New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-03-14
PUTTING IN THE APPLAUSE.

which Mr.. Fenner delivered before the
Eleventh Ward Reform Club is a note
which states that the speaker was fire.
quently applauded This reminds US Of
the man who wrote book and put all the
punctuation marks at the end, for the pur-
pose, as he said, of allowing the reader to
punctuate the matter to suit his own taste.
Availing ourselves of this privilege, in the
present instance, we elect to put in ''long
and loud applause in Nj. Fenner's speech
at that point where he tells hi, hearers
what the colored people Of the State have
learned during the last tour years:
The colored people. he said now under
stood that they had been the dupes OF the
hordes who had led them; they had found
how utterly they had been deceived and
swindled; this. he said, is the knowledge
that the colored people have acquired.
Long and loud applause.l
We take exceptions to the speech but
accept the applause, for the statement is
not correct, but the cheers with which it
was greeted were really genuine and heart
felt. And now for the argument.
The colored people do not understand
that they have been duped; they do not
feel that they have been deceived and
swindled: they are not informed that they
have been victimized by the Republican
party at all Why should they? They
were told that their political equality
would be maintained; that their rights as
citizens would be enforced by the enact
ment Of laws that would place them upon
political footing with every other class;
that they would be elected to Office by
their own votes, and that in every par
ticular all the barriers that oppressed
them more than any other class would be
removed as much as just and equal laws
could do that service for them. They
were still further told that by the passage
of proper laws their social and political
condition would be bettered in every way;
that their children would be educated;
their persons made secure from violence
by virtue Of their own presence on the
grand and petit juries and as officers Of
the peace: their requirement Of property
made easy, and the desire to do this thing
promoted. and that ultimately their friend
ship would be courted by the very men
who so bitterly opposed their elevation as
citizens. These promises were made by
the hordes that have led the colored
people. as Mr. Fenner SAYS, and
they have al been faithfully falilled.
Does Mr. Fenner, or those who applaUded
him deny any sin9ia one OF these asser-
tons? # he nor they feel disposed to
dispute with Us, are they prepared to ad-
NIT that they uttered and appfauded what
was wicked untruth? We make the
point deliberately, and we propose to
prove it very directly by citing Mr., Fenner
as witness against himself He says the
policy which be advocates to-day, and
which is simply the practice CT t4e
''horles" he alluded to, he proposed IA
the Legislature Of 1866, but which met
with such a chilling reception that it was
not entertained for a second. He says
still further that lie almost despairel until
within a few weeks past that his policy
which We again insist is merely tie nrac-
tlce OF the Republicans, would ever be ac-
cepted by the insane people of New Or
leans. He directly charges his friends
with insanity, because he says that no sane
man on the street will to-day dispute TIE
propriety of admitting the negroes to that
perfect equality which they rejected two