Louisiana capitolian., 1879-03-29
LOUISIANA MUST BE OLSEN
THRALLED.

LOUISIANA MUST BE DISEN-
THRALLED.
Eighteen years have rolled by, since
the day when the Pelican State placed
her fortunes in the hand of the "God
of Battles" Her people staked their
all in a contest that they sincerely
believed was a righteous one. Her
public and the individual wealth OF
her citizens were scattered and de-
strOyed amid that carnival of death
and desolation. In thousands of in
stances, the homes of the attluent, and
the happy and comfortable ones OF
the larger number, were confounded
in common ruin. Bankruptcy, want
and penury have visited almost every
household since 1861. The lordly
habitations of our planters-vacated
by their former slaves, who consti-
tuted their wealth the prey
of claimants, whose mortgagesin many
cases did not amount to q tenth OF
their estimated value at that Pc
riOd. To make matters worse, a gov
ernmcnt placed over our State by the
brute force of the bayonet, sustained
and instigated by shameless specula-
tors, who, taking advantage of the
chaotic condition of affairs, bribed
corrupt freebooters into concocting all
species of schemes, resulting in the
piling up of a mountain Of indebted
ness, at the same time that exOrbitant
taxation was being levied to preserve
avhat ras and is now eren being called
by some the honor and credit of Lou
isiana.
Where are the public buildings, the
railways, the canals, the internal i'm
provements, or the levees, to answer
for this profigacyq
We can point to the crevasses
through which runs the mighty 'Fa-
ther of Waters" as it carries it's desc
lating streams oyerlands once teeming
with productiveness.
TO the railway charters of lines
that are in embryo.
TO the purchase of that rookery
known as the est. Louis Hotel swim.
die"
To the Slaughter House and othe1
monopolies.
70 the Lake Borgne Canal, and tt
the levees constructed only in the fer.
tile brain of rapacious contractors.
To the stacks of warrants issued tt
those satellites the Metropolitan Po
lice Militia, for faithful services rem.
dered in their incursions through Tho
parishes, supported within call by tht
Federal troops. All this in order tx
force upon the people the most ahject
the most mercenary, the most unscru'
pulous radical officials.
That's the foundation on which rests
those securities that the new Officia
organ, the Picayune-that advocat.
of the bondholders-is pleased tx
couple with the honor and the publ,
credit Of Louisiana!
The hour has sounded for the re-
demption of our State. Its repre-.
sentatives to the convention mus
do their duty. This generation ha.
carried this cross for eighteen weary
years, and it is high time that j
should breathe freely. At least, i
not for ourselves, but for our children
We want to open future that vii
permit us to educate them and tina
will furnish field wherein the indus
trious may thrive. We have enough
of this slavery, and we will no longe1
be held in the traces by hollow senti
mentality. Louisianians must cease
to pay out their substance to the stool
jobbers and gamblers! The people
demand that the taxes shall be applied
to the schools, to the repairing AM
building of public edifices to the de
velopment of our internal resources
and the payment Of honest debts only
We care not for the Outcry Of th'
Unsuitable shylocks, who have beer
getting and still want the annua
"pOund of flesh."
The State debt must beinvestigated
and every cent Of 1t that is spuriou
must be thrown overheard.
1t is known that the holders of thes'
securities have in most instances re
through the erorbitant interes
that has been paid since fourteen
years-more, aye, twice more thar
they gave for them.
We say, no child's play now, ant
attack that infamy courageously, n,
matter who squeals.
In the views that we express WI