The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-25
NECESSITY OF A DEMOCRATIC GOV
EMINENT.

|
and sanction Of that party could b., passed with
out delay: yet 1t ID there that the South has en-
countered the most determined and relentless
opposit there that all our efforts and exHspi
, ratiOns have run against the sullen, tneKorablt
wall OF prejudice and apathy which checked
hg Rsgdes qnd s Destroyed their & W.
the palmy days of Grant could not have beer
more stoli lly and immovably inimlcaI to ever
substantial Interest and serious measure Advo
Gated by the South. For years. thr JuRhout tht
struggle in which the National Democracy
! needed the Southern vote. and IN which tht
South took al the. risks. did oil the work a9d
secured all the throughout this weary
and pertlous period. We were caioled BY prom
ises and piled with lying h"pes. Now, That the
struggle Is over the victory won, and IN : De.
mocriey In possessi n Of the spotls dutlfUly
handed over by the South. we find The promises
spurned. the hopes turned T. ashes and the
eager, almost sprylle complHisHnGe OF four
years aR changed into o harsh and stubborn
unfriendliness.
On the same subj ect the Picdgune says:
It could not have been worse with Repubi-
| can rs Speaker, aud but little worse with Re-
| publican minority.
These expressions must shock the common
sense Of the people Of this section. The
Times tells us that the "wildest Radical
House that ever assembled In the palmy days
Of Grant could not have been more stolldly
and lmmovably inlmlcal TO every substantial
and serious measure advocated by the South"
than the last one And again It says "Now
that the struggles over, the victory won, and
the Democracy In possession Of the spolls du-
tlfully handed over by the South, we find the
promises spurned, the hopes turned TO ashes,
and the eager and almost servile compliance
OF four years ago changed into harsh and
stubborn unfrlendliness." Running on the
same line the Picdyttee quietly tells us that IL
would have been about as well for the South
IL we had had Republican majority In the
House.
II those two great Conservative journals
be right, then the Democratic party Is UNI
worthy of further confidence, and should be
defeated In this State and throughout the
Union; and this is evidently the end these
journals are seeking to promote. Their policy
Is to destroy the faith Of the people OF this
section In the Democratic party, and thus
demoralize and scatter that organization.
To accomplish this excellent and patriotic
end, they seize upon the fact that the Demo-
Gratis held o small majority in the House OF
Representatives, and that number Of bills
In which the South had an interest were de-
fpated In the late session Of Congress. From
these two facts they argue, or rather assume,
and that probably IT would be better to remit
the control Of Congress to the Republican
party.
This is the key note Of the old Conserv-
alive and ring opposition to the Demo
cratic party In Louisiana. 1t is, we have
no doubt, the battle cry OF the came move
ment which, even in our darkest days.
when Radicalism was rampant In our midst,
in every campaign was arrayed against the
Democracy, and championed by the Times
and Picdynte.
These journals dwell upon the fact that the
House was Democratic, that the subsidy to
the Brazil steamship line was defeated, and
that neither the levee bill nor the Texas Pa
cifc bill was passed. This Is the shyster's
style of argument. They failed to remind
their readersthat, though the Democrats had
a small majority in the House the Repub-
licans controlled the Senate, and that the
Administration is Republican. These facts
are alone sufficient to show the utter
there was Of inaugurating
and carrying out a Democratic System Of
legislation. They also failed to represent
to their readers that. with q small major
ity In one house Of Congress the Demo-
cratic spirit was strong, earnest and aggres-
sive enough to manifest its power and indi-
cate the great and beneficial line Of legislation
a thoroughly Democratic Congress would
pursue. They have not told their readers
that the late session Of Congress renonetized
silver and made an appropriation of S183,O00,
to restore the mint In New Orleans that
a strong free trade sentiment was devel-
oped, looking to tariff on sugar and few
other articles for revenue; that an initial ap-
was made for the protection Of the
New Orleans harbor; that $125,OOO was ap-
for the improvement of Red river;
that $4,000 was appropriated for theimprove-
ment of Bayou Lafourche. 1t seems to us
that there is something here to be thankful
to the Democrats for. It seems to us that
this legislation will prove of more benefit to
Louisiana than the reconstruction measures,
the institution Of the Freedmen's Bureau,
the force bill and other measures of ''the
widest Radical House that ever assembled in
the palmy days Of Republican rule" 1t
seems to us, Notwithstanding the PicayIne,
ton under Republican rule.
The Indignation of our conservative contem-
poraries is aroused because the subsidy for the
Brazil line failed, and because the Texas Pa
cific and levee bills were not passed. On
these grounds they furiously charge upon the |
Democratic House. This Is sheer folly or
base treason. The subsidy for the Brazil line
failed through the impotence Of its friends, |
who gave its enemies the opportunity to kill
it. There was majority in both houses in |
favor Of it, and it will pass at the next session
AS to the Texas Pacific bill; there were
many Southern men opposed to it under it's
present auspices. Indeed, we cannot ourselves
give that bill very cordial support until we
have better evidence than has yet been shown |
US that it is not Pacific extension of the |
Pennsylvania Central. We want Southern
Pacific line; but we want it to be as much
Southern road as the Union Pacific is North |
ern road.
The levee bill will pass at the next session.
fH, a1vnA. -. TT.