Semi-weekly Louisianian., 1872-02-04
Early Break Up of the
Meeting!!

For several days the Custom
house organ kept up notifying its
readers that there would be a
"GRAND Mass MEETING held in the
Methodist Church, on Roman
street, on Thursday Evening, Feb
ruary 1st," for the purpose of hear
ing appropriate addresses, and
signing petition to Congress urg-
ing the passage of the bill known
as Mr.. Summers Supplementary
Civil Rights Bill Certain speakers
were announced; and on Thursday
pains were taken to say that the
Congressional Investigating Com
mittee" might be expected to at
tend.
Identified, and most cordially
sympathizing with the movement,
we put in our appearance at the
proper time, and found the build
ing already crowded with a large
and respectable audience of ladies
and gentlemen.
Mr.. T. De s. Tucker called the
meeting to order, and suggested the
selection of Hon. j. Henri Burch as
president which was acquiesced in.
Mr.. Burch took the Chair, and
requested Bishop Brown to open
the proceedings with prayer, after
which, on motion of Mr.. Tucker,
VIM. G.. Brown, who was in the
audience, was requested to act as
Secretary.
Around the stand were Senator
j. H. Ingraham; Bishops Shorter,
and Brown; Elders Thomas, Young
and several others, whose presence
in the city is attributable to the
fact that their Ecclesiastical duties
call them here in conference.
The President briefly stated the
object of the meeting to be to unite
with other States in urging upon
Congress the passing Of Mr.. Sum-
ner's Supplementary Civil Rights
Bill, and illustrated his position by
the perusal of Mr.. Summers letter
to the South Carolina Convention,
and which we published some
time since, and in further illustra-
ton of his object, the Secretary was
requested to read the bill itself
(which we published last week.
During the reading of the above
Lieutenant Governor Pinchback en-
tered and took a seat among the
audience, which he exchanged for a
seat on the platform at the urgent
request of the President. Mr.. j.
Sella Martin was shortly after in
vited to a seat also on the stand.
The first Speaker called on was
Mr.. 7. Morris Chester. This gen.
tleman started out with a remark
ably laudatory account of him
self and his sufferings ''for the peo-
ple's cause" in the State of Louis
lana and declared his readiness for
martyrdom if necessary. He then
scared into the region of abstract
statements and vague generalities,
coming home on gross and unbe-
coming attack on Governor War
moth, violently shocking the moral
sensibilities of his audience, and
the proprieties of the occasion, and
the terms on which we understand
the building was lent. Indeed so
improper was the thorough diver
gence from the object of the meet
ing, and SO evidently provocative of
political discussion, that two or
three times some of the Elders
drew the Presidents attention to
the matter. But yet for nearly two
hours was the patience of the peo-
pie imposed on. At the conclusion
of this trade, the other orators de-
clined to speak. They saw the dis
satisfaction, and felt the affront
that had been so gratuitously Of
fered. Mr.. Burch rose and deplored
deeply the unexpected and decided
ly reprehensible course which had
been pursued. He said
After what had been said by the
gentleman on some points, he should
feel that he had allowed injustice to
be done toward some persons un-
less he said something-injustice
first to the cOlored members of the