The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-09-14

ing before you, then, simply ASIA man
with all my prejudices, with all of my
bad feelings, burning them ali upon
the common altar, I say we can build
up a movement in this State that will
~regenerate it from the corruption, from
which has not only controlled the State,
but controlled everybody i'll it for the
last four years. [ propose to help you
il you will help yourselves. | propose
to go with this movement and scratch
no man upon the ticket, and IcxDectthat
every man in this State who symDathizes
with this movement will be ut least as
honest as Gov. Warmoth. [Cheers and
laughter.] And you have got no little
fight on your hands. 1t has been the
popular opinion among most people in
this State that if You just get Gov.
NarmOth to help you that the battle
would be easily Won. But let me tell
you it will take youa and Gov. Warmoth
and other men in this State to fight
Kellogg and Grant, the army, the Ku- |
kluX law, the CuStOmhOuSe, and the
election laws, are llarrayed against Won.
We1ldO some Of tllehardeat trying. any
how, that is possible. EApplarse. And
now, have talked to you much longer
than [ intended, and | will close what I
have to say: LGreat applause, and cries
VI 10 Oh, RO OIL
You must know there arc a great
many people here tonight. This is
about the largest camp meeting | ever
had antling to do with flaughtcrl. and
it is Il difficult thing for me to be- heard
among all of the brethren that are on
the outside OfthC camp meeting. I.augh-
teri want you then, fellOw-citizens,
simply to be fair and square and honest
in this movement and help us. We
shall go before the Republicans of this
State, and will tell them Of our ticket;
aud VIC will tell them that Greeley was
an AbolitiOnlst before Grant had quit
that he had been the friend of the black
people of this State from his childhood:
that he had contributed more to the
enfranclisement of the black people
than any other man in this country.
We will tell them that if they are will
ling to turn their backs upon Il man
who has devoted all his life, and all his
fortune, and all his abilities to their
p emancipation and go fortlis man Grant,
who never uttered II sentiment in their
= favor until he wanted to be President
: of the United States if they want to
turn their backs Ontheman WIl0haS done
. :, all this for them; say that we mustheex-
cused for turning our backs on them.
We shall say all that, and more than
=, that, and we shall point to the dictatiOn
y Of the federal administration that pre-
Rumes to nominate a State ticket in
Louisiana. The ticket that was nOmi-
|. mated at Baton Rouge was made at the
~ White House at Washington. Senator
: Kellogg was sent here with the dicta-
: ton of Grant to his subOrdinates, that
he should be nominated for Governor.
Z He had not been in this State three
9 years, coming here as Collector of this
port he went away as Senator, and
during the whole three years and a half
that he has been Senator he has not
deigned to spend three weeks with the
people that made him Senator. Com
ing back to be nominated by the Fede-
: raj power to the office of Governor, it is
q now proposed to elect him by the use of
: the Kuklux law, the Election law, the
+ Federal Bayonet law, aud all those laws
q that Kellogg and his friends have con-
+ cOcted up in Washington in order to
:, bride the people of this State and COM
+ pei them to go for Grant and his ticket
=, thus bridlel and saddled, either with
the Kuklux laws OF election laws-andif
: it comes to that, we have about as good
an election law as anybody. EApplause,
laughter, cheers.l
One word personal to myself. 4
great deal has been saidof me because oi
my course in relation to certain 1egisla-
ton in this State. 1t is known to all OF
you that | recommended in no uncer.
tain language to the Legislature the re.
!, peal of certain laws. The Legislature
did modify those laws. Those billl
II have passed the Legislature and arr
before me for signature; and now IDrO.
pose to tell the people of this city, and
through their representatives here, tn,
people Of this State, the simple, plair
reason that | do not sign those laws
In the first place they make no materia
modification Of the old election an(
registration laws. In the second place
r. it was intended, when the repeal o
those laws was effected through tn
q Legislature, that instead Of them Gran
~ should use his election law upon tn,
- people Of this State. And then, besid,
d the great mass Of the people, who hat
- so long demanded the modification am
y repeal of these laws, have cntirel,
70 change d their minds. CLaughter.1
= have no objection to that going int
~ print. | have no objection to being per
70 fectly understood upon this question
a. and to say that we intend to take al
Is the legal, all the righteous, all the hon
~ est and fair advantages in this election
II that OH position authorizes us to take
II and that we do not intend to have on
ballot boxes surrounded by Unite,
n States Inspectors and by United State
w Commissioners of Election, %aDnointe,
RI by a Federal Judge living in a foreig7
r. State. Our ballot boxes shall not b
surrounded by United States marshals
III back by Federal bayOnets. There ha
1T been q threat circulated through thi
city recently which has gone upon til
wings of rumor throughout this State
q that Gen. Phil. Sheridan is comm
Mt here to help carry the State fer Gran
10 Let me tell Grant thai it will take MOI
men than Gen. Sheridan can cOmman
ii to carry this State for him. Applause
We don't propose to have the views {
i,r this people throttled by Federal bayC
~ nets !; but we do intend that ever
~ white man and every black mar in tn.
Nv State shall have the right to go to tn
ballot box free and untrammeled, an
al cast his ticket for the ball0tof his chOic,
81. I tell you now. and the people of TIL
-, country, that we never will submit, W
no. never will permit an election In tn
State to be controlled by Federal di'
NO tation and by Federal bayonet
IF And now I will close, having place
,o+ myself fully on record, and so fair an
squarely upon the record that rel tt
rs. editors Of the Picayune may knO
where | am. In order that we may ha7
no more hints from that journal rs
I'd the position of Gov. Warmoth, [ ha'
ON taken it upon myself to sQuare1y AT
frankly state my position, and hope th
,eon the editor of that paper will have /
4 p Ii