The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1870-10-15

The next speaker introduced was
Can't. George A. Sheridan. Here we
must pause to give Sheridan the credit
Of being as pure Radical as we have
ever heard whine. AS harlequin in
the saw-iust, or as Bones in a negro
troupe, he would excel. With this
faculty of the fool, he possesses some of
the elements of an orator, as all good
clowns do. His effort on Saturday
was a succession of attempted witt
|cisms, vulgar and profane anecdotes,
loose abuse of the Democrats, grimaces,|
|heaves, winks, whines and gutter talk,
strung together without reference to
time, connection or fitness. If he|
could provoke outlaw from his col
|ored hearers, no child with his first
(painted toy ever seemed more delight
led. Calling his white handkerchief
Into play, he would conceal from hisI
vision, to catch inspiration, the dull
land stupid crowd before him; or seize|
one corner of it with his teeth, pulling
hat the other with his hand, and look
loves chances at the few dusky damscls|
before him, whose eyes shot fiery-redI
glances back again. Yet, he said hel
did not want his daughter to marry al
negro. If those Of the Democrats
should so marry, he could only say it
would be "a little rough on the negro. i
He told his colored hearers that they
were at liberty to vote as they pleased, !
but if they voted the Democratic ticket,
he s'would be in favor of reducing
them to slavery again.
In the misfortunes of former slave
holders, barring neither age, condition,
nor sex, Capt. Sheridan found theI
source of great amusement. PURSUING
his desultory course, he said he knew
negroes who were his superiors, and
who are better citizens than he,1
which was regarded as very large
tub, no doubt, to be thrown to the
larkey, but its dimensions, measured
by Sheridan as the standard, have yet
Ito be determined. 1t might be, after
|all, no compliment to the negro. This
Speakers harangue lasted till quite
late in the afternoon.
After Sheridan came Gen. jeff.
Thompson, the veritable old "Swamp|
Fox of Missouri. lie had come toI
Monroe, he said, (after Col. Ray, his
face stillvery red, hadintroduced him }
r. on purpose" to make "this speech
And then, by jerks and quirks, in sea-
son and out Of season, with OCCASIONAL
1unlus as italics, he went on to tell his
Fcolored allies how hard he had fought
|'' on purpose to keep them in slavery
how he was the first to go in and the
very last to come out 1--WE do remember
Jeff wanted to guerilla it after the wa,
broke up,)-how, when he fell, he fell
like Lucifer, clear into the Radical pit|
how that a great many white mem
were not fit for self-government, and Il.
! still greater number of them were as
bad off-adviscd them to vote as they]
pleased, but that the Republicans were|
their political friends-and generally
Jumped this way and that, through al
painful attempt of some fifteen minutes
popped a great many caps, and, best
|of all, obliteratcd all that Warmoth|
and Sheridan had done for the party,
and then "swamp-fox" like went to his
den, exhausted and looking wild!
Here let us pause, as the next mani
WAS Brewster-thc performance hav-
ing actually dwindlcd down to him
concluding our account of Saturdays
meeting, with the observation that the|
day passed off quietly, the Radicals
even Gov. Misunderstanding that
the people were peaceably and orderly
! disposed, fact no one could gainsay1
after seeing their forbearancc UNDER
the infections of Saturday.
Now, Democrats, put on your armorI
and prepare for the struggle. The
|Governor of the State gives the affrontI
and invites the combat. Let us bel
men. and do our duty!