The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1868-04-08
The New Constitution.
W., nublish below extracts from several OF
our exchanges on this subject, to which we IN
,,;,o Tho ,t.o,t;on If orr re aderS.

our exchanges on this subject, to which we IN
yite the attention of our readers
From the New Orleans Bee.l
In a short time. the white people Of Loulsi-
ana will be called upon to say through the bal
lot box, whether they will or will not adopt
the constitution framed by parcel OF ignorant
colored men, aided and encouraged by com
bination of vile while men-many OF them
strangers to our people-as the fundamental
law Of the State under which they are to i've
until the military domination under which 1t Is
attempted to be imposed upon us, shall have
been removed Or overcome. After registering
their names so as to be qualified tor vovlng,
the next duty ofthe white citizens of the State
is to read and thoroughly comprehend this con-
stiution and its consequences, and then to de-
vote all the time they can spare from pressing
business to the explanation OF its obnoxious
and inadmissible features to those voters, white
and black, who are themselves unable to read
and understand it. This is no mere question
of politics or office holding and he who shruss
his shoulders and holds himself aloof from this
contest on any such excuse, is conserving
party 10 the establishment over US OF these IN
famous laws. 1t is a question OF society, a
question of refinement, question OF principle,
and question which touches US all, male and
female, young and old. We cannot escape the
injurious consequences certain to follow from
the adoption of this constitution. 1t will change
if ratified, the whole structure of society, and
ANAL gamation commencing among the lower
orders will become in no great space OF time so
common among all classes as to create no re-
mark. Marriages have, in fact, already taken
place between men of color and white women
moving in respectable circles. When the le-
gal barrier to such connections shall be COM
pIetely broken down and the difference of
color hitherto recognised by law and by GUS
tom shall no longer exist, it will be too late to
prevent the mixture Of the races. Hotels,
steamboats,, private boarding-houses, restau-
rants, drinking saloons and all places of a pub
lie character requiring licenses to carry on
business will not be permitted to make any
distinction in the color of those who may seek
gagged in either of these lines of business have
deep interest in the defeat of this odious con-
stitution and should exert themselves to the
very utmost by their devotion of time and
money to its defeat, and even by the sacrifice
to some extent of that pride Of race common to
all members of the Caucasian family. There
are few white men in the State who cannot in
huence at least one colored man and convince
him how much it is to the interest of himself
and his race to keep the friendship of the white
people among whom he was born and raised,
and to refuse the hypocritical alliance of the
selfish and cold-hearted stranger who ap-
proaches him with smooth tongue and allures
him by false promises to the ruin which he
would not turn his hand to avert. Let them
be informed that the result flowing from the
ratification Of this constitution will be the bit
ter and inextnguishable hatred of the white
towards the cololed people, which can only
end in their final extincton-that the provision
requiring public resorts to be thrown open to
them indiscriminately with the whites, cannot
possibly be carried into force because public
opinion if not self interest will compel the clos
ing of every such establishment, and will band
the white people into one solid body against
these intolerable pretensions. So far the peo-
pie of color have not been blamed for the great
and violent change in their status, which has
lately taken place, but if they shall continue
to ally themselves with those whose sole OBJ
ject is to degrade and destroy them and us and
to presume upon their advantages, they must
expect TO submit to all the consequences of so
unnatural an association.
From the Natchitoches Times
The black and tan convention, lately in ses-
sion at New Orleans, have at last wrapped
their bantlng in swaddling clothes and sent it
forth to receive the osculatory salutations of
its thlck-llpped foster parents and the hypo-
critical congratulations of all truly loyal white
skinned gentlemen of the African persuasion
1t is a beauty in some respects. 1t looks
more like child than any monkey we ever
saw. 1t has an odoriferous scent which over
comes it entirely. We expected hybrid, but
here we have the pure and unauthorized At
rican. No wonder the decent N en- in the con-
vention protested against it. The nauseated
stomach cannot control its retroversive action,
and if there is not enough emetic in this consti-
tuition to sicken any white man, we know but
little of the political pharmacopeia.
If anything was needed to prove to the mod
crate men of the Republican party that they
cannot prevent the ascendency of negro ideas
while they have the supreme control Of State
affairs, this constitution is simply sufficient.
Those who have entered that party willing to
sacrifice everything for the sake of office, of
course care nothing about it as long as the
hope of political preferment remains Social
equality prevails in its provisions, and is to be
enforced by statute. At all hotels, theatres,
on steamboats, and in cars, and in every place
of public character, there shall be no dis
tinction or discrimination on account of race or
color. All public schools are to be opened to
children of all races-Indians, negroes and
whites are to form the motley classes in all
the schools-in the Louisiana State Seminary,
and the law, medical and theological univer-
sity at New Orleans; and the General Assem-
bly, is prohibited from establishing separate in
situations Of learning exclusively for any race
Now we have no objection to seeing any ne
grophilist maintain a perfect social equality
with any African he takes fancy to. He can
invite them to dinner, sleep with them, give
his daughters in marriage to them, send his
children to school with them, Or do whatever
he pleases to show his love for his favorite
color. But We imagine that very few will do
these things 1t may be prejudice, or it may
be pride, but the feeling of aversion 10 per-
feet social equality with the blacks is inherent
in our nature, and may be called an instinct
1t exists everywhere, and has existed through
out all time. We cannot stihe it. The very
white men who voted to enforce this equality
by statute feel it. But blinded by political