The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1870-08-13

alive to the abuses that have grown up
in their State government under the three
long years of radical misrule, and which,
if continued, must inevitably drive labor
and capital from the State and bring ruin
to every household
1t will not be disputed that our last
legislature was reproach to civilization
and civil liberty. 1t trampled upon every
virtue that should adorn the character of
honorable men, and elevated every crime
1t should have sought to repress. 1gnor
ance, brazen impudence and vice were
qualifications necessary to seat on the
Radical side Of that body; and when the
treasury was robbed, the people pillaged
and legislative acts sold to the highest
bidder for greenbacks, these members
did but reflect credit on the trinity that
brought them into official existence.
The length designed for this address
will not permit your Committee to enter
into detail of all the infamous acts
passed by that Radical Legislature with
Executive approval. The public debt
under Radical hands has grown from IL
millions to eighteen millions of dollars;
taxes have increased to 81 per centum,
touching the limits of coDhscation; iDdiv-
iduals and corporations have been grant
ed extraordinary and exclusive privi-
leges at war with free labor and free ca
pltal; enormous sums have been granted
to individuals from a suffering treasury
for trivial and unnecessary services, and
useless and oppressive offices have been
created to make places for wandering
mendicants Of the party who obtain their
living by extorting money from every
species of honest industry.
In the hope of perpetuating themselves
in power, the Legislature passed the re-
gistration, election aud militia laws, each
receiving Executive sanction, and which,
perhaps, are the most odious, unjust and
oppressive measures that ever disgraced
the statute books Of any State. In their
folly and malignity they passed laws to
enforce the social equality, not only Of
different races of men, but Of the bad
with the honest, and Of the licentious
and abandoned with the pure and up
right. In like folly they passed laws to
reorganize our once magnificent system
of public school instruction, with no
higher motive tha b to degrade, as they
thought, the white people Of the State
and create breach between them and
our colored populations: all these meas
ures, adopted under the pretence of re-
gulating commerce, trade, the public
schools and the amusements of the peo-
pie, being really intended to pave the
way to miscegenation In short, the le-
gisiation of 1863, 1869 and 1870 can be
condensed and summed up in four words:
IGNORANCE, vENA LITY, MONOPOLY and
OPPRESSION
That it may not be said these conclu-
sions are but the Judgment of the enc
mics of Radicalism, We propose to con-
vict that party Of all these grave offenses
in well chosen words uttered by its own
champions and defenders. There is no
brighter light in tho ranks Of that party
in this State than Thomas J. Durant, and
in 80 far as he may be more candid than
his political friends is his testimony the
more conclusive of the truth of what we
have said. In bis letter dated June 22,
1870, and addressed to Mr.. j. s. Soude,
speaking of the Radical leaders in this
State, he says:
s'There must be an absolute separation
from the dishonest and dincompetent men
who have ruled since 1867 y
This is strong language, yet it is sur
passed in severity by q Republican ad-
dress lust issued with the endorsement of
the Republican State Central Committee.
That address says:
"Citizens and Republicans After an
experience of two years, under the leader
ship of the most dishonest assd corrupt SET
Of politicians that haze erer disgraced the
political history of any Of the States Of this
! qlorious Union. you are now called upon
to rescue the State from the hands of the
political adventurers scho hNue brought ii
on the uerge of bankruptcy :"
Thus it is seen that our verdict is ap-
proved by leading men of the Republican
party; and yet in the same breath in
which they write down the infamy o1
their own party, they solicit continu'
ance of the support of the people under
the pretence. that honest men are to be
mt forward in the future. If the sal
/ yation of the party depends on that test
it must inevitably share the fate of the
cities of the plains, and its requiem viii
be sung in November next. But this II
not only eur own, but the verdict OF al
good men, endorsed by Mr.. Durant him
self, who realizes how much better it ii
for his ignoble party to be defeated thar
survive longer under the leadership o
such '.corrupt political adventurers" al
now afflict our beloved State.
The perniciOus consequences of tht
acts of the Radical party throughout th.
State have been severely felt by al
classes, white and colored, native aDt
foreign born. All have been plundered
deceived, oppressed, and restricted il
the enjoyment of rights guaranteed b!
every law, human and divine. In orde
therefore to redeem our State, and re
lease ourselves from the grasp of insfh
cient and corrupt mem, it becomes us Il
unite as one man, without regard to race
color or previous condition, and bur
them from place and power, and fill th
Offices with honest men and patriots
The interests of both white and haacl
men sre identical in this struggle
whatever rights and privileges eithe
enjoy under thai Constitution are sacred
and it 10 the duty Of every citizen to se
i that they are maintained. The Demo
cratic party has always upheld and dc
faufed the Constitution Of the country
and will now, % eyes in the past, pre
tect aud dafand every citiEen- in the tn
and free exercise of sl righas guarantee
: bv that instrumeut. At the aass ebeesio
in New York, 20 tziaUphass soT 30