Year: 1874

The following letter, addressed to the editor
of the HERALD before the outbreak of the
revolution in Louisiana, has peculiar inter-
est at the present time in view of the events
that have taken place since it was written:-


NEW ORLEANS, Sept 10, 1874
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD -


As the editor OF a Southern journal. and as a
southern man having the interests OF the whole
country at neart, permit me to thank you FOR the
our people in TINS momentous Crisis. You have
tempered justice with mercy, and you propose
intelligent and reasonable beings, and not
as with savages. We appreciate PROFOUNDLY
the HKRALD's grand exertiOns in behalf OF peace
and justice, and believe tina, II national conven-
tiOn such as you propose can be convened, the
issues which now disturb the nation can be finally
and satisfactorily arranged. there Is great dan
ger OF a conflict In this state, when would be
Ira ught with the most iamentable consequences
and we look TO the HERALD and the Otner great
journals OF the country to aid us in this emergency
We earnestly desire peace and shrinK from war |;
but it see ns to be the dete rm nation OF the rad
cal leaders mere and Of Attorney General Wihams
at Washington to gOad the people to desperation
and violent outbreaks. Ii the splendid Appeals of
the HERALD eveDtuate in national conven ion 1t
will be the grandeSt achievement OF the century.
Very respectfully, PAGE M. BAKER.
| It will be observed that Mr.. Baker looks to
the HERALD and ''the other great journals OF
the country to aid the Southern people in
their emergency. Nothing, we are sure,
would crafty US more than to see Mr. Baker
and his friends assume that position in Louis
lana to which they are entitled. Nor can we
censure too strongly the course of the Presi-
dent in imposing upon Louisiana a govern.
ment foreign to the will and interests of the
country.


But there is only one way to peace in this
Republic, and that is by peace. The very
dangers which Mr.. Baker pictures had beer
seen by the HERALD. It was because we were
deeply impressed by them, and because We
believed it was possible to attain by peaceful
means true solution, that we ventured t.
present to the country the policy
which he commends in such warn
terms. Whether or not the convention
the HERALD proposes "will be the grandes
prophesy. We are profoundly convinced it il
the true and only way to peace and recon
struction. But such convention, or an,
convention, in fact, or any measure of conces
sion to the South, will be impossible if we ar
to have revolutions like those in Louisiana
NO matter now SluceTc auu JustinhDie, uo rev
olutions can be approved. 1t would be al
appeal from the ballot to the barricade tina
would mean the disintegration of the Union
The attempt will only result in reviving tn
war spirit of the North--the dark, revengefu
spirit that was seen in the recent speech {
Mr.. Morton. And we are perfectly frank wit
Mr.. Baker when we tell him that, with th
spirit aroused, the appeals of the HERALD an
''the other great journals of the country" fc
kindness to the South would fly as idly in tt
air as thistledown.


Mr.. Baker is an able and influential citize
of Louisiana, with power for good or evi
Let him use his power in enforcing th
J maxim upon his people, that the only wa
| to peace for the South is by peace. We sha
do what we can to aid in this work-to awake
and quicken the Northern heart. But whe
revolution really comes we are for the Unfol
once and all the time.