New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-11-18

self-possessed manner characteristic of the
gentleman, Senator Pinchback spoke as
follows:
SPEECH OF SENATOR PINCHBACK.
Mr.. President and gentlemen of the con-
vention-The forcibleness of our utter
ances depend, among other considerations,
largely upon the propriety of the same. he
who speaks in harmony with the occasion
Can not speak without force.
Governed by this maxim, | would in my
remarks make Only such suggestions as are
pertinent to the purposes for which TINS
convention has assembled.
You are here, gentlemen, specifically to
strengthen the existing State government
of Louisiana. and thereby more et1ectually
guard your political rights.
A speech therefore. somew hat political IN
its tone is allowable; but there are other
matters, not political, which may be iur-
thered and should be furthered by your
assembling.
A retrospect of our political affairs is
encouraging.
More than year ago the people OF this
State, al the polls, indicated the officers
who should constitute the government of
the State for the current term, and who,
under the constitution, should be, in the in
terest of the whole people, charged with
the enactment and administration OF the
laws. l, with others among you, took part
in the initial organization of the present
State government.
1t was born in storm. and has lived and
| grown strong, though surrounded by turbu-
| Ience, because possessed of the innate
| strength that right always gives, and
| further, supported by the strong arms and
patriotic impulses Of the Republicans of
| Louisiana. Twelve months ago 1t was babe
| in swaddling clothes; to-day its healthy in
| fancy has developed into vigorous man
| hood, and supported by the majority OF the
masses and IN harmony with the national
| authority, the present State administration
| of Louisiana bids fair to be an eminent
| success.
| Positively assured of a large majority OF
| registered Republican voters in the State.
! and knowing that our republicanlsm was
too real and intelligent to permit votes to
be either idle or diverted from Republican
ends, we claimed in the beginning of the
| contest a Republican victoIy in the elections
| of November last This assured fact.
though clouded to some extent by the illegal
| withholding of the official returns in many
| cases, has since been made clear and un-
| questionable by the developments made by
| the State registrar of voters and his as
| sociates. 1t now appears, from lrrefutabie
evidence, that there was actually cast a
| majority for the Republican candidates OF
not less than $4,000
| The temper developed in our present con-
| test eminds Inc of the bitterness of the op-
| position met by us as people on the occa-
sion OF our entranchisement.
| Liberated from bondage terrible in its
/. exactions and strong in its age aud preju-
dices by the great American people, who
were prepared for this crownlng act
l 49, H., lr, <ba of
| great war, the ruptured political and social
relations of 100000 people placed for solu-
| ton before the nation d problem hitherto
| un solved. Four millions OF former slaves,
| without property, without experience and
in their infancy were suddenly forced to
| assume the full responsibility OF full man
hood.
The Republican party, sustained by the
| nation, declared that this people, charged
with the burdens of manhood, should have
| it's pI erogatives; they should not only be
| free, but citizens and sutfragans. and the
constitutional amendments and reconstruc-
ton acts were adopted to render this citi-
| Zenship possible and operative.
I Our progress has yindicatea The wisdom
| of this course. But we know. nevertheless,
| that the proposition to entrauchise the
| colored peaple of America met with an op-
| position little less bitter than the act of
| the constitutional amendments and the
| acts to enforce the same needed vindicatiOn
| additional to that already given, 1t would
| be found in the conduct of the antikepub-
| lican party OF this State in November last,
| in which those who have heretofore opposed
| freedom to the enslaved and then opposed
! suffrage to the liberated, determined that
| the suffrage which had been conferred
should not be exercised by us freely and
| without intimidation.
| We owe our successes, gentlemen, under
| God, first to ourselves. Without abatement
| to the need or dues of the true men that
| helped US in our distress, / affirm we pos
| sessed the elements in ourselves that needed
| the occasion only of a great revolution to
develop them.
The colored race of America, in their in
dividual manhood, furnished an aggregate
of political and commercial forces that in
contact with and under the quickeDing in-
fiuence of Christian civilization. like seeds
in the field of the husbandman, maturing
and ready to germlnate, needed but the
summer of liberty to spring into life and
fruitfulness, and the wisdom of the Amer
ican people, even more than their mercy,
was demonstrated when they took US up.
Still, while truth and manhood requires
this statement. we have had generous and
powerful friends, and it is meet and our
bounden duty to thank them for what they
have done.
We can not name them all; we owe much
to every Senator, Congressman and citizen
who has spoken the truth in our behalf to
every paper that has published it, to every
man, woman and child that has prayed
that the truth might prevail, but, after each
has received his need of praise, we owe
most for our present success to President
Grant, who, aided by his noble Cabinet,
when our condition was chaotic and unde-
fined and our peril most imminent, with the
clear head of an honest man grasped the
true philosophy of our case, promptly &C
cepted the responsibility that GevOlved
upon him and, despite the hestating and
uncertain action of Congress and in the
face of viliication and abuse, has stood IN
the breach and like "the beaten anvil to
the stroke" has been true to his duties as
embraced in the constitution and the laws
INDUSTRIAL.
The material prosperity of the country
as much concerns us as it does any white
citizen, and we are under equally as strong
obligations to build up the industry OF the
country.
propose, gentlemen, to call the attention
of this convention to certain great indus
trial and commercial enterprises which
vitally affect not only the interests of you
and l. and our children, but of the State of
Louisiana and the States of the Mississippi
valley-enterprises which we can further,
and which we can not afford to ignore. |
shall have something to say on the ques
tions of levees of an outlet from the MIssis-
sinpi 10 the Gulf, and Of a revision of the
treaties now existing with the West Indies
and other Spanish American countries.
Why speak of these Because they are
all necessary in handling and distributing
the material products or values of this and
our sister States of the Mississippi valley.
We are hardly prepared at present to APP
preciate the magnitude of these material