New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1878-11-10
VALEDIOTORY,

men in full sympathy with the loyal
sentiment of the nation. Their main
objects in the establishment of the
REPUBLICAN were, to organize the
patriotic sentiment of the State into
harmonious relations with the Fed
eral government, to reconcile the
defeated portion of our population
to the changes in institutions and
political principles produced by the
war, and to readjust in accordance
with those changes the relations be-
tween the white and cOlOred races in
the State-in other words, to develop
and express the then latent Repub-
licanism of this community. In en-
tering upon this mission, they en-
countered difficulties such as rarely
beset the path of journalism in a
free country, obstacles arising from
the nature of the work itself, and
from the prejudices of the people in
whose behalf it was undertaken.
Among these obstacles were-frst,
the resentment of the former slave
holders, fierce, implacable and not
altogether unnatural, against gov
ernment which had deprived them of
their "property;" second, the preju-
dices, deeply seated and cunningly
fostered by designing pro-slavery
politicians, of the non slave-hOlding
whites against "negrO equality, "
which they had been taught to dread
as the greatest of evils, and to con-
slider the inevitable consequences of
negro en- franchisement; and thirdly,
the extreme ignorance of the cOlOred
population, the natural effect of
generations of enslavement.
So strong and virulent was the
prejudice against freedom in the dis
cussion of political questions, enter
tanned by the first two classes above
mentioned at the time when the Re-
PUBLICAN was established, that the
reading of it was absolutely tabooed;
and no man of any position might
venture to be seen SO engaged in
public, except at the risk OF social
and business ostracism.
The persistent refusal of the first
mentioned class, ex-slave holders
and prominent public men, to take
any part in the reorganization of
civil government at the close of the
war, aped by the second class non
slaye-holding COnfederates, with a
few unreliable exceptions 1.-THE third
class were not then citizens), threw
the whole responsibility of the recon-
struction movement upon the few
Union men who we're willing to I'M
dertake it; compelling them, how
ever, to accept such extraneous aid
as offered. This was not always of
the best or purest kind, and the re-
sulting institutions necessarily lacked
the force and stability which would
have characterized them had they
been directed by the natural leaders
of such a movement. The old and
influential citizens who had led the
people astray should have been the
ones to lead them back to the path
of duty. In default of such leader
ship, those who undertook at the
request of the government the task
of recognizing our civil affairs were
compelled to make use of the best
materials at hand. If those materi-
ais were sometimes poor, and their
work was consequently imperfect,
the blame should rest wholly upon
the shoulders of the men who
refused to perform their duties as
citizens at most critical political
juncture; if not indeed the addi-
tiohal responsibility Of encouraging,
We will not say establishing, as a
remedy for alleged political evils,
the organized system of violence and
intimidation which has SO long dis
graced our State.
For ten years the REPUBLICAN has
battled against these evils-pFeju-
dice, ignorance and Encouragement;
throughout the latters years Of its
existence making . steady effort to
effect reforms which would have pro-
longed the ascendency of the Repub-
lican party and won to its support
valuable accessions from among the
most respectable and influential citi-
zens Of the State. This would Ger.
tainly have been the effect Of repeal.
ing the laws giving excessive patron
age to the executive, and reducing
The inducements to violence offered
by the enormous salaries and per
quiaitas Of the principal Offices.
Our Efforts in this direction have
been in vain. The required reforms
were not made. Needy and ferociOui