The Opelousas courier. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1852-1910, 1872-06-22
NEGRO ASCENDENCY.

| The census of 1870 gave Louisiana poptla
tion of 726, ,9l5. Of which the whites numbered
364, $50. Since then there have been many re
movals of whites from the State and but few
of negroes so that the relative proportion o1
colored to whites has increased. If the num-
Der of actual voters of each race should be il
proportion to the above totals the colored votes
will be q majority of the whole, which, though
small, will suffice to retain Radical ascendancy
in the Legislature and insure them Radical
State officers. The registered voters of 1876
we're 153,360, only about two-third of whom
actually voted or 1876, 762. All will not vote in
November, but the increased interest in a
general and Presidential election will call out
a much larger ballot then has ever been pulled
in the State. The negro vote will be as nearly
compact as ever: the Grant vote will be almost
entirely colored the white adherents Of Grant
numbering but few hundred.
By divisions i'll the ranks of the opponents OF
Radicallsm it may happen that the negroes
may carry their National, State and Leg gislative
tickets, and then we shall lave over us a col.
ored State administration and a colored Gen,
eral Assembly. Such State Government may
be no worse than the present and it might pos.
sible be somewhat better; but it would be noised
abroad that Louisiana had eolored rulers; that
the col0red race was in the ascendency; that
they made the laws to suit themselves that
they had their own judges lawyers and juries,
and that large majority of all public func-
tions from Constable to Governor were perform
ed by colored men. Throughout all the South
ern aud border States it would soon become
known that this was q negro State.
The result would be. a vast immigration of
colored people. invited not only by fertile lands
and congenial climate, but by black admin
istration and a general coIored ascendency.
Louisiana would thus become the Canaan of
all the negroes OF Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia,
Maryland, North Carolina and Tennessee, vast
number OF whom, as soon as able, would swarm
over the rich fields and throng the town of the
entire State They would be superior in intel
ligence to the average of the native negroes,
but their sympathies would correspond and
they would become strong and welcome allies.
If twenty thousand immigrants were to come
in 1873 the number would be trebled the fol-
lowing year, and in a few years the colored
population Of Louisiana would be twice what
it is now.
The colored regime thus established and the
preponderance of colored inha btants thus be-
ing made permanent, a reverse effect would
be produced upon our white population. Ra-
ther than endure the absolutism of an almost
universal negro equality the white inhabitants
of our best parish would seek homes in States
ruled by whites. The decrease of whites might
not at first equal the influx of negroes, but a
few years of negro rule would produce an exodus
of our most valued white citizens on large
SCALE 80 that by the time the colored census
would reach eight hundred thousoud the white
census would not reach Oue-third of that num-
ber. White men will not live under the rule
of negroes If they can help it, even mixed rule
of white and colored being distastefuI and bare
1y tolerable. Louisiana is not an island colony,
and when her white inhabitants are oppressed
and threatened with ruin by colored rulers they
have not far to go to make their escape. If
Louisiana and Mississippi become negro king
doms we are thankful that Texas will afford
refuge in one direction and Georgia (perhaps
Alabama in another.
The question whether our fruitful and beau-
tiful commonwealth and this great metropolis
arc to he doomed to perpetual Africanization is
to be settled at the November election. If by
a solid and unaided nogro vote they once win
ascendency, their strength will wax while ours
wales, for century to come. Let those who
are trying to civide and neutralze the conser-
vative votes of the State think well of the ne
gro dynasty which they will thus help to erect.
n