The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-09-21
Extract from COL MCEmery'S
Lafayette Square Speech.

y 0GtS SVh fC11N4UG Ah OuIkC ISSCAiltICU III
your city, I was the firm, decided, out
and out of it of a fusion and coalition of
all conservative elements upon a just
basis, in opposition to the power of the
military despot who sits enthroned at
Washington. (Applause.)
| stand here tonight as | stood in
June. When the Democratic Conven-
tion adjourned, for the purpose of Goa
litiOn with the Reform party, | placed
myself absolutely in the hands of the
State Executive Committee. When
the August Convention, called by the
Liberal party, had assembled in your
city on the Sd of August last, | did the
same thing. While c%anyassing the
Northern portion of this State, in the
interest and advocacy of the united
State ticket, both myself and that wor-
thy champion of truth, of justice, of
honesty and integrity, B. F. Jonas,
GCheers.] we both, by telegram did the
samething. Therefore, fellow-citizens,
| stand here tonight before you, not
and singly the representative of
the Democratic party, but I stand be-
fore you as the representative and the
standard bearer of all the Conservative
parties of the State of Louisiana, whose
principles, If vindicated by your voice
in November, will raise dear and once
proud and glorious Louisiana to be
again a bright, if not the brightest,
States. Is it possible, fellow-citizens,
in a crisis like this that any man should
falter ? Is it possible, in a great crisis
like this, when I might say that not on
ly the political, but even the social fab
rio itself is involved in the mighty con-
test in which we are engaged is it pos
sible that any man should hesitate as
to the step he should take ? I appeal
to you by every sacred tie that binds
you to the soil of Louisiana to forget
for a time, and / might add for all time,
to take whatever prejudices and pas
siOns that may have hitherto actuated
you, and sacrifice them upon the
common altar of your country and
let us by N determined and united
effort elevate 10Y PROSTATE Louisiana
to that proud position to which she is
entitled. [Applause.] In this fusion,
in this compact, if ! may so term it, |
recognize as binding upon the whole
people of Louisiana, all the obligations
which it imposes ; and | tell you, fell
1ow-citiZens, that if you are earnest, If
you are Jealous i'll the cause of the re-
demptiOn of Louisiana, you must ac-
ceptSthis compact, this coalition, as an
absolute entirety-there must be no re-
lection of a part and acceptance of a
part. [Applause.] VIZ must, if we are
honest men, il we are men who deal in
good faith, if we are men who recog-
niZe our plighted faith. We cannot,
without violence to our own sense of
honor, reject part and accept part. We
must accept the whole or reject and re-
pudiate the whole. [Applause.] There
fore, | assume fellOw-citizens-I as
sumo as q mathematical truth almost
as binding upon him the obligation
part of the obligation which has been
imposed upon him ; but like a man, as
I believe every Louisianian to be, he
will walk up to the mark and recOg-
nize as binding upon him the whole
compact and whole coalition which has
been formed by the three respective
parties in the State of Louisiana.
CApplause.l For myself, fellow citi-
Zens. / would not stand before O.
here tonight as your standard bearer,
and as that of the thee conservative
parties in the State of Louisiana, I'M
less [ accepted absolutely, readily and
entirely the ticket which has been pre-
scented to us. And, fellow-citizens, I'M
less we bring ourselves to that point,
unless we lay down, as I said before,
upon the altar of our country whatever
of preiudiees, of differences of opinion
we had, and unite earnestly and solemn
" and devotedly in the advocacy of this
Fusion ticket in the interest of the
reform and the redemption of the State
of Louisiana, we have but a Fusion
ticket on paper, and one not in spirit,
in heart or in the public sentiments
of the country. Nor do I understand
this to he the sentiment of the people.
/ understand the underlying sentiment
of the conservative peoplesof the State
of Louisiana to be the Inauguration of
a policy upon a just and honorable ba-
sis, that will redeem, and disenthral,
and elevate Louisiana. And when we
have done this, when we have done this
by a combination, and coalition and fu-
sion of the three conservative elements
represented respectively in the Demo-
cratic. Reform and Liberal parties of
the State of Louisiana, we will have
placed ourselves upon high grounds,
and we will present Louisiana as she
once was, not only one of the prOudest
States in the Union, but a State whose
commercial credit was respected, not
only at home, but whose obligations
commanded the highest premiums in
the marts of the Old World. To that
end, to that purpose, let it be the honest
effort and honest endeavor and honest
purn0se OF every man, woman and
child in now unfortunate Louisiana to
elevate and bring her from the dust in
which she has been Frustrated, Jap
plause.l
My countrymen. I behold in this Fu-
sion tirket the ob%literatiOn of what
PROBABLY might have been passion or
prejudice. [ believe I stand the per-
manent representative of the Demo-
cratic party upon that ticket ; the party
which in angry diseussion-and Heaven
forbid among ourselves that we shall
have any m0re-T say I stand the per-
manent representative of the Demo-
cratic element upon this fusion ticket !,
and let me tell you, felIOw-citizens,
that as far as | am concerned, and / be-
lieve that / speak the sentiments of the
majority of the Democrats of Louisiana.
that we are no pToscTiptionist /; that we
are as liberal, and, if / may use the ex-
preston, as unhide-b0und as any ele-
ment that may he upon that ticket !;
that we don't propose in the event that
this ticket is elevated with power to in~
augurate any system which will look to
the prescription of ON fellow-eitizens.
let them come from what section of the
Union they may. [Cheers.1 Let us
understand that is not only Democrat
ic hcket-it isa LiheTal ticket, and itisa
Reform ticket-and I as the represen-
tative of the Democratic party stand
before You with enlarged views, and
stand before Won as a Liberal and as q
Reformer. TApplause. Then, my
cOuntrymen, let MS cease this pickering
let us cease this fruitless warfare