The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-06-27

TIE CONVENTION WILL PLEASE
COME To ORDER.
r. LIZ ett.fi:f.r5s. 80 ~
Tho promise to redeem Louisiana is
not as yet redeemed.
We are reminded of this failure both |
by the, proceedings of tho Constitution
al Convention and by The fact that at
this time only a twelve.months ago
the State was in agitation over the Sc
lection Of delegates to parish nominal
ing conventions, the point in dispute
being whether, or not, Louisiana should
have an organic law supplanting the
fraudulent Constitution of 1868, and by
the. further fact that the Democratic
State legislature subsequently chosen,
with references to that issue, decided
that the voice of the people, demand
ing an organic reform should be res
pectcd. 80
The Convention now in session, born
of this demand, has been in session
since the 2lst Of April-59 days (Sun-
days included land the members have,
no doubt, been earnestly engaged III
solving the difficulties presented for
their elaboration. It has been, we
can understand, no light or trivial I'M
dertaking. For, since the best friends
of new Constitution may have gone
to the Capital with settled convictions,
or have gone there even with grave
doubts, as to their duty, they have, we
know, met with men of no convictions,
or still gravcr doubts, and have found
distractions and obstructiO,aists whose
purposes, we must infer, meant and
only mean defeat of n new Constitution
and of tho great Reform to which the
Democracy of Louisiana is sacredIy
pledged. It is on this account, no doubt,
that the Convention has made such
slow progress. .n '."
Among the distractions referred to,
is the tssacred'' obligations of the State,
which, judged by the time consumed
in considering the claim, have entirely
overshadowed tho sacred obligations
duo by tho members of tho Convention
to the people. Tho Convention will
pardon US for saying-sincc we say it
in kindness, though with bluntncss,
perl,aps-that tho Convention has mis-
taken the purposes for which it was
called into being. Its deliberations
have assumed too much in reality the
character OF discussions in q brokers'
shop. Or, in law, it might be said that
it bears a strong resemblance to a meet
ing of tho creditors and the lcw sur
viving friends Of a vacant and insol-
vent succession. Tho Debt question
has taken precedence over all others,
when in law and in fact that question
is the last question to be considered.
And it would have been better in the
case In hand, perhaps, had tho Conven-
ton exhausted its delegated powers on
the great question first, which created
it: namely, the question of tho politi-
cal and intellectual redemption of the
State,-bcfore arousing the virtuous
and patriotic indignation of the holders
of fraudulent bonds. This wOnld have
kept these hory patriots in tho reserve,
where the bravcst and bcst-disciplined
troops arc always kept, except in a
charge, and hero there was no charge
needed. Albeit, the Debt discussion,
as II "discussion" in law, or in the
Convention, has done no great amount
of injury, even though it has served
no better purpose than to eNhume the
rotten, mouldy corpse Of Radical mis-
rule and present it in its hidcousness
to the people who have SO long man
fully protested and fought against sof-
ficiar' wrongs, extravaganza and cor
ruption. And in mono of the speeches
made on the Debt question has this
corpse been so wildly placed before
us, closely as we watched its birth and
earnestly as VIC sought to strangle it,
than in the fine specimens of forensic
rhetoric delivered by Mr.. Scmmes,
ex-Gov. Warmoth, Mr.. Cafrrey, OK
Gov. Pinchback and others. They
have stirred up our Democratic
blood rs it has not been for
years. In this view Of the Debt dis
cussion, we acknowledge n debt of