Year: 1875

'sThe Restoration OF the Bourbons."


When we called attention recently to the
beautiful arrangement which had been made
by the democrats for the government of the
majority of the House we little thought that
our mounting hopes would SO soon fall.
Speaking from democratic authority-nay,
from no less a source of inspiration than
the weird and beautiful Washington CORE
spondence of the World-we pointed out
how the successful House had selected
three members that were to be O trium-
virate. The first was Kerr, The Man of
Honesty. The second was Randall, The Man
of Capacity. The third was Wood, The Man
of Department BY this arrangement Kerr
was to be Speaker, Randall leader of the
House, and Wood to be Mentor, as the
gifted correspondent puts it, or referee"
to make the word palmer to the general
mind. But it seems that party thus COM
manded has fallen into error in its first cam
paign, and altogether through the interfer-
ence of its Mentor" or referee"


The story of this discontinue. has been
told in the papers, but there is one point
about it which has escaped observa-
ton. 1t is reported that Mr. Kerr and
Mr. Wood ''advised together" as to the
course to be pursued in the Louis
lana matter. Mr.. Randall does not seem
to have been admitted to the conference.
Perhaps The Man of Honesty and The Man of
Department did not care to be governed by
The Man of Capacity at so early date. So the
battle was fought and lost. The point of this
controversy is too grave to be overlooked. 1t
shows beyond peradventure that the warning
of the HERALD against the restoration of the
Bourbons was timely. The very first act
of the leaders of the democratic party
is in itself revolutionary to the highest
degree. In the first place, the demo-
Gratis put themselves on the record as
attempting to violate sacred compact
namely, that compact made between dem
ocrats and republicans in Louisiana to the
effect that if Kellogg was recognized as Gov
ernor the republicans would recognize the
democrats in the Legislature. This com
pact, clearly understood, agreed upon
as a settlement of grave question which
might have caused q revolution, and meant
for the best interests of the State and of
the country, is calmly thrown aside by these
Bourbons in the first hours of their victory.
The second point is that Mr. Wood, in ask
ing the democratic majority to recognize the
government of McEnery, put himself in the
position of direct advocacy Of rebellion.
Mr.. Wood cannot have forgotten that tho
President treated McEnery's government as
rebellion, commanded it to disperse within
five days, and bade the army and navy to be
ready to rush upon Louisiana the moment
his commands were disobeyed. And yet
this movement, which stands in the history
of the country to-day as much an act of re-
bellion in intent as the firing upon Fort
Sumter, is indorsed by the action of the
leaders of the democratic party.


We say now as we have said before, and
we cannot be too earnest in repeating it, that
country to the rule Of the Bourbons it leads
to its own ruin. For while the country
elected democrats to power and would gladly
continue them there, it was for the purpose
of reforming the government that they
might act as grand inquest upon the ad-
ministration Of the republican party for the
last fifteen or twenty years that they
might brush away the few remnants of pro-
scription and ostracism which remained as
legacies Of tho war. 1t was not that they
should endeavor to restore the power that
was only broken down by the expenditure