The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1867-09-11
Mass Meetings throughout the State and a
MASS CONVENTION TO CONSIDER TIE GRIEVANCES Oh

give as his reasons their ineciency in Office and their
failure to give proper protection to Union men. 1t is
questionable whether greater insult was ever offered
to the citizens of any CITY, State country and to
add to our humiliation and degradation we are com
PEELED to know and to believe thai result has been
obtained entirely through the agency Of the negro,
our midst for our ruin aided by the central Radical
directory at New Orleans
Owing to the mpossibility of finding white citizens
of the city parish able to take the roncad oath OF
Office the city government has yet been unable
to organise. In period of profound peace, an I'M
offending and deenceless people, trodden under foot
by the most despotic and arbitrary power have been
deprived of all participation voice in their local
government, and have been deprived of any govern
ment at ALL save such as may possibly be hereafter
forced upon them, and be composed largely, if not
entirely, of men who neither command nor deserve
their respect confidence, possess the character
and capacity to win it.
We have heard of gallant soldiers and leaders of
armies whose nobility of soul and valor forbade
them to withhold well merited praise from their subor-
dnates, to treat them with injustice History equal
y records the temporary successes Of others who in
the moment of victory have snatched and stolen the
laures won by others to deck their brows- Man.
kind have been slow to pronounce their judgments
upon the true and the false hero. The worship of false
gods has never been more than temporary alteration
among any people of ancient or modern times. Some
such Judgment of the people General Sheridan seems
to have resolved to merit to prepare for himself and
to hasten by his official acts. lie to have had
higher purpose loftier sta ndard Of patriotism,
Of duty and Of honor than to turn his command over
to his with his private end and object
accomplished, that end and object being none othe
than to place the destnes, welfare and government Of
the citizens and State of Louisiana in the absolute
control of negro majority. In order that he might
seem to have plausible grounds to justify SO great an
iniquity, he has committed other crimes which will
ultimately make him an object of execration and ha
tired to the entire country, when the facts, the truth,
and the evidence to be known, ia this, that he
has lent willing ear to false witnesses, has believed
without any investigation whatever, every SANDER
which the malice and hatred of misguided blacks,
aided and led by unprncpled Whites could suggest
invent has decided before he heard and judged be-
fore he understood Instead of suspendng his official
action to leave his successor untrammeled he, with
haste and eagerness, with malice and venom ranking
at his heart employed the few remaining days, of his
accidentally prolonged power, to consummate the
Radical schemes of villany and fraud, in the self
evident hope and expectation that he has thereby
their favor and support for his personal advance
ment. Instead of carrying away with him the re-
spect love, and blessings Of free people, whom he
could easily have lifted from darkness into sunshine
he has robbed US of rights and liberties, and de-
parted with execratons and curses.
We are poweress to prevent the contamination of
the vlanies he has perpetrated but we at least
lay our cause before the people of the whole country
and ask their judgment upon the evidence. In this
view we trust that people will take organised and
prompt action.
But few short months ago nearly all of our most
first reconstruction measures of Congress- in full hope
and expectation that they held forth reasonable and
fair promise and pledge for curly participation in
the government. In plain and palpablc violation of
every rule of construction and interpretation General
Sheridan Immediately substituted his authority for
that of Congress and of law, and commenced leg
sating for himself, by secret unpublished nstruc
tons to his Boards Of Registry which worked the dis
franchsement of our people. For this act of usurpa
ton and tyranny he fttingly rebuked by the
mastery opinions Of the Attorney General, aud by
the President and his entire Cabinet, who the
impous Stanton gave to the law that legal just and
equitable meaning which had alone induced its accept
ance by our people. Congress almost Immediately
reconvened, aud by the passage Of entirely law,
accepted the construction given by General Sheridan
to their previous legislation This new law, their last
legislation, and is entirely post acto' with
reference to the acceptance ofthe first law and its sup
pemcnt by our people, and has never been acquiesced
in by any considerable portion of the people Of any
Southern State. The result Of this violation of law by
General Sheridan and subsequent punic faith of the
Congress- of the United States is now known to the
world. It has accomplished complete disfran-
chiscment, and placed the control of the State in the
entire absolute, Irresponsible and unquestionablc
troll Of the negro race.
1t is against this result, so shocking to the better
judgment of the world, so monstrously and wckedly
opposed to every principle of law and liberty, of hui
mainly and civilization, that would have our peo-
Pile protest with voices loud enough to be heard
throughout the entire country. The harmony, wei
fare and liberties of our people in danger and
confident that in suggesting peaceable measures
for our protection, not recommending any
measures which possibly entail upon them any in
creased burdens exactons, any further ouragcs
than the already completed and consummated destruc
ton of all the constitutional rights which the
stuent elements Of popular liberty Our ancestors in
revolutionary times have left us their example in the
"Declaration of Independence " itself, which
statement Of their grievances to candid world and
this is what we propose. We must not, cannot, will
not permit ourselves to be willing Victims con-
sultng only fears, despondiDgIy lose all faith in
the general Intelligence and goodness of intent of the
people of the entire country we believe that
in SO great crisis in the history of the country we
have not among ourselves lips eloquent enough, and
pens sufficiently powerful to set forth our cause
Alright
Let no man say are powerless to act. Every
principle of duty and of honor requires that should
utter uncertain voice. withhold possible support
from those brave and true men Of the North who are
so noby contendng for those principles of con-
stitutona law and Of administrative Justice and poll
cy which have in view welfare, in common with
the maintenance of the Constitution and the welfare
of the whole country. Let citizen who recognises
Sc - r.