The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-09-14
GOV. WarRaaOtFn's Speech.

the fusion ticket:
Fellow Ctizens-I confess to you that
appear before this audience not with
out some embarrassment. | know that
there are in this large and respectable
audience many, very many, gentlemen
who have agreed with and followed me
in my political course for the last five
years. | know at the same time that the
part of this audience are gentle
men who have disagreed, totally and
radically disagreed with me in the pollt-
zeal views and policy which | have en-
tertained and pursued for the last five
years, therefore, i'll appearing before you
so soon from the scenes OF Our conflict,
so soon from the fields of our discussion,
so soon from political standpoints, so
divergent and so different, | confess to
Won that I feel no little embarrassment.
But, when we consider that in coming
before YOU, I come before You, not as an
individual, but as a member OF a pOllt-
zeal organization which believe, which
we believe, and which know you be-
licve, is essential to the success of the
redemption of this State-[cheersl-l
therefore have no apologies to make for
appearing before this audience here to-
night. | am tonight as much a Repub-
lean as ] was four years ago. | am as
much imbucd with the principles, the
cardinal principles, OF the Republican
party tonight, as | was four years ago.
/ give away nom of my political views
or principles, and | ask no man III this
fusion to give away his political views.
"a voice, that's right."l stand here
as II of the representatives, the Lib
cral party which is known as the Liberal
Republican party, and as a part OF that
e 41,o S1,p,11 ~ a. ,PNnn1r
to 0 tonight, and urge You to unite
with us-With me, and all good citizens
in one common warfare and n ON
mon battle against the common enemy.
appear before you tonight, too, in
support OF a ticket which in itself gives
an earnest to the people OF this State
and to the people of this country that
the great doctrines upon which | have
fought YOU for four years shall be TeCOg-
nized as Il principle, fundamental in Olr
government; and that is, that no man
shall be kept down, or controlled, or
prescribed because Of the color OF his
skin, but that every man, black Or white,
shall have Il fair and free chance in this
country. You have a ticket, at the head
OF which is a Democrat, and a distln-
guislled D~em0crat-and not only is he a
Democrat III the ~tOrHm-not only is he
the friend of your State upOnthc battle
field; he has fought the battles Of the
Confederacy, and |, as a Union soldier,
| take him by the hand, and we shake
hands across this bloody cllasm. CGreat
a]pplause.] You have upon that ticket
Liberal Republicans and Liberal Demo
Gratis, and besides, you have upon that
ticket one whose appearance there is
like the rainbow, the covenant between
the white people Of this country and the
black people Of this cOuntly-that the
black man shall have a fair chance III
the State of Louisiana, and this black
man UDOn our ticket is no mushroom
black man. He is no1alf white andhalt
black; so that if we swallow him, we
have to take him black as midnight
darkness. CCheers and %laughter.1 II
was thought that in givingyOuthis dose
it should be one difficult to swallow al
first, so that when yOn got it down You
would be entirely satisfied with it
[Cheers and %laughter.l
Therefore, my fellow citizens, 1appeal
before you and before the black people
of this State, who have been my friends
and to them can say that | have not
gone with any political party intending
to build up in this State a white man!
party, us against the c0l0red and white
Republicans. Now, | know that L shall
be Subjected t0-as all Liberal Rcpubli
cans in this movement have been-mis.
representation. know | will be charged
with having gone OyertOthe Democratic
party. You, gentlemen, who are III t1t
Democratic party, and who have Tough
me for four years, and VINO have tough
me more recently in another 0rganiza'
ton, know very well that I nave no
gone over to the Democratic party
You know that | have gone half way ant
you have come over half way, and w
havemetupOn c0mmO ground. ECheers
I went to the city Of Cincinnati, and
led a delegation to that Convention. |
was that Convention that madethe Gin
cinnati platform, audnOminated HOraC,
GreeleY and Graft Brown; and Whel
the Democratic party OF this Union cam'
forward and got on platform ant
took IL candidates, | was readyto bur.
, the hatchet with every Democrat in TIL
land and take himby the hand andmak
with him this commOnfght Applause.
In relation to our local affairs let me "a,
a few words. Having agreed upon TIL
, great national question and suppOrtin!
; the same national ticket, wehadn no figh
: there. But when itcametO State affair
= the Democrats were as bitter as cOulJ
: be. You were determined to have it a
or none Sc. we made up our minds tina
= We would have a part of it anyhow, an
: we organized the Liberal party that 20
:, might know that we had some strengt
in the State that was worthy of respec'
= And it was with this weapon that "
: determined to marshal our hosts an
= bring them up into line that Won migl
y see how many hundreds and thousand
y of Republicans and Liberals there wei
= in this State, and that you might have
: respect for us, and SO thatwhen we WEI
= into this coalition we should have a littl
, regard and fear Of each other, and thu
be induced to do right, which we wOuI
4 not do under any other circumstances.
e I determined, when | was invited L
, the committee to address this meeting
- to simply say to you in a few words tn;
my heart and my sympathies were Ell
= tirely in favOrof this ticket. Applause
Towards the gentlemen on this tick
q Individually, I have nous other but fee
\ ings of kindness, and for some OF tlleT
whom I have the pleasure OF KNOWN
personally, have great personal ate
II ton. Toward the gentlemen colnposir
the Democratic partyin this fusiOnm NOV
~ ment I have nothing but feelings
Il kindness, Notwithstanding the fact tn
" they have given me about the harde
; : rnbs for the last four years thati it is pc
: sible for one party to give one ma
= But / content myself whit this ~refiectio
,, that while they have given me a ha'
- battle for four years, | have given the
I, about as good as they gavem me. lLaug
ter and applause.] So starting out up'
= acOmm0n platform, with a common n
o. tional ticket, and now with the san
: State ticket, / propose to forgive eve
Democrat in the State, if every Dem
~ crat in the State will forgive me. "a
JU r,1nr,an That Is what T call pTanfil