Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-12-06


Below we give some extracts from tn
Speech delivered before the colored Con
vention in New Orleans by Governor KEEL
logg. To copy it entire would occup,
more space than we can spare:
Governor Kellogg apologized for no
making an extended address. He saw
present, besides the United States Senator
who had just so ably addressed them,
number Of the Representatives in Con
gress. Louisiana was said to be on tria
before Congress. and it was the duty o
these gentlemen to defend the State the,
represented. 1t was not the proper tim,
for him to speak; he preferred to heal
them. He thanked the Convention for tn,
generous welcome they had given him, ana
said that he looked forward to the future
with renewed confidence aud courage.
If time and occasion permitted he would
like to reEearse step by step the ground
which they (the Republican partly bad
gone over weary and f00tsore during the
last year. An opportunity would proba
bly, shortly occur for such a retrospect. A
Fusion convention had been called to meet
in this city on the twenty-fourth Of the
present month"; State convention IN
which he did not hesitate TO say that d
large portion of the State would be entire
~ unrrpresented. Delegates would come
from parishes where eight or ten men had
met together and sent themselves to the
convention. Mr.. Ogden. or Mr.. Somebody
Else, of the Fusion leaders, would be
standing up i'm that convention to cast by
proxy the vote of parish hundred miles
distant, and would talk el0quently Of the
honor of Louisiana aud the dignity Of this
commonwealth ON the bosom Of which
they were nurturrd, et..
In this convention we should probably
SEQ our friend Mike Ryan, aud a good
many other gentlemen who in the Democrat
ic Convention of April, ls72, Expressed q
holy horror Of being even suspected ~
likely under any circumstances to cO-Ope-
rate with Governor Warmoth. You will
remember the energy with which they de-
nounced him as an arch scOundrcl and
charged upon him personally all the
wrongs that the State had suffered during
his administration, and how heartily they
concurrd in resolution passed by the
the Democratic Convention declaring that
any political alliance with him would be
dishonorable and injurious to the best iu-
terests Of Louisiana"
Yet few weeks later these very men
and other members Of the same convention
attended convent cu called expressly in
WarmOth's interest. and voted for resp
luton pletiging themselves and their party
to send him to the United States Senate in
consideration Of the services which he was
to render them by carrying the State
against the Republicans by the aid of the
registration and election laws, which they
had sf, r..rauf..xllr .l..,,o,suo..I os inf.,pous
Here is consistency! Oh, how the hearts
of these gentlemen yearn for their beloved
STATED How sincere they were IN denounc-
ing these obnoxious election laws, which
tn Cusfomliouse Republicans helped them
to repeal! How earnest Mr.. McEnery was
at the Varieties Theatre in July, 157Z,
when he peremptorily demanded that Gov
ernor Warmoth should approve the acts
these laws without delay, and
him " 18th insincerity for hesitating
to do SO! How much comfort Mr.. Ellis
found in the reflection that under the re-
cent law of Congress (th- very law, by the
way, which he Governor Kellogg aided in
putting through the Senate.)
The Cnited States Government now
had the power to supervise the election re-
turns, and WarInoth dare not use his pow
ers to prevent fair election" When hs
the spcaker) was in the Senate members
If the State Democratic COMMITTEES wrote
to him urging him 10 procure the passage
Of law establishing federal supervision
over the election, and even the Bee edito-
rally approved il. But no sooner was the
alliance made with Warmoth than thu Flu
,ionists denounced the federal election law,
and did not want Warmoth to approve the
acts passed by the Reform and Custom
house parties in the Legislature to secure
4 fair election. At the Fusion ratification
meeting in Lafayette square Colonel Nc
Emery said they had entered into an ALI
lnce, which could not he rejected in part or
accepted in part, but must he adopted in
it, entirety
There is no chance for a new election.
Indeed, think new election would he
ruinous t. the State. There was one elee-
ion. Some ticket was elected, Either
the Democrats are entitled to the State gov
or the Republicans are. This is
The real Issue. know the Republicans
are entitled to it; their candidates having
u majority Of the votcs cast ut the
last election. The Supreme and other
courts of the State have repeatedly decided
that the present State government is the
egal government. Every officer ut the
State acquiesces in that decision, and do
not believe that Congress will do aught to
vet it aside.
From Governor Claiborne down, legisla-
i've corruption had leen fragment sub
ect Of regret in executive messages. He
'aw before him, among the Delegates to
The Convention, many members Of the
present Legislature al Louisiana. He re-
led upon them not 10 place him in such a
position as tn compel him tn say, when his
Term Of Office expired. as Governor Remain
lid In 1912 (when there were no "thieving
or Ignorant negroes" IN
the LegislatureE Il leave the Office with
which have been honored with the pain.
Ful conviction of having done very little
Tor the good Of the State, and having often
allied in preventing what was injurious.
It afioris me some relief. however, tn be-