legal forms or process whatso.
ever, any measures of "compromise" or
conservatism" that would or could
have effected the same thing. But with
the establishment of the Judiciary, force
ended and ''policy," compromise" con-
bargain and sale-began.
Our executive was mum as an oyster
our legislature was COZ ct preterea nihit
our Judiciary was for law and law only !
an agent was dispatched to Washington
to drive a trade, and all frowned on
every body and every thing savoring of
the "White League" In tho mean time
Packard held on and thought his chan
ces good until Hayes sent a new CON-
mission of "gent1emen" down here,
nominally to look into the bottom Of
things, but really to carry out the bar
gain made at Washington, and to let
Packard down as easily as possible. And
now came on the scene the most impor-
tant factor OF a]l-the Louisiana State
Lottery, the champion manufacturer of
As organized, our legisla-
tnre lacked numbers, inst as Packard
did, and one or the other must be broken
up by money. The Lottery came in and
purchased Packard's negroes like So ma.
Nv DiUS or potatoes at markpf thns fi1l,nr