New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-07-02
THE UNIFICATION QUESTION.
Address Of General G.. T. BenuHegaHd t.
the People of Louisiana.

population of the State, to promote faithful
administration and wise and provlden
legislation. The ends proposed are not oni1
unobjectionable, but patriotic and praise
worthy.
The complaint is OF the means. Those
means consist of candid and frank ac
knowledgmen of constitutional and lega
facts which none can deny. and the con
forming of our conduct to those provisions
OF the existing constitution OF the State ol
Louisiana, which are as follows:
ARTICLE I3. All persons shall enjoy
equal rights and privileges upon any con
veyance Of a public character; anu all
places of business or public resort, or f0i
which license is required by either State,
parish. or municipal authority, shall be
deemed places of a public character. and
shall be opened to the accommodation and
| patronage of all persons, without distinc-
ton or discrimination on account OF color.
"ARTICLE l35. All children of this State,
| between the ages Of six and twenty-one,
shall be admitted to the public schools or
other institutions of learning, sustained or
established by the State, in common, with
out distinction Of race, color, or previous
condition"
These articles have been enforced by
! legislation, which gives to any party whose
rights Hereunder have been denied, "a
! right of action to recover any damages eX.
emplary as we'll as actual, which he may
sustain, before any court of competent juris-
dictiOn.''
| 1t can not then be denied that all the citi-
| zens of the State have been placed upon
| terms of equality in their civil and political
relations. No preference is given on ac-
count of fcomp.sxion, capacity, employment,
pursuits or the holding of property to any
| individual or class. The superiority that
| tue possession of these may attain depends
upon the voluntary recognition by persons
differing in complexion and capacity, and
| of different employments and degrees OF
education. The suffrage OF every man of
| lawful age is to be counted at every cleo
ton as OF the same value. My proposition
is. if possible to unite these various con-
| ditions of men into a common effort to
improve the condition OF the State: to
remove. If it can be done, all questions
that are special to any OF these
conditions from the contest, and to fix the
hearts of all upon higher and more import
ant aims. The strife, hostility, distrust and
estrangement that have followed from such
questions have placed our State under the
control Of the depraved, dishonest, over
reaching and corrupt. The reputation of
the State has suffered, its credit blasted. its
finances disordered, its honor stained and
public and private prosperity retarded un-
der the influence of the strife and the use
made of it by the artful and selfish adven-
turers who have employed power to accom-
plish these disastrous results. In our dis
tracted condition, after the general eiec-
tions of last November, we appealed in
vain to Congress for relief; the administra-
ton has, moreover, thrown its powerful in.
fuence on the side OF our corrupt, usurp-
ing State government and we can evident
IL hope for no assistance from our sister
States. We must, therefore, look only to
ourselves for salvation, which can only be
secured by making firm alliance with all
classes of our population to rid US of those
vampires who are sucking the very life
blood of our people, whites and blacks.
1t is manifest that nothing but the for
bearance of the cOlOred people prevents
them from subjecting common carriers. and
all keepers of places of public resort. to
such losses and annOyRnces as would
speedily compel the acknowledgment of
their rights or tie abandonment of business
A multiplicity Of suits, the result of which
$50 far as our State courts are cOncernedt
could not be doubtful, would soon exhaust
the endurance of the most violent prejudice.
Meanwhile during series Of years, the OBJ
stinate denial Of these claims OF our c0lOred
tellow-citizens by the whites has been the
means Of arraying whites al blacks. almost
solidly. in bitter political hostility agains.
each other.
1t has driven the blacks into an unnatural
coalition with horde Of INSCRIPTIONS ad
venturers, who have thus secured the
political power Of the commonwealth. How
have they used it! To what a sad condition
have they not reduced the State! 1t is an
oft told tale. which /, son of Louisiana,
holding her honor dearer than "the ruddy
drops which visit this sad heart" have no
disposition to repeat.
l>o Ok <f,oA
frank and cordial concession of absolute
and practical civil as well as political equal
ity between all citizens, without discrimina
ton on account of race or color, as proposed
in this movement, would remove the last
barrier which opposes the political co-opera-
ton of good men, Of whatever color, for
the regeneration Of the State; but I am
earnest in my conviction that l am not mis-
taken.
Experience seems at all events, to have
demonstrated two propositions quite con-
clusively, viz: first. that without such CO.
operation the redemption of the State is i'm
practicable; second, that such cooperation
cannot be secured on any other terms.
Besides, am profoundly convinced that
no sound and lasting system of political
philosophy can be constructed under exist
ing facts in Louisiana, at least which does
not recognize such equality. Every such
system must square itself go as to consist in
all its expressions and implications with the
fact of impartial suffrage. |
When we are asked why we refuse to admit |
colored people to the enjoyment of public |
privileges on a footing of equality with other |
citizens, it is not sufficient to say that in so |
doing we merely exercise right for which |
we are compelled to give a reason. There |
must be some reason or motive at the tOun- |
dation OF all human conduct. And Il at |
the basis of this course OF conduct partici- |
pated IN by the mass Of the white people of !
the State. there does lie reason so power
tul as to defy the provisions of the cOnstitu- |
ton and laws and the DEGREES of courts. it |
concerns the cOlOred man to in |
ouire whether. carried to its logical conse-
,luences, it does not threaten other rights. |
of which he already has the full enjoyment.
Ye. l would ask any one to state why
colored man should not participate in these
public privileges, which would not be a
better reason why he should not serve on
Jury, why he should not hold responsible |
offices, nay. why he should not possess the
right of suffrage itself.
We are bound to give this great expert
ment of republican self-government. on the
basis of impartial suffrage. a fair trial. and
as long as we assume a position antagonIs-
tic in principle to his rights, and thereby
drive the colored man into opposition to
Us. if harm results, we must lay the blame
upon ourselves, rather than on the system.
l am persuaded that the natural relation
between the white and colored people Is
that of friendship. l am persuaded that
their interests are identical; that their des
tinies in this State, where the two races
are equally divided, are linked together;
and that there is no prosperity for LOulsl- |
ana which must not be the result of their |
20 operation.
l am equally convinced that the evils an
licipated by some men from the practical
enforcement of equal rights are mostly i'm