The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1872-03-23
BACK.SET OF THE FIFTY.ONE, AND
THEIR RALLY.


voters and the "overplush'' of twenty
three non-voters, commenced to organ
ize a party for the State, they held
mass meeting in New Orleans, and the
next day announced in the public
prints that a number of colored men,
sixteen in all, acted as vice-presidents
of the meeting. The speeches and res
olutions made and adopted at the meet
ting, pointed to a fusion of the disaffec-
ted colored Republican element with
the Reformers represented by the Fiji
ty-one, but were rather ola pale blue
instead of a dark color.
The sixteen highly favored colored
leaders took week to digest the bait
held ont, and then came out in a card,
which we published at the time, in
forming the Fifty-one, in terms more
conspicuous for directness than concil-
iation, that they could not accept the
positions assign them, as they were in
no humor to ssa1ienate their allegiance
to the Republican party They de-
clared, also, in positive terms, that
they expected that all the immuoities
they are yet to receive, "can come only
through that party"
The protest of the Sixteen went fur
ther, and demanded all the rights guar
anteed by the State Constitution, and
they asserted that the omission of the
Fifty-one to agree to guarantee these
rights was fatal to their programme, SO
far as it looked to securing the coiorcd
mems aid.
Then the Sixteen proceeded to pO-
litely invite the cooperation of the
Fifty-one in q movement to reform the
affairs of State, Offering, as an induce
ment to the Fifty-one, the assurance,
that, in thus cooperating, "they shall
have the merit of having aided to re-
deem Louisiana, and, at the same time,
they .vill be IN a position to enjoy TIE co,s-
.ftleuce Of the Republican masses for
pieces Of t,aest tt,td honor"
We were curious to sec how the bat
tic of the E'ifty-one and the Sixteen
would result-which of the two given
quantities would secure the political
attitudes and positions were easily
understood. The first held out for Il
new party composed Of whites and
blacks; the other for the Republican
party of whites and blacks, Oh higher
'sequality'' grounds than those held by
the first, and the party of the second
part obstinately refused to abandon
this position. ...
A crisis was thus precipitated upon
the Fifty-one. They had either to adj
vance to the negroes or give up their
enterprise us a complete failure. Mean
while, their organization as State
party CONFINED to New Orleans) pro-
cceded, and n Central Committee was
appointed. Tho first act of this COM
mittce was to issue an address to the
State; the first question to encounter
was that raised in the card of the
Sixteen-the question of equality. We
give the solution of the Committees
dilemma in the annexed extracts from
their address recently promulgated for
the enlightenment of tho "heathen
Chinees' Of the country:
We understand that the people of
Louisiana have at last perceived the
cause of their troubles, and have re-
solved that it shall be eradicatcd.
\ cordial union is now to be formed
upon q platform, Of PERFECr EoUAIITV.
u " 3 y
You may depend upon it those re-
suits can only be accomplished by an
earnest and united effort of our entire
population, both white and black, cor
dially cooperating for this great pur-
pose, forgetful Of all past differences,
and prejudices, looking simply to the
future of our State, and cordially agree
ing that for all time to come there Shall
be no distinction, political or civil,
between the people of Louisiana on ac-
count of race or color; and Mot the ste
'us Of the colored man, as noe .fred by
the Constitution oad htus Of tie Ii,ited
States and by the Constitution, ana lars
Of tbs .Sote, ShttN de considered scfffc1
u,'d i,3erocube.
This appears to be very candid adj
mission by the Fifty-onc that the Six.
teen were reasonable in their demands,