New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-01-10

perfectly proper that resolutions OF this
character should be passed by the seven!oen
Senators present.in order that the people OF
| the State may know that we have the inter-
| ests of the State at heart. When we have
convinced the people of that fact, they Will
naturally infer that the absent Senators are
| recreant to their trusts, and will visit upon
| their beads the severest cOndemnatlon'
When these gentlemen go back to their con- on,
| stituents and ask to be reelected, they Will
tell them. I'VE have had one example OF
your legislative capacity; you have been
weighed in the balance, and found wanting;
| we have no further use for you; we Will
elect men who have proved themselves
| faithful to their trusts" So tar as reform
| is concerned, there is no class of people
| more interested in it than that which rep
resent. We are destitute of money, desti-
| tute Of influence, destitute Of everything
| that could bring us into equal competition
with the other race. We are. therefore,
| deeply interested in the material prosperity
| of the State. Among those Senators who
! are absent from their seats to-day are rep
resentative cOlored men, who have been
| elected by their constituents for the purpose
| of protecting their interests in the leglsla-
| tive halls What will they reply when they
| are accused of resorting to unworthy means
for the purpose of retardlng Legislation, and
| of sluandering the money of the people un-
|
| will say that shall heartily support any
and all reforInatory measures that may
| come before the Senate. When the time
| comes for action, we shall see whether these
| Senators, who are so lOud-mouthed in their
professions, will practice what they preach.
l hope the resolutions will be adopted.
! Mr.. Harris-I hope the resolutions which
have been offered will be adopted, as
every sentiment contained in them meets
with my hearty approval. In expressing
| INV approval of them, do not wish it to be
understood that | do 50 at the demand OF
| tine mob which has surged through our
| streets for the past few days, but because
believe the measures OF reform referred to
are for the interest of the people whom l
| have the honor to represent on this floor
| l do it because believe that the sovereign
| people of Louisiana demand that some re-
! form should be made do it because l be-
! lieve that the taxation upon the people Of
, this State is onerous-that it is too burden
| some for any people that Gods sun ever
| shone down upon to bear. do it because
| | believe that some of the laws now spread
| upon the statute books are unjust to the
| great mass of the people of the State.
believe, sir, that our present revenue law
| could be modified so that it would be much
more acceptable IT, the people. / believe
the revenues could be collected at a much
less expense than they are at pres
| ent. l believe that some mOditica-
tons should be made in the election and
registration laws. / believe that the super
visor of registration should be a resident
of the parish to which he is appointed. l
do not believe that in the interest of JUS
tice and fair play, any supervisor OF regis
tration should be allowed to be candidate
for any office while he holds his position. l
myself have felt the weight of the election
law. / knew that l had the hearty support
of a majority cf the electors in my district.
ana vet felt that by some trick might be
excluded from the position to which | as
PRED. 1 believe that the people OF the
State should be fully protected in their
right to go to the polls and east their votes
for such NEIL as they desire to place in posi-
tons Of honor, trust or profit While am
willing to do all this, yet | shall never con-
sent while the vital current flows through
my veins" to take away from the people
single one OF the safeguards which have
been thrown around them by legal enact
ments. | represent II class of people which
has recently emerged from the darkness OF
slavery into the light of freedom, and many
of them are incapable of taking care of
themselves unless we throw around them
the strong arm of the law, and pro
tect them in their political aud civil
rights. l even proposed to make them
stronger, if possible. As far as the Metro
poitan Police are concerned, L am in favor
nf any measure that will make il more
effective organization, IN order that 1T may
enforce law and order in this community
and protect our citizens. l have seen the
necessity for this organization within the
last few days. | have observed that the
police assisted by few militiamen, have
guarded this State House and protected the
representatives OF the people in the dis
charge Of the duties they have been sent here
10 perform. do not propose to abolish that
organization, hut desire to make it more
effective. If its expenses can be curtailed,
if the power to appoint policemen can be
placed in better and more jutliclous hands.
shall certainly advocate any measures
looking to those ends. l am IN favor OF any
measure, repeat. that will relieve the
people of this State and city from the heavy
harden of taxation under which they are
grnaning. hope these resolutions will go
before the people of the State, and be ac
cepted in the spirit in which they are pre-
scented. hope they will recognize the fact
that seventeen Senators meet here from day
TO day. ready, as the gentleman from Car
roll Mr.. Lynch aptly expresses it, to act
and enact measures of reform, and that we
are prevented from doing so by the alb
serce of Seventeen other Senators from
their seats. If anybody is to blame for the
present condition of affairs. it is the seven
posts, and thereby paralyzed all legisla
ton.
Senator Anderson III the chair.
Mr. Pinchback-l rise, Mr. President, %
say "a WORT OF two upon this question, not
for the PURPOSE of influencing any Senator
to vote for these resolutions, because know
that the sentiments contained in them are
the sentiments of every Republican Senator
who has responded to the call of duty; but
4. Of nj IN hlf.
tain assertions into the teeth of the
dissatisfied Republicans who have formed
n conspiracy with a few Demo
cratF more for the purpose of over
throwing law and order than for any other
purpose Day after day since Il portion of
the General Assembly of this State left the
Capitol and attempted to organize an in
dependent Legislature elsewhere, contrary
to law, we have seen published III all the
newspapers in ,hs city, with the exception
OF two, the New Orleans Republican and
the Louisianta,l. extraordinary speeches.
The Democratic press and the so-caiied
National Republican. which claims to be
the official organ Of the Republican party,
have been publishing daily reports OF the
procee dirgs of the so-called HonSe OF Rep
rentatves' that meets over the Gem
saloon Not only have they done
this, but they have been busy misrep
resenting representative men of the
Republican party of the State. Among the
men whom they have sought to write down
ia my humble self. 1t seems strange to me,
sir, and oplne it seems strange to the mass
of the black people of Louisiana that a
newspaper claiming to be Republican in
character should advise my arrest as ku
Kiux. Following in the train of that sheet
comes the Endorsement of the New Orleans
Times, the Bee, the Picay'tne, the Bulletin,
and every other paper that sympathises