The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-10-23
THE OUsTOM-HoUsE CONVENTION.

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cal business. Everybody knows that when
the nerves Of q patient are unstrung by sick
ness and his whole system deranged by the
drugs administered with tho best possible III
tentiona, that spirit Of penitence for hs sins
and u desire for reformation usually takes
possession of him. and for tho tima he almost
deceives himself into believing In the SINGER
Ity OF his declarations. The old rhyme pro-
clsely hits or his condition.
When the devil was sick the devil saint
would boz
When tho devil got we'll tho devil saint WAS
Radioalism Iii Louisiana Ia ack very. very
sick. Like Humpty Dumpty. II has had q
fall. and not all the political doctors In the
land can place It sauarely On its feet again.
But being eick It thinks itself penitent, and
az All evidence Of that penltenee II proceeds
to abandon its old sinful ways, and selects o
ticket for State Offices which Ia very much
superior In lts make up 10 those which Ia IT,
days Of power 1t was won't 10 lniltct upon the
hurdened and oppressed people.
The trick liz very poorly dlagulaod. aud Ia
lacking In those elements OF dramatic inter
ct such aa the matter hand Of John sher-
man oontrlved to throw around the now his
Snowman to Eliza Pinkstou before tho Re-
turning Board. There is scarcely tho pre-
tense of Disgusting the real purposes Of the
mon and the party to whom Louisiana owes
the long years Of shameless plumber and IN
paralloled oppression endured by her after
tho close Of the war. Tho men who have cor-
scented to lend themselves to the schemes OF
this party, whose names. IL Ia hoped, will
clothe the party with garment OF respeota-
billty, will discover that the people arc not
to be hoodwinked by any such transparent
and palpsble trick. They have read the story
OF the Trojan horse. and have Just cause to
fear the Radicals. even when they come bear-
Ing gifts.
They know that the SUCCESS OF the Radical
party, however good tho ticket itself may he,
means renewal OF the Infamous govern
ment which was overthrown only after q go
ries Of desperate struggles and by the saori-
tice Or noble lives The fair records OF some
of tho nominees cannot blind tho people Of
Louisiana 70 the character Of the men who
are behind them or to tho real purposes of the
party to which they have foolishly consented
to lcnd tho responsibility or their names. The
wounds inflicted upon our people by that
party; the unutterable infamies perpetrated
by It.; the gross outraRes committed upon
constitutional government by means OF ita
standing army. aided by the bayonets Of tho
Federal government; lts denial OF the right
to bear arms or to peacefully assemble; Its
long but vain attempt TO crush the last veg
tigc Of manhood out of our people and to
quell the spirit III resistance To tyranny all
rise up and protest against 1t In tones Of thun-
der.
The present attempt To galvanize into life
q corpse 50 putresoent. the mention Of which
causes shudder Of horror, must Inevitably
result In failure. Until mems memories have
failed on their very natures are perverted,
the Radical party can no more rise to power
again In this State than can Luclfer marshal
his rebellious and defeated hosts and SUCCESS
fully STERN the gates of that heaven from
whence he and they were hurled for treason.
The scene presented by the convention was
most instructive To the political student.
There, actively ct work III the interest OF their
master at Washington. were the heads OF tho
various departments In the one remaining
stronghold OF Radicallsm In this State-the
Custom House. Gen. Badger, the nominal
collector, Tom Anderson, the real collector
The of Returning Board notorietyl. James
Lewis, tho naval officer. Morris Marks. the
internal revenue collector, Jack Wharton, the
United States marshal, Albert Leonard. the
United States district attorney, and a host
or lesser lights, were the managers OF the
convention, which was mostly composed OF
their employees, and 1t was amusing to see the
manner In which they manipulated Its every
action and looked after the interest OF John
Sherman. The underswell Of sentiment
among the negroes In favor Of Grant was,
with difficulty, suppressed, and this was only
successfully accomplished by preventing the
committee on resolutions from reporting back
any resolution indorsing Grant. 1t was also
instructive to witness the struggle by which
the opposition to resolution indorsing VIM.
Pitt Kellogg was combatted and overcome by
q number Of patriots whose contempt for the
man was not even disguised, but who feared
the result to the party more than they hated
him which Is saying good deal for their
fealty to party.
The appeals were all made on the score Of
the party, which Is sorely in need OF Kellogg's
vote, and, in the language OF his ablest and
most impassioned defender, or apologist
rather, Mr.. Dinkgrave. Were he the verlest
devil that walks the earth 1t was the duty Of
the convention to indorse him" Right or
wrong, Infamous or not, elected or not, kel-
logg-who represents Louisiana no more
than he represents New York who Is spurned
by her people, and the certificate Of whose cleo
ton Is a transparent and hlmsy fraud-must
be sustained by the Radicals OF Louisiana be-
cause the Radical party Is in e.rtremis and
needs his vote in the Senate. 1t was patheti-
cally urged that this man had become neces-
sary to the salvation Of the national Repub-
ucan party, which, without him, must inevt
tably tumble into shapeless wreck and ruin.
Elevated into the role OF savior, 1t was
comparatively easy matter to secure his in
dorsement, though It was plainly apparent