The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-08-19

| ''i',Joii'y thhouShout tHe CCaCe, anu III WI
are to take the proportion of the Senat,
and House of Representatives as at presen
constituted, it is the fact. Certainly as re
CARDS their representation here they are il
the majority, and if so, where is the neces
slty of sending outside the State for Assis
lance to preserve order and maintain peac,
and secure life ard property to all oft:
people; if they have the majority it is il
their power to do whatever they may please
but, as have SAID on former occasion
they know that when the appeal comes tc
that majority-and when the appeal comes
to the other side-may God grant that il
may never come-the gentlemen know full
well that they are then in the minority.
What, then, is presented? The singula,
anomaly Of o minority attempting to force
upon majority of the people Of the State
measures calculated to Cypress and deprive
them of their political rights; and, gentle
men, you know the difficulty which they
will encounter in carrying ont such sin.
gular and unusual programme-of forcing
upon the majority Objectionable measures
which they know will meet with-popular
resistance.
Now, Mr.. President, I desire to call at
tention to another statement of the Gov
ernor in his letter. He has alluded to acts
of violence in the various parishes; the
northern portion Of the State has been re-
ferred to. When this bill originally came
up took, occasion to remark that be-
,lieved, upon fair investigation of these
charges Of outrage some extenuating cir
cumstances could be found and, perhaps,
some justiGable reason for the alleged &C.
currenees. | find, sir, in Ouachita paper
a paragraph with regard to the ou:rages
committed in the parish Of Ouachita and
in the town of Raven.
Mr.aJewel then read the paragraph, to
which he had alluded, which referred to a
case of practical miscegnation. Mr., Jewell
then continued:
Now, sir, do they think that the people
Of this State will submit to all species of
oatrages?-to be ridden into the dust9-to
be ridden over rough shod--by the scum
'ofthe earth? If they do, they mistake the
people, and sir, I tell them that they will
not.
Now, Sir! There is another portion of
this letter to which I desire to call atten-
ton.
Mr.. Jewell read the paragraph of the
Governors letter asserting-4here was an
organized plan to assassinate the Lieuten-
ant Governor and Speaker of the House
Now, sir, when such declaration as
his goes forth to the world, emanating
from the man who claims to be the Govern
or of the State Of Louisiana, in which he
asserts the determination of what he chooses
to call a secret organization to commit
these acts, it seems to me that he, to say
the least, is drawing largely upon his imagi-
nation. And is it not. sir, a little remark
ated he has omitted himself? If there had
been determination to assasinate any
body, and don't believe there was, in fact
know that there was not, it is very
strange that the Governor did not assert
that the intention was to assassinate him
first as the head and front, the grand per-
-sonification of the party. But sir, as he
we'll knows there was no such desire or in
tention. The crowd which assembled
around this building on that day was in
consequence of the unusual, remarkable
and unprecedented course adopted by both
branches of the Legislature. l am free to
admit that it created intense and great
popular excitement, and but for the fact
that we are the most peaceable and law
abiding people in the world, the occurrences
Of that day might have been frightful in
deed.
But sir, we desire no better evidence Of
the peaceable disposition of the people Of
the city than was displayed on that day.
We have seen enough of war. It's devasta-
tions are witnessed on all sides, our fields
lying in waste, our country Frustrated, Our
treasury empty. Our people have endured
every species of suffering consequent upon
the terrible war from which we have just
emerged and, sir there be people upon,
the face of this earth who desires peace, it
is the people of this State. We have had
enough OF war. Our experience has been
the saddest, and the most sorrowful, and
the most destructive. We ask for peace.
and nothing but peace; ard whilst the
dominant party of the country proclaim
that this is to be their ruling conduct, and
to quote the language of The General of
the Armies, now the Republican candidate
for the Presidency, "Let us have peace, ;"
no part of the country re-echoes the senti-
ment more heartily and freely than we do.
But, sir it is nothing moae nor less than an
empty cry for peace they attempt to Gre
ate discussions and distractions among our
people. 1t seems to be the object of the
dominant party to maintain turmoil and
trouble. We are willing to go forward
and cooperate and work for the reconstruc-