The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1868-10-07
The Political Meeting Tuesday NipLt.

ladies of our CITY to our enthusiastic Coored Club No
g on last Tuesday evening" led not only to Of the
finest displays OF the campalgn in the way Of torch
light procession but to some telling speeches.
Mr.. J. pinchney Harris, on the part Of the ladies,
presented the banner to the club in speech replBte
with sound advice, friendly encouragement and upre-
catiTe sympathy. Mr.. Harris is of our best speak
ers With practice, and little attention to the
al cnptund1te (Which he does wrong to diaan or I'M
dervalue in a popular canvass), he would be very
strongly effective political speaker-havng in hun
the elements Of an orator. H followed By Fletcher
egardy coored! on the part of the club IN speech
eyiucng the best feeling.
Col. Williamson then introduced to the large
audience We are sorry that not prepared for
fuller report, would have been glad to have
given the entire speech. In reilly the oftrepeated
argument OF the Radical carpet-ba9ger, that the Rad
cal party had fought to free the slave and therefore
entitled to his gratitude and his vote the distinguished
speaker referred to the Critenden resolution which
declares that the war is not waged part in any
spirit OF oppression nor for any purpose of conquest
or subjugation, for overthrowing or INTERFERING
with the rights or established institutions of those
States bat to defend and maintain the supremacy of
the Constitution and to preserve the Union with all
the dignity equality aud rights of the several States
unlmpaired. In this connection, hequoed the letter
of President Lincoln to Horace Greeley of August o.
1862, in which Mr.. Lincoln declared, my paramount
object IS to save the Union and not either to or
destroy slavery. II could the Union without
freeing any slave, would do it. and if cond save it
by freeing all the slaves would DO it and if could
save it by freeing and leaving others alone
would also do that" The declared object Of the war
then said the speaker, was simply the restoration of
shed institutions of the Southern tates-and to this
object as the polar star of their great efforts the Gov
ernment steadily directed its po!icyuntil in conse
qucnce OF She pressure of the ultra Radicals at home
and some heavy reverses in the field Mr. Lincoln is
sued his celebrated proclamation Of emancipation ri
conquest had been the aim and object Of the war and
Its end had been reached by emancipation alone then
the effect of that proclamation would have been fia
conclusive and absolute. Slavery would have been
forever abolished by 1t; but as emancipation not
the declared object of the war, but mere incident to
its progress or its successful ISSUE the legal status Of
the slave was really unaffected by it and hence the
hrst requirement. after the peace the abolition of
slavery by the State Conventions To these couyeu-
tons then the slave is indebted for his legal emancpa
ton 10 these acts, the solemn expressions of sover-
cign will have been added the universal consent of the
Southern people since their passage and the force and
effect Of custom 1t is usual for The carpet baegers to
cain peculiar merit for Mr. Lincoln in the hone of
sharing, as his disciples, in the reflected lirht of his
great love for the colored people but thew Inisrenre
sent hun not only as to-emanclpaton but in far more
excephonaoie manner as to negro suffrage For he |
declared, IN his celebrated debate with Mr. Douulas
am not nor ever have been in favor Of making vo
tiers or jurors Of negroes, of qualifying them to
mold ONCE nor 1nteFmarrying, them with the white !
people. Nor do they respect his teachinds md on,
thorty more as to the ration of the States They
have not fought to restore the Union with the rpht
OF the States uni'npaired but, after abolition of
slavery ana the repeal of ordinances of secession they
denied US admission into the Union and proceeded to
leg1sate tor its reconstruction, not upon the basis of
equality, but profesSedy outside of the Constitution
and undlsgnsedly to maintain the supremacy of .ber
party. For this purpose, the chief instFumentaltv
used has been the Freeclmen's Bureau cost =
the Government IS estimated at eleven millions Of dol
lars year. or tftFthree millions for the term of its
HE This sum, 1t Is pretended has been spent in com
lssary and other stores, for transportation and
OBJECTS d any OF youever get dollar of this money
pound OF stores or transportation It Cannot and
has not been expended for your benefit and is and
must have been all tie time used for partisan pnrDosos
Besides this sum- an army in aid of nstructon has
9eeh Kept up at the cost Of nearly sixty millions more
These sums go to swell. out the aggregate indeh+n6
ness to over two billions and half of audited dnh
fth an estimated floating debt of as much more How
s TINS money, or the accruing interest thereon to be
net? BY taxation aud taxation alone by an ipcreose
'f the existing tax, which is said to exceed now tbe
aue q the surplus products of the countryby taxa
ION on your property and taxation on YOUR labor
lad the money thrown away on the Freedmen,s Rn
eau and the army been divided among the blacks
would have enabled each head of family to buy him
orty acres of land, good mule and implements OF hus
'andry~ 1t was, however, spent otherw ise land the
egroes paid in the eounterfeit coinage of empty COM
'llment as triae for your political support Their
as to these things have not been mora ltb
ally kept than as to other matters They promised
satfrage too, bnt deny by congressional
really dlstranchise, after granting the rght a The
lacks in Virginia, Mississippi and Texas in the next
lection The Radicals in Florida have, in effect de-
rived all the blacks of that State of the raht Of rna
ote by giving the legislature the right to vote for
hem YOU my colored friends, were allowed to veto
'h,s sate because, was believed You would vote
'ehet-and LOT this reason alone your race
allowed to vote elsewhere.
From this conduct towards your race and the mis-
of President Lincoln (who, Won will
Southern man by birth), you can CON
asst the professions and the sincerity of the Radical
rangers here, with the conduct of people you have
noWn always, who are your employers and to whose
Employment you owe the means of support. To this
rgument OF your dependence Us, the Radicals
tsely misrepresent your numerical strength, and
ould make you believe You could cope with Us ii hos
lie collision. This is absurd, and designed TO influence
Oh to unlawful acts that electioneering capital may
e made out Of them. Your race, even in the South
less than four millions while the whites double that /
lumber In the event of that ccllision the weaker
arty, you would be overwhelmed. 1t is your interest
keep the peace, and with the influence Of such men
compose Club No. 2 the peace can and will be main
lined. ~.@ ~
With few facts showing the relative strength Of
,puations and the madness that would invite the -
ored to appeal TO arms, Col. w. concluded bv a
rons appeal to the members oftbe club and to all col II
ed Democrats to dscOanterance violence and to as
st in Keeping the peace and enforcing the laws We c
We only outline of the argument and regret we p
n give more it strong telling practical u,
eech, well conceived, we'll delivered and well re- e.
wed i"
After the speeches were over the large crowd ad- a
lrned, without casualty of any kind. According to
deal representation, the parish of Caddo is in sort
qeast,lf not active rebellion yet we challenge the Sc
rid to excel US in political turnous to their IL
lceiui conduct and :helr expressive enthusiasm. 81