New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-01-26

ting up political meetings in favor of
reconstruction, under the congress-
ional plan, by the best white men ofthe
state. He was favored with the en-
couragement and sympathy of Hon. z.
Barksdale, ex-member of confederate
congress, and editor of the Clarion,
who was a most Jealous advocate of re-
construction, though not a Republican
in politics. Many of the meetings
which he addressed, composed of
white and black, were presided over
by gentlemen who had been prominent
as state officers.
Hon. James L. Alcorn, United States
senator elect under the johnson gov
eminent of 1865, addressed the people
with great effect in more than twenty
counties, and declared his intention to
vote for Republican president at the
next election. Mr.. Lynch and General
Alcorn spoke from the came platform
at Durant, Mississippi. Ex-Governor
Brown. for many years United States
senator, took active part in the can
vass. He thinks that had not the
Democratic party of the North in
augurated and carried on with the sue
cess they did, under the lead of An
drew Johnson, their opposition to con-
gress, the state of Mississippi would
now be enjoying political calm. The
ballot placed in the hands of the negro
threw around him protection which
military force or bureau agents could
never have afforded. The colored
people have acted from the moment of
their enfranchisement to the present
with q moderation and good sense that
has increased the respect of the South
ern whites for them. At political
meetings and at the polls they behaved
as well as if at church, and forbearance
on their part kept them quiet under
severe provocations.
The news of the Northern reaction"
gave strength to the anti-reconstruc-
ton men, and they bullied thousands
of reconstruction white men into neu-
trality or positive opposition, so that,
at the time of the late election in Mis-
sissippi, the white men who voted
For convention" had to brave pub
lie odium. The Democratic organs Of
the worst type are the educators of
public sentiment in Mississippi. The
La Crosse Democrat Brick Pomeroy),
New York Day Book, Philadelphia
Age, and New York World are the
oracles to whose utterances they give
sacred regard. OF course there are
eminent gentlemen who take compre-
hensive view of political affairs, but
however high their present social po-
sition and great their past political in
fiuence, they can do but little while
the Democratic party of the North are
the successful allies of those who OPP
pose them.
The convention is now in session at
jackson. Mr.. Lynch left two or three
days before it met. He says there are
about one hundred delegates elected;
twelve of them are colored men. Many
of the delegates elect have been judges
of courts and members of former legis-
latures of Mississippi. Several have
been distinguished officers of the feder-
al army, and taken as a whole the
body will be as respectable in worth
and intelligence as any that ever met
in the state capital. Caucuses have
been held, and the spirit of the MAORI
ty in congress will certainly be the
controlling animus of the convention.
Intelligent men laugh at the Demo-
cratic trick of laying the responsibility
of ne financial distress in the South
at the door of the Republican party;
but many say, ut helps to make CAPT
tai, and we don't care"
Governor Humphreys tried to getup
big scare about negro instruction,
to take place during the holidays. No
one supposed he believed that there
was any danger such an occurrence.
1t was done for political effect. The
colored people went through the holt
days as quiet as lambs, and the rebel
cry of 'nigger rising" became the
richest joke of the season. The state
is poverty-stricken for three success
sive years the people have gone in
strong on cotton; three times has the
crop tailed; not sufficient corn wss
planted this year to subsist the people
until next harvest. Cotton does not
command a price that pays the ex-
pense of cultivation; and when the
cotton tax is paid the planter finds his
scanty crop not enough to pay his
commission merchant for supplies and
nothing to pay the freedmen, nothing
to commence work with another year.
There is much cheerfulness among the
blacks; they laugh at those who say
they win starve; they say tie land
will raise produce, and they can
work it.
Mississippi is gone up unless she
gets an influx of capital from the
North in no place would it pay bet
ter.
There is a better feeling among
white and black than most suppose.
They begin to feel that they are in the
same boat, so far as material prosperity
is concerned. He thinks that state
constitution giving suffrage to the
black man win not be widely objected
TO by the whites. There is other antie-
ipated Legislation by the convention
that will be stnutly resisted, but the
majority of the people do not think it
wise 10 deny man a vote on account
of his color.
Tho colored people are not expect
ing assistance from the government in
the way Of provisions, nor is Missis-
sippi great pooFhouse. Money and
corn is scarce, but the people can take
care Of themselves.
The Compass in the Fog.