The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-22
CENTRALIZATION.
FORCE THFIR IDEAS on TIE
COUNTRY
RiaIne's Res0Iution-The rase 0f smaiis-
Judge Killings Charge to the Srhna
.sury-win the Democracy Rescue tbs
fNnntry7 ~


Three events have occurred within the past
week, which, taken collectively, Indicate an
interesting if not astonishing tendency to
reaction along the whole Radical limo These
events are first the solid party support ac-
corded by the Radicals in the Senate to Mr..
BLArNEs' RESOLUTION.
Second, the granting Of writ by the Chief
Justice Of the United States citing the State
Supreme Court Of South Carolina to show
cause why it should not transfer
THE CASE OF sMALLs
to the United States District Court for trial
And third, the charge Of United States Dis
trict Judge Billings, Of louisiana to the
grand Jury OF his court, In which the ground
is taken. without stint or reserve that the
elect ION laws framed under the race color
or previous condition clause Of
THR FIFTEENTH AMENDMENT
apply to all modes OF exercising the elective
franchise State and municipal, as we'll as
national.
Perhaps this simultaneous outbreak OF inn
peria Radiealism in two branches Of the gov
ernrent, and at points as wide apart as
Washington and New Orleans Is merely coin
cidenee, or, at all events, without actual pre-
concert of the chief actors in the respective
cases But If it is mere coincidence, hap
| pening in the absence Of preconcert or malice
prepense Of conspiracy, it is still wonderfully
suggestive Of the tendencies Of the time
Vaguely and indefinitely the public com
| prehends that the Republican and Democratic
parties, away down under the debris Of ephe-
| neral issues which rise, flourish and pass
| away from time to time or day to day, Is an
abiding and perhaps never 10 be determined
| controversy upon a cardinal dogma In the
science Of government, to wit: The question
| whether
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
is venerable relic or live instrument,
whether the theories Of local self-goyernnent
and popular sovereignty are practical truths
or exploded fctions; whether, in short, this
country ls union Of States or nation Of
provinces,
Politicians are in the habit Of rounding
their sentences with euphonious apostrophes
to peace and invocations Of harmony between
the populations Of sections and the people OF
States Presidents are in the habit Of con-
triying 'Solicies" designed as per ADVERTISE
rnept to Zeal the wounds Of war and restore
the sinii. rpO OF former days. That is to say,
il individual gush, either in speech, in prom
I Use, or in pretense, could make this the mil
brotherhood it would be done at the drop OF
: the hat as it were. But, unfortunately
for the market value OF gush, the
, tendencies Of fact and experience proceed 10
9 an almost uniform and certainly irresistible
2 progression Of development TO establish the
! great truth that the American republic encorn-
|, passes
: Two DISTINCT TYPES or CIVILIZATION.
That the gap between the two is widening
! every day instead of narrowing, that they
"a loL yT,1.C m
type at ALL and finally that the conflict be~
. tween them must % on until one or the other
is utterly stamped out, eTtirpated or annihi-
, lated
q RI the Republican and Democratic parties in
2 this country were divided rs the Liberal and
: Conservative parties in England are as ~
o methods Of administering government.
upon the form and essential substance OF
which all are agreed 1t would not be, IS it is,
the trnth to say that, vast as our territory
is the area is too small to afford room for
: both Of them. But that man must be an ex-
ceedinoiy frivolous observer and a wOfully
. superficial student Of affairs who does not see
= that the real issue between modern Radical
o ism and modern Democracy is one touching
y the form and substance Of our governmental
system not merely in a vital point, but in all
II vital points and in every phase Of the bearing
d Of the regime Of the whole upon the fortunes
: and interests Of the individual
IL ! Diseardng all can't and waving all foggy
: phraseOlogy, then, We may t4ke tne resoiu'
!. charge of Billings to his grand jury as a col
ective index Of what the Republican party
- understands ny the term government Of the
ie United States They all point from differ.
aJ pnt stations tn the object all tend from
la different directions to the same end, and eacE
# deduces, in Language peculiar TO ITSELF the
,r same ultimate conclusion.
Blaiue'3 resolution assumes that the suf
frages Of the people are subject ~ revision by
the Senate. WaiCf3 writ assumes that tht
at processes Of State courts are held by suffer
p ance Of the Federal judiciary. And Billings
et charge to his grand Jury assumes, as n sort o
! IS cnrollary TO both that the South is in 9
o latent state of siege, to be made operative
whenever, in the Judgment Of any Radica
A. politician on the United States bench, az
election has gone wrong. Now, to my mind
q, in the face Of such propositions as these, 20
plainly put and couehed in such fairly bruta
eandOr Of implication, II not Of phrase, theT'
8 nothing else worthy Of being called poll
tical Issue until they are disposed Of. NJ
:, friend,
i II Connecticut sturdy old JacEsonan black
- smith AZ he is, with the constitution for hif
anvil and good hard sense for his sledge-ham
ner To forge out the destjnies Of thiE
land told me the other day that h'
n would vote against Rlaine's resolution be
Is cau9e It would g a crime against the right o
r suffrage To vote for it, that he would not VOtt
n for any amendment to it, because 10 vote fol
o an amendment was tantamount to recognition
Df the principle involved in the original
When I reminded MIN that the Democratic
,n caucus had agreed to offer the amendment, h'
fe said that made no difference; that other!
80 might split hairs II they wanted TO. but hi;
+ course was straight and clear. He said n
7e had no desire 10 exercise, aid q aoet sena
.s toriai supervision over the snfrages n tn
to people Of South Carolina and, 20 iaf ~ 10 MN
- iay to prevent II he'd b. d--I II the 9enat
r. should supervise the 8uffrages of the people
IN of Connecticut.
- have instanced this scrap of a prigat
n fay
words which 10 at !rast 800 words less thai
the tersest form could invent for the pur
noee describes in ten words the only rea
6onderabie issue that i3 now before the Amer
tie lean people.
no It means that
y, THE DEMOCRATIC DOCTRINE,
az understood by Senator Eaton-whom TX
Bromley In wont 10 describe as the only 8ul