The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-07-17
GEN. ~AUREGAR
Address to the People of LOuisia-
ma on UnificatiOn.
What He Has in View.

FELLOW CITGzENs-I have been made
the subject of %ungracious and illiberal
observation here and elsewhere because
OF my support of resolutions recon-.
mending q closer union Of all the mem
bcrs of the permanent population O,
the State, to promote faithful admins
tration and wise and provident legisla
ton. The ends proposed are not only
unobiectionable, but patriotic ane
praiseworthy.
The complaint is Of the means
Those means consist in a candid an.
frank acknowledgment of constitu'
tional and legal facts which none car
deny and the conforming of our con
duct to those provisions of the exist
ing constitution of the State Of Lou
~isiana, which are as follows:
ART. -. All persons shall enjoy
equal rights and privileges upon any
conveyance of a public character; anC
all places of business or public resort
or for which o license is required by
either State, OF municipal authority
shall be deemed places of public char.
acter, and shall be opened to the &C.
co%mmodation and patronage of all
persons, without distinction or dis
tinction on account Of color.
ART. 1875. All children OF this State
between the ages OF six and t'venty.one
shall be admitted to the public SHOOT:
or other institutions Of learning, .sus-
tanned or established By the State, il
common, without distinction Of race
color, or previous condition.
These articles have been enforced
By legislation, which gives to any party
whose rights Hereunder have been de
MED, "a right Of action to recove any
damages, exemplary as well as actual
which he may sustain, before any cour
Of competent jurisdiction"
1t cannot then be denied that all th,
citizens of the State have been PLACED
upon terms of equality in their civi
and political relations. No preference
is given on account of complexion, ca
pacity, employment, pursuits, or the
holding OF property to any individual
or class. The superiority that the pos
session Of these may attain depends
upon the voluntary recognition by per.
sons differing in complexion and ca
pacity, and Of different empIoyments
and degrees of education. The sui.
trage Of every man of lawful age is to
be counted at every election as of the
same value. My proposition is. il
possible, to unite these various condi.
.ievs of men into a common effort to
improve the condition of the State; to
remove, if it a be done, all questions
that are special to any Of these condi-
tons from the contest, and to fix the
hearts o fail upon higher and more i'm.
portant aims. The strife, hostility,
dlstrust and enstrangcment that have
followed from such questions have
placed our State under the control of
the %depraved, dishonest, overreaching
and corrupt. The reputation of the
State has suffered, its credit blasted,
its finances disordered, its honor
stained. and public and private pros.
perity retarded under the influence OF
the strife and the use made of it by the
artful and selfish adventures, who have
employed power to accomplish these
disastrous results. In our disgraced
condition, after the general elections of
last November. we appealed in vain to
Congress for relief: the Administra.
ton has, moreover, thrown it's power
full influence on the side OF our corrupt,
usurping State Government, and we
can evidently hope for no assistance
from oui sister States. We must there.
fore look only to ourselves for saliva.
ton, which a only be secured BY
making n firm alliance with all classes
Of II 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
'o%rbearance of the colored people pre-
rents them from subjectirg common
carriers, and all keepers OF places of
public resort, to such losses and an.
loyances as would speedily compel the
PRACTICAL acknowledgement of their
lights or the abandonment of business.
\ multiplicity Of ;suits, the result of
which $50 far as our State courts are
oncerned) could not be doutful, would
Don exhaust the endurance of the
most violent prejudice. Meanwhile
a series Of years the obstinate
enial of these claims ofour colored
ellow.citizens by the whites has been
he means Of arraying whites and
lacks, almost solidIy, in bitter politi.
hostility against each other.
1t has driven the blacks into an un- t
aturai coalition With a horde Of IN 1
'rupulous adventures, who have thus .
ecured the political power of the Cen.
l%onwealth. How have they used it !
o what a sad condition have they not
the State! 1t is an oft told f
lie, which /, a son of Louisiana, hold. q
6 her honor dearer than "the ruddy j..
'ops which visit this sad heart" have d
disposition to repeat. z
I mas ha rp;ataIoo e, o,-~1- &