The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-02-13


death with joy, and think it honorable
those with whom your hearts are twined
VINO did What you wanted them to do, will
not 90 subjected to the executioner or to
prescription: for no people who ever did
an act like this could dare again to look
upon the sun. speak this as the senti.
lnent OF large majority of the people Of
the North. But, my fcllow-citizens. there
is one other section of the constitutional
amendment, and that is viii, regard to
universal suffrage. Inrealty, there are few
outside OF New England who really desire
to force this thing upon you, In nv owl,
State Of Indiana it would he opposed by \
combination of $1,000 votes. Now fbe
people OF the North recognize the question
OF suffrage as State institution | speak
now, not for the wild, insane fanatics, hut
Tor the masses. These latter do not wish
to enforce universal suffrage upon You as a
condition. They recognize it as State in.
stltntlon; they think that virtue and in.
telllgence are requisite to voter, and dc
not think tha6.- this mass of lately
liberated slaves would bring to the
ballot box the virtue and intelligence
requisite to make society secure
1t is my duty not to disguise TO you that
great anxiety exists in the North
North at the present time in regard to the
question OF your representation. But as
this is problem which you are in no con.
dition to solve at present, / merely suggest
it for your future consideration We have
conidencein your justice and your pru-
dence. There is. another matter to which
| may here aliude. Your State Constitu.
ton AMI laws with regard to colcred men
should certainly satisfy the most eager anti.
slavery men of the Nortln | find that here
a coiored man may own property, and may
be protected in occupation Of it; that he
may bring shit in your courts-and when
in addition to this, am Informed that a
colored man receives fifteen dollars per
month with his board and his house rent
and .all his other expenses paid, don't
think any men in the North will have any
tears of, commlserationg to spare for the
colored man in New Orleans. 1As y
| have thus touched upon the most
salient points Of these questions. There
is no more difficult point than this which
have undertaken-I say however that we
do not want. to confscate your property
1t is true there are some in the halls oil
legislation who favor this--that there are
some in New England who, believe them
SELVES to be in partnership with the AL
mighty; that there are some high minded
women who aspire to the desire to enforce
all the bloody machinery that was put in
operation during the war. On the statute
book, at this time, thera is law which
would take from the widowed mother even
the bed on which she sleeps, provided her
son had been in the Confederate army, and
tshe had given him warning tofY and es-
cape from being captured. There is a
Iconhscatlon law which is intended to
introduce in this Southern county. what
is calleda new civilization; a law intended
to break up all the old families, to sell theil
estates, to bring New England men down
here to buy those estates. to drive hence
the representative population, to Introduce
negro suffrage, to allow all to vote on cleo
ton Gay with New England ideas. This
| is the programme Of the extreme men
How much you all owe to the man OIL
humble origin who occupies the Presi
Dental chair, you will never know. 1t is
he who has stood between you ard ruin
and tonight, say from my. heat, "ThanI
God, for Andrew johnson, the President
of these United States" Errors and mis-.
takes there may have been, but he has ad
hered strictly to the course he has believed
to be right, in spite of calumnies such as
have never Known applied to anybody. ]
say then, whenever you see his line of poll
cy clearly marked out, you may conclude il
safe for Southern man to be found there
He stands as barrier to those who have
rended you.
Although, then, we have this blessing al
though also the Supreme Court uuexpec
tedly comes to our assistance; although
the majority Of the people, North ana
South, are withus, land they are mighty,
yet you may inquire, chow are we to avail
ourselves of these circumstances? to avail
ourselves of that power, to make it .politi
cal and to reap from it the benefits which
may resalt?" Time with its changes, may
be appealed to. you are right, you art
sure that time will bring relief Time il
the test Of truth. Let us then be law
abiding and truthful. Let us cultivate
friendly relations once more. The whistle
of the steamboats, is now the music Of tn,
Union. This day | saw steamboat from
my own State Of Indiana discharging fou
thousand barrels oflpork upon your leyee
With one ofyour hands reaching up to
wards the great West, and bringing thence
Iall the gBeat staples oflife,. you may, witt
the other beckon over the sea to The
merchants Of the earth to come and traffic
withjy you. Al few days ago q tariff bill was
brought up before the Congress. This is
q measure destined to crauip the labors
the productive powers of the great agri
cultural fields Of the West aud South But
while it robs the pockets, it will consoli
date the affections. Take comfort, then
in the thought that soonfr or later you and
|, upon the platform Of State equality
shall be once more together. Your starry
flag is there, as it was of old; your es
cutcheon is there unstained. Bear il
bravely. cannot despair of this section
of country. / never saw such.a wealth Of
nature spread out before me in all my life
And although the cypress may mourn fol-
your gallant dead, the magnolia will yet
bloom for the living. Although the Mis-.
sissippi's waters may murmer forever q
requiem, yet new future will spring up to
the touch of industry, enterprise and a
cheerful submission to the will Of Proyi-
dence.
- sAe~ S--~----
GzS. GRANT on THE Floor OF fHE House
"A Washington dispatch ofthe SSth ult