The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1878-05-18
WHY
The Amendments Should be Defeated.

of 1873, in the shape Of Constitutional
amendments, have few if any defon-
ders. 1t seems their advocacy is LETT
to a few implacable offossils who have
rioted beyond their day and genera
ton and are terror to all people be-
cause of their interminable, idiotic
talk, Public sentiment has crysta-
lied in democratic quarters on the
amendments, and their defeat is a
foregone conclusion.
Nor is it proposed to vote them
down simply without cause.
Something in their nature lies deep
er than the surface. That they are
patchwork upon an Infamous gar
ment, every one admits. That they
are the Lirth of combination of rad
icals, thieves monopolists and weak
men, no one denies. That they are
an insolent answer to the just de-
mands of an outraged people all ac-
knowledge. But there is something
beyond them which demands that we
should promptly and emphaticalIy
vote them down.
We said fow weeks since and
most emphatically, that the present
Constitution of Louisiana was GEN.
1rau=cd organic law. We repeat that
expression with renewed emphasis.
The people, It's true, suffer in purse
from the many officials and their.hlsh
| salaries which it orders, but they sui
fer moro in principle from the fact
that that Infamous instrument cur
tails, restricts and strikes down their
mower. 1t invades their Inherent
rights and rudely grasps their liber-
ties. The executive exercises the
mower of autocrat, while the legisla-
tive branch of the government usurps
the remainder of the peoples rights
at will and unrestrained. Perhaps it
would be we'll to say here, that we
are not attacking Governor Nichols
or the Assembly of 1878, and we say
this for the benefit Of a large margin
of imp1acable asses who don't know
the principles of their own govern
ment, and yet pretend to edit news
papers. We are now speaking of the
rights of a people and the powers o.
executive.
A,e there any words in these amend
ments which strikes at this, the great
est evil which the bayonet constitu
ton inA,cts 7 Not one!
i Here then is the greatest, most pc
! tent reason WHY we should defeat thu
, amendments. A people are not al
ways right, bat We are one Of thos'
f who believe that they will rectif.
their errors, while rulers will neve
retrace. A great writer has said
When the people do wrong it is thei
error and not their crime, and it !
quite different with rulers. The,
act i'll as much from design as b.
| mistake, to them therefore, We ha'
: rather not trust.
81 All power, not incompatible wit
:. public safety and individual protection
should be lodged where it belongs
= with the people. No legislator
should legislate away the liberties {
,, a people as can he done under GU
present constitution. Vide "Return
ling Board law" No executive shout
Q be allowed, by an immense patron
B. age, in the way of high salaried o.
. 6cers, to build his personal powt
l. over that of his masters. Thes
4 amendments restrict not the one M
% curtail the other, and with patel
u work, a thing Of shreds, we are lei
II still at the mercy of mans ambitio
10 and mans cupidity.
10 The PEOPLE understand the ev
OF and they know the remedy. 1t is
l. defeating all compromises with the
as principles, and in forcing their RICH
III from the hands Of those who no
al retain them under the forms of la,