The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-31
TO OUR BUSINESS MEN.

1t is alleged that the business men of New
Orleans are opposed TO the constitutional con-
vention movement We are told that some of
them apprehend that the excitement incident
to such movement, and the elections 1t may
necessitate, will disturb and in1ure business.
Others fear that convention means the re-
pudiation or readjustment Of the State debt,
and the consequent decline Of the State and
private credit.
There Ia no reasonable ground for these OBJ
iections to great popular movement. The
agricultural interests Of the State are as
readily and iniuriously affected by political
excitement and political disorders rs are the
mercantile interests; and yet, we find that q
very large majority Of the parishes, repre-
senting the wealthiest and most important
agricultural districts Of the State, have en-
phatically declared that they will be salts
fed with nothing less than q new constitu-
ton, framed by delegates elected for that
purpose by themselves. These enuneiations
from the country have not been made by
those terrors of our business men, ward
bummers" and professional politicians, " but
by merchants, professional men, farmers,
planters and clerks, representing the intelli-
gence, property and real disinterested patri-
otism Of the country.
Now, then, 1t seems to us that II the farm
ers planters and merchants Of the country,
who chiefly furnish the business of the city,
favor this measure, there Is no ground on
which our business men can oppose It,
If agitation Is what our business men fear,
how are they now to stop agitation except by
Joining the convention men and doing what
they can to facilitate the assembling of the
convention and the speedy disposal Of the last
question left to agitate us The demand for
constitutional convention has become so
general and it is made In every part of the
State with such earnestness that 1t can nei-
Their be cried down nor crushed out
A constitutional convention is now the most
aggressive question in Louisiana politics, and
it will agtate Louisiana politics until the
people have spoken through 1t and framed
their organic law according to their own
wishes.
Those, therefore, who fear agitation should
be amongst the strongest convention men;
for, rest assured, agitation will continue so
long as the edict of 1868 stands. That instru-
ment Is the somnambulist of the vanished but
still hideous dream Of reconstruction. There
will be no pacfication Of the politics of Louis
lana until that phantom of dead carpet-bag-
gerry is exercised from them; and only con-
stitutional convention can perform the coniu-
ration.
The assumption that the purpose of the
conventionists is to attack the State debt is
utterly without foundation. We doubt If this
objection to the convention was originally
raised by those sincerely concerned about the
State credit On the contrary, we are salts
fed that it was suggested by the monopolies
and specializing rings who understand thai
the convention movement is hostile to their
interests No word has been uttered by the
leaders of the convention movement hostile to
the State debt The rings and the monopoHes
are the parties who suggested and who have
urged that the purpose of the convention was
to repudiate or readiust the State debt.
And now, once for all, we declare that the
convention Democrats of this State propose
to stand to the last by the State debt as it was
settled by the amendments of 1874. The peo-
pie of Louisiana voluntarily accepted the set
Element proposed by those amendments, and
they are in honor bound to stand by 1t to the
utmost farthing.
The consolidated debt Of the State stands
upon exactly the same impregnable basis as
the consolidated debt of New Orleans. We
do not believe there Is an honest court in
America which would not sustain both, be-
cause both-the latter by the ratification OF
the act of 1859, and the former by the accept
ance of the amendment Of 1874 by the people
were recognized by the people and accepted
| by the people through the ballot box. On the
faith of the people bonds representing both
have been purchased by honest men as invest
ments and have been held as such. Destroy
or impair the consolidated debt of New Or
leans and you will damage both the public anc
private credit of the city. Repudiate all Oh
any portion of the consolidated debt of Louis
lana and you ruin the credit, compromise
the honor and cripple every private and pub
lie enterprise in the State.
The object Of the convention men is not Il
injure the State and it's public and privat'
interests, but to protect and relieve them
Hence, we assure the holders of our Statt
securities that their true friends and allie
are the convention Democrats of Louisiana