New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-07-20
CRESCENT CITY REPBLICAN CLUB
SPEECH OF MIR. LIONEL ADAMS
He Tells Some Plain Truths

Without parade or the least ostentation,
| this well known and substantial club met
| in Mechanics Institute last evening, to at
tend an ordinary meeting, but the members
were agreeably surprised and entertained
in listening to the following extempore
solid speech, eloquently delivered by that
rising young gentleman, Mr.. Lionel Adams.
AS it contains so many excellent points,
which are SO timely and so well taken,
we publish it in full.
The speech was delivered after the usual
routine of business had been disposed of
by the president, Judge Atocha.
Judge AtOcha being compelled to retire,
called Mr.. Jourdain to the chair.
Mr.. President and gentlemen of the Cres-
cent City Republican club: Before proceed
ing to answer your call, allow me to assure
you that do not feel entitled to the com
p}iment Just paid me. In return for so
much unmerited kindness, | can only offer
an assurance of my gratitude, and add that
If my humble efforts can in any way con-
tribute to your success, they are freely
offered. | am sensible of my inability to
fulfill my apportioned task with the proper
spirit. You have, in the past, heard un-
folded to you by men of talent and OF elo-
quence the beauties, stern truths and ster-
ling qualities OF your party and your plat
form, and should hesitate before address
ing you, were it not for the conviction that
the cause you have espoused is strength
ened and sanctifed by every feeling of
justice, of religion and of humanity.
1t is with feelings Of sincere pleasure that
| come to meet you here tonight. rejoice
at being brought into sympathy with so
many fyou, actuated by the same motives,
imbued with the same spirit, and laboring
for that one great cause.-the success of the
Republican party, and the prosperity Of our
common country. l rejoice at being per-
mitted to labor under the directions of one
to whom l am indebted for so much kind
ness, and one who has so long and so faith
fully fulfilled his duties as your presiding
officer. / rejoice at that happy condition of
affairs which has spread its genial influences
from ocean to ocean, and lavished upon us
the blessings of peace and prosperity; that
peace which has traced its progress in the
blue heavens above us, and stamped it upon
the broad earth; that prosperity which
turns the sword and the spear into the
ploughshare and the pruning knife; which
shapes our course through life, mOulds our
aspirations, elev ates our aims. and showers
down upon us the choicest gifts of our bene-
violent Creator-a free government and
genial soil.
When we look around we find upon every
side evidences of gratifying prosperity:
we behold a prospect which would seem to
be without cloud upon it were it not for
dissensiOns and unhappy distinctions which
are beyond the scope of broad legislation
a spirit of nsubordinatiOn which recognizes
no law and obeys no governing power In
the face of such a condition of affairs it
behooves the friends of peace and of pro-
gress; it behOOves the Christian and the pa
triot TO indorse those measures and that ad-
minstration which will eradicate such
revolutionary principles, spread the bless
ings of law, liberty and intelligence. pro-
mote the virtue and happiness of our ma
ton and restore the States of the Union TO
that spirit of concord and mutual trust
contemplated by the trainers of our national
government.
Happily for us, Louisiana is free from the
evils of such course. Blessed with an hon
est and enlightened administration, guided
by the cOunsnls and sustained by the foster
ing care of her Governor, she has escaped
the shoals and found haven of security in
the wisdom of his views and the enighten-
ment of his policy. He has labored long
and faithfully in her behalf. Seated beside
the throne of justice, he directed all his en-
ergies to preserve the sanctity of her temple,
and emulating the deeds OF the heroes and
patriots of the past, he has laid bare the
doctrines and the teachings of the Repub-
lican party; he has placed education like
the jewel on the brow of beauty which
sheds unfailing lustre on his name; he has
pointed to American liberty as to some
thing which should challenge our admira-
ton and WOO our affections; he has offered
his talent, his health and his profession in
sacrifice to the spirit of justice and of free
dom which has inspired him with renewed |
vigor, and perfected that system in whose |
charms we love to revel.
You gentlemen, throughout the late cam
paign, have been visited with the suspicion |
and opposition of your own party Your |
previous political career has been scanned |
and closely scrutinized, your motives have
been impeached, and the very sincerity of |
your political faith has been called into
question. Laboring against the machina-
tlons OF your political enemies You are
driven to seek protection from the calumny
Of your political friends; alienated from
former associates by the very doctrines
you profess, you are denied affiliation with
those from whom you were led to expect
and support; and in this
lark and trying hour, when our fortunes and
'ur future depend upon the cast of the die;
when the prosperity of our own dear
and is balanced in the scales when the
very existence of the Republican
party Of Louisiana is staked upon
he issue-in that hour when petty bubbles
md party factions should be forgotten,
when stout hearts and willing hands should
abOr to preserve intact the purity of our
attempts are made to ostracise
Is, we are to be declared aliens in charac-
er, aliens in purpose and aliens in political
reed. What crime have we committed,
What horrors have we perpetrated. that the
'ials of their wrath should be poured upon
ur devoted heads! Is it because we stand
o-day trammelled by no partisan measures.
nd bound by no promises Is it because
Te refuse to advocate any doc
rines save such as spring from the
0 guard the principles of the Re-
ublican party-that party to which we
urn as to the palladium of American free
last refuge of truth, of Justice
nd of suffering humanity Is it because
re have long struggled to avoid this very
ondition of affairs Is it because we have ,
ldorsed the administration of Governor
VarmOth and co-Operated with him in his
forts to secure to use fair and peaceful !
xercise of our constitutional prerogatives :
} secure to us government tempered by :
federation and guided by wisdom; to
'scue the public treasury from pillage and
rive the thieves from our national temple, I G
1d to defend the liberties and immunities :
the people of this State against the at
lcks of factions as corrupt as they are Sc
tious a
We are told that our State government is a
,presslve-that every measure which has
ct with the sanction and support of Gov,
nor Warmoth tended to concentration t
all the power in his own hands. We are e
Id that he has enforced systems of oppres :,
on which resulted from his own Unsuitable
We of power. We are told that he breaks p
with strong hand on the sanctity Of k
.rsonal rights, on the privileges of per e
nal freedom and on the liberty of CON
;apoa IVa ara told +bat +boro - lao-