Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1868-10-10
REPORT.

NGx ONAs
To the President and members of the Democratic
State Convention.
Your Committee on Resolutions and
the Condition of the State have given the
subject that serious consideration which
it's Importance demands.
There is much in the present condition
and future prospects of Louisiana to ex
cite the most serious a~pprehensions IN the
mind of every patriot.
The Republican Convention which A.
sembIed 10 Chicago in May last, adopted
the following resolution
1--WE congratulate tho country upon
the assured success of the reconstruction
policy OF Congress, as indicated by the
adoption, in . majority of the States late
ly in rebellion, of constitutions securing
equal civil and political rights to all"
Never was q sadder nIisstatement sol.
EMMY proclaimed to the world by any
respectable body of men. So far fru",
securing equal civil ard political rights
to all, the very foundation upon whic''
all of these constitutions rest is proscr'p-
ton. By the present constitution 81
Louisiana, seven distinct classes, com
posed Of the most wealthy, the most IN
telligsnt, and the n ,st experienced in
affairs Of government, are disfra"chi>sd
for imaginary political offences, made Of
fences Cor the first time by that con~'itu'
tion, and Of which il Is needles to say the
parties have neve: been convicted. AUG
by the Interpretation placed upon the
constitution by the present Registrars Of
Voters, . large number of uatufnlizcd
citizens. many Of whom were soldiers in
the Federal army, have also been denieG
the right to register and vote. Al the
last election In this State, twenty ,hous-
and, onethird of the entire white vote Of
the State, we're denied the right of stuff
rage, while the elective franchise wrested
from them by the strong arm of milit,ry
authority, vas by the same authority
conferred upon more than eighty t''ous-
and negroes, originally imported fro"
the wilds of Africa, and inst emerged
from two hundred years Of slavery
Thus we have seen established among
Us, not universal suffrage and negro
equality. out restricted suffrage and ne
gro supremacy.
What has been the result of this most
reckless and wicked experiment Has
it been ia any sense . SUGGEST This
depends upon what Congress intends to
accomplish BY adopting this policy. II
it was their purpose to PROSTATE al our
material interests, to array one-half OF
our people against the other half, and, IL
use the strong but not exaggerated Ian.
gusge of Senator Doolittle, to "inaugu-
rate bells IN every one of these States,
then have they achieved a complete ~nc
cess, and we'll may they congratulate
themselves upon the result. But if il is
really their object to establish govern
ments capable Of securing the rights Of
all, and afording protection to life, l'ber-
ty and property to every citizen, never
was there . most disastrous failure.
Our present State Government pres
sents a spectacle calculated to excite
no other feelings tLan those of shame
and disgust. The ascendsncy of tie ne
groes at the ballot box has enabled the n
to elect the Lieutenant Governor and
about one.half of the Legislature of their
own race, and q large number of reckless
and ~unprincipled adventures from other
who have no homes or interest
here, and are ectire strangers to our
laws, manners and customs. These two
have obtained the absolute con.
troll of the State government in all its
departments, and have inaugurated a
Q. proaigscy, bribery, and open
and shameless corruption, that we bo)c
for the honor of human nature, is without
. parallel.
These men seem to labor for but two
obJects: to perpetuste their own power.
and to devise sew and unheard of schemes
for plasderiag the State. They have
crested shout two hundred new Offices.
With enormous salaries, and have i~acress.
ed. and, in most instances, doubled the
salaries Of the old ones. Under this
legislation the public debt is
daily increased at . fearful rate T.: the
public credit is utterly ruined /; aud the
Of the people to support the en-
taxation levied UPON them by
men WHO pay no portion of it, constantly
diminishing. Ner is this all. The white
people Of tn, State. smartiog under a
sense OF wrong, grooming under an al
most intolerable load of taxation. seeing
tNs"s money dsAy squanderea to enrich