New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-07-31
REPUBLICAN MASS MEETING IN TER
REBONNE.
Speeches by General Fl. j. Campbell, Lieu
Ienant Governor PinchbacIk and Others.

Pinchback and General Campbell left tn
city for HOuma, Terrebonne parish, for tb
purpose of meeting in debate the Custom
house orators, who were announced to b,
there on that day bat Cn arriving at thei
destination were disappointed at not find
ing the champions Of the Baton Roug,
ticket on hand.
Fearful of the consequences of a meeting
with those who know the base means tC
which they resorted to carry out Their
plans, and anxious to keep the people in
! ignorance of their duplicity and crimes, the
CustomhOuse baranguegs not only failed
to put in an appearance, out sent their
couriers through the parish to tell the peo-
! pie that there would be no meeting at all
in Houma that day, The result was much
smaller attendance than under other cir
cumstances there would have been; but
what the meeting lacked in numbers was
abundantly made up in enthusiasm. Sub
joined is General Campbell's speech:
Mr.. President and Fellow citizens of
| TerrebOnne-I had the pleasure two years
ago, in this same grove, to address you.
| was then here with a man you all loved
| and whose memory you revere, a cOlOred
man, the Lieutenant Governor Of the State
Dunn. We had a meeting of Republicans
! here not very much larger than this 1t
was Just before the last election. At that
! time Governor Dunn and myself united in
| the same advice % you. To-day ] come
! before you Republican, as before, speak
| ing to you whom l believe to be Republi-
| cans, as before; talking to you who have
! the same interests at stake as you had at
. %.l1r
| a greater danger than confronted you then.
| come to you again in company with the
| Lieutenant Governor, also q cOlOred man
Who, my friends, is this gentleman who
has just been talking to you, your Lieuten-
| ant Governor! lwel tell you.
Six years ago, when | first met him in
New Orleans, in the ward clubs, he was en-
deavOring to secure the election Of Repub-
licans to the institutional Convention,
and it was mainly through his exertiOns
that so many Republicans were elected.
You all remember the convention that was
held to make a constitution for the State of
Louisiana Well, both Governor Dunn and
Governor Pinchback ran for delegates to
that convention, and Governor Pinchback
was successful, defeating Governor Dunn
IN the fourth ward, because he was better
known TO the people. That convention met,
and the first article introduced by Governor
PihchbaCk was what is now known as art
iCle thirteen of the State constitution, which
says that all the rights, civil, political and
public, shall be guaranteed equally to col
Ored men as well as to white. On that art
icle is based every law which gives you the
same rights as white men. This was the
work of Governor Pinchback. Next he
was elected to the Senate.
The first measure he introduced Was the
civil rights bill, to enforce article thin teen
Whenever your rights were attacked or
menaced he was the foremost to defend
them. Yet we are told that he is charged
with not being a Republican. If, after all
he has done, he Is, not Republican, for
Gods sake tell me what a man must do to
be called a Republican by other people. A
vOice-We don't discount nchback's Re
publcanism,l / am glad to hear it. l
claim for myself that as to all the measures
| have referred | have stood by Governor
Pinchback. ] claim to be Republican up.
on the same ground. l ask you to listen to
me a Republican. If | differ from some
of my fellowRepublicans, it is an honest
difference of opinion. If l think some Of
my Republican friends have been fooled or
sold out A voice-We don't believe we
have been fooled. You will believe it be-
fore the election is over.
My friends, what is it you want to secure
by your votes frst2 A vOice-Grant and
Wilson. Kellogg and Antoine l tell you
what l think you want to obtain first of
all, and dearest Of all by your votes: Such
laws and measures as Will secure to you
and Our'children the rights you have lately
obtained. Understandable enthusiasm, and
cries of yes yes that's itl That is
what thought yOUdesired first and should
vote for. Not Grant and Wilson, not Kel
lOgg and Antoine, who are nothing to you
compared with yours and your ehildrens
rights. Tremendous cheering l knew |
l would get you after while. Several |
VOices-YOu's got us dis time.
Now, my friends, told you once before |
that if you lost control of the State govern |
ment the first thing that would go down |
would be your school system. l see some |
men here that | know have children, and / |
need not tell them at least, that the near
est thing to a mans or wOman's heart is the |
welfare OF their children. If you have such |
laws as will give your childrens the OppOr-
tunity for an education that will fit them
to occupy better position in this life than
the one you now fill, and you know that
this right has been secured to them by your
efforts, yOu will have done your whole duty
to them, and feel all the pride that comes
of sense of duty well performed, and 90
down to your graves happy and cOntented.
But if, by your divisions the enemies of
our party should triumph, and our school
laws go down, though your children Will
not be Temanded to slavery, the condition
INTO which they would fail would be but
little better. Let me assure YOU there is
more danger ahead now than there was
TWO years ago, or at any time since the pas
'age of the reconstruction acts, for you are
n danger Of losing even your constitution.
Governor Pinchback has told you how
he CustOmhouse ring has refused point
blank to unite with us, and how they even
urned men out of their own convention, in
rider to insure the success of their selfish
lEa hova o1rr E.
unity, and in order TO secure it
,ur convention went to Baton Rouge for
he sole purpose Of making a last appeal, in
rider that reconciliation might be brought
bout and the party saved from destruc-
ion. They refused to unite, because if our
OnventiOn had assembled with theirs the
chemes of the ring would have been over
brown. voice-And Billings would
ave been nominated for Governor We
ad no candidate at Baton Rouge. We were
My seeking to unite the party, and had no
andidates.
The Kellogg ticket can not be elected
ecaUse in old times it took the votes of the
ntre Republican party to insure success.
lnCe this Is the case, how do these men
XpcCt to carry their ticket when the half Of Z
leir own convention was driven away bv
lcir frauds and malpracticcs, and the
hole Of our convention was barred out. |
IL You, my friends, the Baton Rouge !
Z tRet is not a Republican ticket: and gen
emen who were in that convention, pTon- F
tent men like Colonel Carter, Mr.. Mary
nd Mr. Billings, assure us it is not kepub-
can, and ask us in our convention to pre-
mt better ticket, that all the Republicans )
the State can vote fUF. '
have said all had to say, except one
ling. You have been told that some of us i
ere not for General Grant. Now, if l can