The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-02
WHITTIER ARE WE DRtrTINu7

|
During tho period IN which they controlled
this state, the Radical party completely
changed the character If It's government.
They more tlian doubled The number Of office
holders; they doubled and triped the salaries
Of existing Offices; they invented new and ex4
traot,linary schemes for plundering the treas
ury and flllibg The pockets Of the army Of Off
cialH. such, for Instance, IA tho act creating
constructive mileage. they sold out the firm
chises Of Tho people to rings and ,nonopoes /,
they created extraordinary taxes, invaded tho
| rights Of towns and cities. and actually con.
verified our republican form Of government
Into nh absolute despotiam which governed
according to the will. FIRST. Of Wnrmnth and
bIn ietaineta nnd then IF Kellogg aud tho
roguan he assembled about his usurpation
The grave question now arises, how Tar the
| Democratic administration haa gone In elmi-
| minating these cylla and ahusea from the gov
etnmental aystemY What. In other words.
has the present Legislature done to destroy
the petnlcious practices and institutions which
ltadicaliam has heuueathed to us and which
| are IA deadly 10 public prosperity IA II they
wore the robe Of Deianta Hteeped III The poi
aonous blood Of the Centaur The revenues
Of the State have been honestly Hlminis-
tered. and Honfr indirect hurthenH made
lighter Of abolished but II tho work Of re-
form has gone beyond this we have seen no
evidence Of IL. What number Of the vast mul-
titude Of now officials created by Radical
tam have boon abolished \ To what extent haa
Tho Iats mills tax. established by Kellogg.
been diminished What monopoly has been
abolished What salary has been reduced 7
MIHt J,THUttuHi mvHHurp IL thttr tttfufu tht /
Legislature calculated to convert this into d
cheap government. surh as u people inlpover
ishsd by four years Of desoatlng war and ten |
years Of rapine and oppression ought TO havep |
We aak these questions Ia no spirit Of fault. |
finding We know that many Of the reforms |
demanded are impossible of accomplishment |
under the existing constitution: but the |
DcmoeratiG9 party went into tho canvass |
OF 1870 upon the largest pledges Of reform. |
and su confident were The people that |
their representatives would sweep from the |
face Of the earth every evil which the malevu-
lonce and rapatity Of their oprreaHo,s had
planted In the government. that their ear
neatnesa VOL nigh converted tho canvass into
a revolution. They will demand therefore,
of this Legislature Il atrirt account Of ita
They will ask the very utit@
tiona WV have prnpounded. and they are
already asking whether the State Ia to be re-
formed by tho Democratic Legislature or
Democratic practices are To be Initiated and
dcbased by Radical methods. We speak,
in the interest of the Democratic
party when weadmonish Senators and Repro
sontatives that tho people are growing imra-
uont at the slow progress that Is being made
toward cheap government. God forbid that
II should be said that no party has boon equal
TO tho Democratic party III loud and bolster
ous professions Of reform and III substantial
Extravaganza and corruption.
Nearly onc-half of the session has passed and
little or nothing boon done. We are told that
hc Committee on Constitutional Amendments ,
ylll report In n few days. We hope So Not ,
10 much because we believe that any amend y
nent of real Importance can obtain Two :
birds vote In the present General Assembly | h
mt because we desire that the people may SEQ h
he full power of the reform spirit In their r
legislature, and understand the full scope n
( tho reforms our Democratic members de- |,
Ire 10 institute Tho sooner these amend a
nents are proposed and II ts seen whether or q
ct they can he adopted, the better for tho |,
tate H they cannot, tho Imperative neces- 4
ICY Of a constitutional convention will then =,
o made 40 manifest that 1t will find no oppo- II
cnts save In the ranks of those who desire to
erpctuate existing abuses. Tho amend n
FONTS, II thoy are as wide and sweeping IA Il
10 vicious principles Of The constitution will u
I've the country removed faith In Democratic ~
rounito the party. and in @,
ire a convention which will prove u blessing r
tho State 80