The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-07
THE NEW ORLEANS DEMOCRAT, FRIDAY, MARCH Z, 1870.

claim the protection of their country's flag
for their property We shall strenuously
and unqualifledly oppose the perpetustion of
these laws in any contract subsidy or other
measure Of encouragement that Congress
may propose to extend to our commerce. So
long rs these laws remained In fur3e and
the ascendancy of tho Republicans In one
branch of Congress forbid all hope of their
repeal we could not afford to refuse n
bounty. because 1t was granted under con
slitions imposed by n principle TO which
we were opposed but which, none the
less, applied universally to the whole
commerce OF the country. The objective
point now Il, not to DO tho best we can under
bad laws, but TO repeal those laws, and en-
franchise our commerce from the shaekies
too long imposed upon IL In the interests of
New England shipbullders Dcsttuted of this
feature. and Of all suspicion Of jobbery such
AZ appertainpd to tho Roach subsidy, and
there will he no difficulty In securing from
Democratic Congress proper encouragement
FOR the establishment Of direct mail service
with Brazil. Fix the maximum of the appro-
nriation, permit competition, and allow com
petitors purchase their ships wherever they
can get them cheapest, and all honest Demo
cratic opposition will be ohviated, and we can
then begin to designate as the enemies OF the
South the Democrats who, from local interest
or corrupt motive refuse us tho bounty to
which we are Justly entitled Relieved Of the
Roach feature, and the proposition Ia alto
gether another thing.
II will be remembered that when this very
measure was being discussed In tho CONNER
cla convention which met here In December
last, the DEMOCRAT alone Of all the city
press, opposed that feature of It which incor-
porated the principle Of the existing naviga-
ton laws. We said then, as we say now that
this recommendation of the convention did not
meet the approvatuf the commercial masses Of
the country, and that u was utterly repugnant
to the traditional doctrine of the Southern
Democracy. "freo trade and sailors rights"
We went further and showed that these laws
originated In concession to New England
shipping interests aud that their first purpose
and application was the protection of "the
truly benevolent and humane merchandise Of
importing negroes 10 chrstianl2e them.
which negroes had been purchased on the
west coast Of Africa by tho Puritan philan-
thropists with rum, distilled from moasees
previously imported In their vessels from tho
West Indies Laws originating ms these did
may aptly be termed a relic 81 barbarlsm. "
and as such they deserve no place on our
statute books. and the utmost that cireum-
stances can do Is to excuse tho Democrat
who aids In any way to perpetuate them
The great obstacle in Tho way of Demo
cratic SlIpport of IpuiaIatiOn bepefipiHI In |
tho South has been that every measure
looking TO that end, every bill made for South
ern support, has been identified with some |
scheme OF iobbery and plumber
eoncOcted In tho interest of individuals and |
This was tho case with the
Brazil subsidy and with tho Texas Pacific
Railroad scheme, which was gotten up solely
in the interests Of Tom Scott and the Pennsyl-
vanla Central while 1t was commend ed to
Southern Democrats rs purely Southern
measure. This fraud was exposed during tho
last session of Congress by the DEMOCRAT,
which alone. Of all the New Orleans press, adj
vocated the bill proposed by Senator johnson,
IF Virginia, to which Tom Scott could
have had no possible objection had
he professions he made to cap
,uro Southern votes been honest and sincere.
The time has now come when Democrats can
'ote upon measures beneficial to the South
~ their merits, unpreiudiced by jobs or eus-
,Icions Of iobbery. Under these altered cir
umstances we do not apprehend that they
viii prove the relentless enemies Of tho South
which the Times would have IA believe them