New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-08-15

! history of Louisiana, or of any Southern
! State, has such a scene been witnessed. II
| this summer of revolutions was the mos
! remarkable revolution of all-that th'
| white people of this State, ex. COnfederates
| native SOutherners, assembled in cOnven
| ton. should send their pleIipOtentiaries t.
Republican convention composed mainly
! of cOlOred people, and formally, in the
| presence of that whole convention, tender
| to them such an alliance, was one of the
! most wonderful scenes that has been wit
| messed In this country since the close of the
war
would say right here, and be borne out
in the statement by the Lieutenant Gov
ernOr himself, that in all conferences of
your State Central Committee with these
gentlemen we were most profoundly i'm
pressed with the CandOr, sincerity and
trlendEness of their bearing toward us as
your representatives. believe that these
gentlemen were sincere i'll every word they
uttered, and more than that, that they were
anxious to have you accept the alliance,
and as a guarantee of the fulillment of
their promise you had a security worth
more than all the bayOnets of the federal
gOvernment-the honor and faith of 10000
of the white people of Louisiana. With
this alliance you will secure Governor and
State officers friendly to yon, based upon
the principle that it is better for the white
and COlOred people to be united in a pOiit
ical party than that they should be divided
politically, white against black.
And Just here I wish to call your atten-
ton to the fact that the only distinction
between the Liberal party and the Demo
cratic party IS just on that one point They
are both supporting Greeley. They are both
recognizing the results Of the war, and ac-
cepting the situation in every particular.
Their platforms are almost identically the
same; there Is but one difference between
them; the Democratic State partT is based
upon desire to unite the white people in a
party and make this a white mans govern
ment. The Liberal State ticket is based
upon desire to unite a portion of both
white and black, and to prevent forever the
division of white against black. You will
have the same alliance in the city and par
ish of Orleans, by which you will have your
fair proportion of the municipal and parish
offices. employment on the streets and p0-
lice. You will have a majority of the mem
bers elected to the Legislature friendly to
all your rights; you will have sent to Con
gress from three to four COlOred men, who
tor the first time will go to Congress in
dOrsed by the votes of your white fellow
citizens, and will consequently exercise
great influence both with Congress and the
administration in your favor Thus Con
gressmen will see to it that you have your
tOmhOuse; and in the different parishes of
the State the same rule will prevail.
But more than all thisquestiOn of offices,
you will then have what you never will
have under any other alliance YOU can
form, the freedom of the State to your
friends and leaders. The organization of
your people in the parishes will be pro-
teCted by the white people; your schools
will be tOstered; and let me call your atten-
tion to one advantage which has been over
looked by all the other speakers to you.
Look at your intelligent young men lust
growing up and coming into active life.
What is the reason that all the avenues of
the highest callings Of life and the prOfes-
siOns are closed to them 1t is this stub
born, unreasoning prejudice, which an al
lance such as is now prOfFered to YOU will
cause to melt away ike ice before the sun.
With that your intelligent and capable
young men will find the door open to them
to the professions and trades, and to the |
higher associations of life, but more especial
lv to those four or five calings, the posses. |
sion of which is the most valuable stepping |
stone for young man to higher and |
more useful career.
| refer to art of engineering, telegraph |
ing, photography and printing, these young |
men will also find their way opened to the |
practice of medicine aud law, from which |
professions they are not now excluded by |
law, but by much more inaXOrable pro |
utter impOssibilIty OF obtain |
n2 living in their practice on account of |
.ho prejudice which exists against them. |
In the words Of Governor PiuChbacll him |
self: "Such an alliance as those gentlemen |
have Offered to you would secure a greater |
step in advance upon the question Of your |
public and civil rights, ami in the promo !
lion of the interests Of yOur people, than |
all the civil rights bills that could be passed |
Dy Congress or your State LEGISLATURE
FellOw-delegates, feel that my abilities |
are not equal to the task Ihave undertaken.
can not picture to you the far reaching |
and immense results depending upon your |
conclusions to-day. Let NE implOre the |
Lieutenant Governor and others Of your |
eaders whose intelligence can not fail to |
cause them to see these things as do, to |
nave the courage and the manljness to GOMEZ
)ut in the face of what may now be your |
DrejUdICes and your disapprOval, and, in |
spite of the heeting jeers and shouts of the |
to advocate your acceptance of |
.he proposition of Mr.. Swords and the |
formation of this alliance, and two years |
from this time thousands of young cOlOred |
people all over the State will rise up and |
yall your names blessed, and pronounce you |
to be great and good.
Right here let me read you letter from |
Charles Sumner, which has been published: |
You are right IN opposing the UsUrpa- |
tons of the CustOmhOuse in the affairs of |
Louisiana; such conduct, though supported |
Dv the administration, is SO hostile to re-
publican institutions, and so utterly indie |
'ensible, that all good Republicans should |
against it,
Pardon me if | should add that, unhap- |
PLY, this usurpation is only type of the |
INJURIOUS pretentiOns so manifest in Presi. |
lent Grant since his entry into civil life. |
The soldier to whom the country was CRATE |
full is lost in the president.
THE opportunity is now presented of |
placing an original abOlitiOnist in the White |
House, who, while guarding the rights of |
he COlOred people, will seek concord. Be |
,ause Democrats have adopted him as their |
l shall not be deferred from |
voting for him,
Besides securing a good President, you |
must see that no persons receive your votes
Is Representatives in Congress who will |
will not at all times stand by the equal !
lights of our cOlOred fellOw-Gitizens."
My friends / have about finished what l |
nave to say. If ever / had cause to regret |
ny limited powers of conception and eX-
preston, it is now, when in the supreme
rises of your political existence l see you
rushing madly to destruction, and at your
head leaders who know whittier they are
eading you, and feel that | haven't the
power to. stay you. Could a man of sufti-
,ient power of intellect and vigOr of imagi-
nation, possessing your confidence, be able
to depict to you faithfully and vividly, the
results of the course which you are pursu-
ng as l see them, and as they are, / be-
ieve that this whole convention would re-
coil with fright from the insane advice of
the majority What state to you,. and the
course that / am about to take, has been
the subject OF the most solemn reflection,
| have resisted the appeals of valued