The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-03-24
STORY OF A COMBINATION.

STORY OF A COMBINATION.
It ig very remarkable that in this age of en-
Hghtenment, when we have free schools,
free press and free church, that an organ G
the people should seriously PROFOUND til
question: Does representation represent
Certainly the majority Of the late Legisla
ture was composed of men elected by tn
Democrats and Conservatives Of the State
nc is also beyond question that that maiorit
Yves explicitly or tacitly pledged to carry on
certain popular measures: and 1t is humili
ating fact that number Of person.
& composing that majority combined will
the Radical minority Of carpet
baggers, scallawags and negroes, t.
organize q bastard majority against tn,
\ pledged policy Of reform and defeatet
the call for convention; railroadet
through both houses batch of ill-devised
I-shaped and ilI-dlgested amendments tt
/ The constitution, and passed. In spite of al
nmmon sense, the arbitrary and repulsive
q not known as the Moffett register bill
Nearly every Democratic paper in the State
demanded call for constitutional conven.
Non, and denounced the amendments: the
people -nine-tenths Of those of them COM
posing the Democratic party-clam-
mored for o convention as the natural and
legitimate result Of the election of 1876; right
thinking and disinterested men protested
L against the passage Of the ukase known as
the Moffett register law. as improbable,
while those who are to be Its victims, COM
prising thousands of Democratic voters, de-
nounced 1t with an earnestness which ought
policy and harshness.
But the bastard majority Of the Legisla-
lure, composed Of the Radical represen-
4 tatives, q few utterly corrupt and few
\ misguided Conservatives. obstinately shut
sheir eyes to the situation: stopped their ears
10 the pleadings, to the demands and to the
protests Of the people; they defeated the great
measure for which the people had fought for
eight years--the constitutional convention
passed the amendments and the Moffett regis
tHr bill, and then, cutting down little item Of
expense here, and q salary there, and
minor abuse somewhere else. adjourned
the Democratic party to shoulder the odium
Of having, in a contest that amounted to
quasi revolution, elected Legislature which
violated every really important pledge upon
which the canvass had been won.
Early In the session the DEMOCRAT
sounded the alarm, and very strongly in
timated to the people that an interruptions
aOmbination of spectators In bonds and of
monopolists and ringsters had captured the
General Assembly and were resolved to de-
feat call for convention, In the in
nrest OF their ring. We sounded the
Harm when the Moffett register bill came
up, and warned the Legislature that if
that bill was passed In the interest of
HE bondholders it would provoke violent !
opposition, and infuse something Of life into |
the stillborn monstrosity reputation. We did |
not know from actual information that the /
anti-convention movement, the amendment |
and Moffett register scheme constituted the
harmonious policy and plan Of an arbitrary
determined with money and
threats, and promises Of rewards TO defeat the
great popular measures Of the people in their
own selfish interest; but we believed that
such was the case, and every step tssken. reia-
Hive to these measures showed that there was
bower holding and guiding a majority of the
legislature against the people.
What we then judged, we now know to be
The case We very willingly ooncede that
here were number OF members Of the Leg
stature who opposed o convention and voted
l0r the amendments and the Moffett register,
rho did 90 conscientously believing they
Eere serving the best interests Of the State.
But 1t Is none the less true that these meas
lTps were engineered by combination COM
,osed as we have said above, Of monopoIists | ,
md spectators in bonds and that this COM ,
ination defeated the people by organizing ,
.gainst them bastard majority, composed 9
{ the Radicals In the House and number :
1 corrupt Democrats or Conservatives-Go !
nows what their proper designation is-and !
nto which some nght-meaning but ill-judg-
ng men were tempted or beguiled.
The original purpose of the combination ,
ms simply q speculation In bonds The :
nonopolies had not been aggressively
ttacked; and though Mr.. Howard was a | s
eader In the ring, we understand the mon ,
poles were not apprehensfve Of q conven- I
lon. It was later, when we opened war on 5
hose pernicious institutions, that the COM 6
nation became an alliance defensive of its |
allies as well as piratical move ,
rent In State securities.
We will state very briefly and gerry accurate 6
i the objects Of the combination and its plan !
operations. The ring was organized on ,
ae theory that the final defeat of the propo- 6
ton of the call for constitutional conven- 1
On, the adoption Of the amendments and the t
sssage of the Moffett register bill making i
Is whisky tax 20 per cent Of the gross re- t
ipts, would send State bonds up to ninety I
10 CENTS and that all who held bonds, or t
'ught them at lower figures, would, by the I
ccess of this audacious plan to defeat the a
II and override the interests Of the people. +
alize large profits.
Fhe first movement OF the ring was to en- s
rage the scheme of q convention. This. t