St. Landry democrat., 1891-01-03
Why We Favor the Adoption Of Nor
ris' Revenue Amendment

We purpose to speak our sentimentl
on this question in plain language, in
tending to offend no one. There is NJ
reason why anyone should be offended
IT we cannot convince our readers We
are right, there can be nothing wrong
In saying what we think. If We fail tc
persuade them to adopt our views, there
can he no more harm in the attemp,
than in our failure to appreciate the
soundness of theirs.
We begin then, where this war OF
opinions sprang up. A Jealous Prote-
tant preacher of New Orleans, assuming
that he stood on the outer walls of Ziou,
on the ramparts of the Protestant reli-
gion, like Ithuriel sentinelling the gar
den of Paradise lest the devil should en-
ter in and beguile our first parents
wrote series Of attenuated articles
which were published in the Sugar
Bowl. In these he drew upon his im-
aginatioD, and made his picture as hid
eous as he knew how. He knew that
his Satanic Majesty as lie is conceded
by some to be, is not half so frightful to
many, as q painted devil. He therefore
used his paint lavishly, and having
three aUorlds-heaven, earth and hell
to draw from, he succeeded in giving to
the readers of tho Sugar Bowl, sal
magundi of facts, fancy and fanfaron-
ade, which tempted Roman Catholics as
we'll as the mem bers of his own protes-
tant denomination to believe he really
had caught the devil and held him by
the horns.
He dwelt with glowing zeal upon the
question of religion and morality in
volved in Morris proposition.
He succeeding for time in seducing
Roman Catholics from the venerable
charms and beauties of their own cler-
ical teachings, and from the sufficiency
of their system of morals, to the advo-
cacy of his improvised theory of human
conduct.
Some of his converts infatuated by
new born zeal, talked like men of the
age of the Crusades. They spoke of
fighting to suppress free ballot among
white men, to prevent public discussion
and many other silly things of like
nature. They for time seemed to
have set the winds on fle and the timld
feared, and the prudent stood by in si-
lence. Public speakers contributed
scintillations of infammatory declama-
tion for the delectation of moon struck
imaginations, while the monstrous con-
ception of the Rev. Mr.. Caradine ns-
sumed an aspect of beauty and was for
a time well-spring of JOY. They Or
ganized themselves to do what7 To
propagate the morality of the absent
Apostle and Protestant teacher of Ro-
man Catholic churchmen.
Now We maintain that there is nothing
in the proposed amendment, which, if it
be adopted, has any feature of immor-
ality necessarily in it. 1t is conceded
by all classes that crime and offenses of
every grade and classification is such
only, in 80 far as it violates some human
legislation. Without this, the moralist |
may denounce an act as sin, but can
not say it is q crime. The law takes |
away the feature of crime in any act, |
whenever it provides for the commits
sion Of it. The question then arises
what is moral and what is mott The
standard varies with every degree of
civilization. History is full of the proof
Of this fact. We need give only few
There was o time when
tue pu,ists Of this country were so pious
that they legislatea against man kiss
ing his wife on Sunday. The authors
Of that legislation were good people
they fought the devil at every turn aud
in gaining much strength for
4 time.
Dancing was prohibited by the
and for long time no instru-
mental music was permitted in many of
hem. There are some would be- better
han Others, who still object to it.
There are thousands of pious people
who are unwilling now, to have the
'ongs of Zion and the hymns sung to
popular airs, heard at theatres and on
he streets, whilst other equally pious
people seriously object to letting the
levil have all the best music. Occa-
iionally we meet with a good old soul
Who believes the devil lives in the fiddle
md who would leave a social gathering,
f the heavenly tones drawn from that
instrument of horse hair and corrugated
;at-gut, are heard in the parlor.
Some good people will not travel on
sunday because they believe it to be
of the divine law, which en-
oins it upon them to remember the
sabbath day to keep it holy. How
many believe it to be wrong, and there
ore immoral in their view to eat meat
N Friday2
How many thousands of the citizens
f the United States organized them
elves into abolition societies and filed
he air with tracts, speeches and SER
nons against slavery, at time too,
shen every man in the South owning
me, believed the institution protected
" the Constitution These were NOR
lists and religionists. They were
easeless in their onslaught upon it,
whilst millions believed it right, and
ought and died to perpetuate it. If I
hey could, the Protestant clergy of this
Onntry wnnin ahrooafa horao roc;rr