St. Landry democrat., 1879-06-07
Ss saas is 1t!
New Orleans Democrat, 3iaE 3l>t

mittee on State Debt, that the acts OF
the Legislature Of 1874 are not binding
Oh the people OF this State as laws, Is,
| 10 say the least, starting, if not, in
deed, as Mr.. Cai1'rry, in his able dissent,
calls it, revolutionary. If the funding
act and the constitutional amendments
! proposed by lhat body are to be treated
as vold, for want Of authority, the same
IS true OF all the legislation enacted by
| that and subsequent Legislatures up To
january, 1877. The Legislature OF 1875
and 1876 was in part Democratic, and
during its existence some important
Legislation was adopted, Including the
supplemental funding act, which sub
! jected to judicial scrutiny millions Of
lie outstanding State bOtluS. The leg
lslati0n which enacted The tnnhing bill
and proposed tie amendments WAS in
auSurated under the election OF 1872.
| Hence, il Mr.. Forlnan's conclusion axe
| to be accepted, all tie legislation OF
! this State from 1872 to l91?--all the
| official acts done under and 10y virtue OF
| that legislation absolute nulllties
us cmanatlnG from an unauthorized body
lhe far reaching consequences Of such
q doctrine are appalling. No doubt
that millions in valuc OF property rests
upon this legislation as the foundation
| putatlon i'll number ;tu,i il amount
hlvesbecn had under this legislation.
Mr.. FOrmans theory strikes them all
with a radical nulllty, and virtually
cXpun4cs from our judicial, executive
and legislative annals the transactions
OF four years. Who can ncusuic lie
extent OF the calamity which such Il
proposition involves 1t is second only
80 the project of the Commune in its
far-;eaclIiuG destruction. There is no
avoiding the C0nEsusii,il that il that
Legislature was incompetent for one
act OF legislation it was incompetent
for all. You at once strike down all
accepted theories as to tie .tnct0 gov
ernment, and at one fell blow destroy
all successolshlp Ill government, leaving
each succeeding administration free to
Gisayow and nulIify the acts OF its pre-
decessor, upon any partisan plcte&t
whatsoever. We cuniut believe that
any considerable number OF members
of the Convention are prepared to give
their adhesion to SO communstic
theory. We say communistic as mean
Ing the destruction Of all stability il
government and us remanding the State
and the lishts OF Its people 10 the tender
mercles OF the patty that chances to
reign.
w hat becomes Of constitutions and
laws under such doctrine: The very
instrument which the Convention is
now framing With so much care and
labor will he bat hope oi sand in tile
hands OF future partisans OF Mr. For
mans school. IN its turn it may be de
nounced as the fruit of violence and
fraud, and this may be made the pre-
text for disregardiug it. In the name
of common sense, let us find some other
theory NpGn which to base repudiation, /
ii we must have il. Let us not add All |
arcily to our other woes, and open the |
Aoodgates to eternal and perpetual strife !
and uncertainty.
What faith, what confidence can or |
will the world irpo2e il rs. It We thus |
set at naught the very foundation prin-
ciple of stable government
What man seeking Il home, Or capital
ist an investment, will ever turn his eyes |
toward a State thus Mexicanized CaD- |
ital and populatinn would not only
avoid us, but what We have OF ticiu /
would rapidly flee from rs. No man Of |
prudence conld invest dollar on the
faith of our laws, lest the next turn Of |
fovtl}ne's.wheel should bring to the SUI
face men of Mr.. EoInaD'S views men
who can destroy the Oldest and most |
ideas OF government and |!
law Ivy a stroke of the pen. No public
ist, no statesman or judge, has ever
dared to maintain such = doctrine-for
under it there can be nothing but an
archy. Its acceptance will in one year
cost Louisiana thrice the amount Of the
debt it is devised to avoid, by prnstrat-
ing the credit OF her banks and mer~-
chants, by discouraging immigration,
driving away capital.
But there is yet another view Of this
matter, which ought to command our
attention, to wit: its effects upon nation
ii politics. The same argument by
which Mr. Forman maintained his prop
3sition will invalidate all the acts OF
Congress. 1t will expunge the thir-
;eenth, fourteenth and fifteenth amend
nents from the constitution of the Uni
ed States. On the eve of presidential
election, which is pregnant with veal
)r woe for Louisiana, can we afford to
strengthen our adyersaries by such
course? Can we afford to invite those
Who may, under third term of Grant,
oe in power, to apply Mr.. Forman's the
,ries to our own govrnment of the Stateo
IAN We afford to handicap the national
Democracy with such load We think
lot. On tho contrary, we snould dis
ard all subterfuges and legal quibbles,
nd treat the subject Of the State debt
s q political question, and seek to rec
,nclle our obligations to public faith
With the necessities OF our people.
Last Thursday in Chicago one Of those
Northern fellows, who, the Philadelphia
'ress says, " always keep their reyol-
ers locked mp at home," went to mill
n the central part Of the city and began
hooting the employees as fast as he could
raw the bead on them. After putting
ulets through three or four Of them,
n officer succeeded in disarming him.
le was neither drunk nor insane, but ,
aid he " had q grHdge aga;nst the 'rhole
IL mW." This is sample Of North
rn civilization and scarcely a day
asses in Chicago.without similar dis
lay. of six-shooters. We mustAsfIec-
suggest to our Northern fell
>w-citizens that this thing must be
topped. The South has borne such
Of barbarism on the part
t our Northern fellow citizens with re-
patience, and she warns them
aat she will insist Hereafter upon
eneral disarming. It is getting dis
raceful to ouP common civilization.--
4@@ {CourIer journal.
8. n 20 ;r,poc.;l.Ia,. ,. r,;,l on, 1,al:t:.