New Orleans Republican., 1873-06-01
NEW ORLEANS REPUBLICAN, SUNDAY, JUNE l, 1873.

fully, but determined to maintain by honest
means the present Republican State gov
ernment of Louisiana, knowing and resliz-
ing that it is to-day protecting our lives
and that of wives, mothers, our property,
| and all that we love and hold dear.
| Good night. Good night
| Tomorrow and to morrow will be fair
| If we are true; stand by the right.
Hope on, hope ever, we will, we shall rise
| in the progress and development character
| istic Of American freemen, and finally reach
the highest place of civilization as devel-
oped by the genius of free and Christian
| America.
General T. Morris Chester was next in
order, and delivered the following effective
address:
Fellow-ci,izens-The continued fermen-
tation of the FusiOnists necessitates upon
our part, dignifed action in behalf of
truth and Justice. The majority of the
people OF Louisiana, who controlled the
succession of Governor, declared last No
vember, as their solemn purpose, that
William Pitt Kellogg should have four
years lease of that Office, with all ofits honOrs
and emoluments, under the constitution OF
the State; and while in the act Of executing
this will to raise Senator Kellogg to the
executive Office, portion of lawless adhe-
rents 20 one John McEnery, whom they de-
| sired 10 succeed to the GOvernOrship, viu-
| lently seized the document, caused eras-
ures, and made fraudulent additions which
were never contemplated by the testators,
in the interest of the said McEnery. Sen
ator Kellogg commenced proceedings IN
the federal court, and established two no.
torious facts. which were irresistible
first, that the will produced by McEnery
was a fraud; and, second, that it
was the will of the majority Of the
legal voters in the State that he should
come into the succession. Here was state
of affairs which required remedy ewift
and radical; and recourse was had to the
| United States court presided over by Judge
Durell, under the enforcement act This
court sitting in chancery, in which higher
standard of justice is administered than can
be accomplished under the rigid formalties
of law, set aside the fraudulent will in
favor Of McEnery and admitted to probate
the nuncupative will in favor of Kellogg,
the geluineness of which was substantiated
by overwhelming testimony.
The whole problem with refery nee to the
State government is, shall fraud or justice
| triumph! Judge Durell, under the constitu-
ton, the laws, the facts and his oath Of
office, could not do less than interpose the
| federal power between the conspirators and
their fraudulent purpose. If our freedom
is real. our citizenship is positive, and our
suffrage is absolute, then any attempt
| to deprive US OF these great blessings
should be restrained by the authority which
| conferred them. 1t was fortunate for Louis
lana, fortunate for the colOred people, who
are in the majority in this State, that just
and infexible judge was on the bench dur
ing the trial Of the celebrated case of Will
liam Pitt Kellogg We. Warmoth ct al, or
the influences brought to bear might have
secured the triumph OF fraud and injustice.
! At the proper time propose to enter into
an elaborate defense of Judge Durell and
his action. which, l have no doubt, will be
sustained by the enlightened Judgment Of
the American people. We, who have seen
the streets of New Orleans Redeemed with
the blood of our brethren-whose houses
have been fired while we were asleep-who
| have been hunted and massacred all over
the State. and who feel that we are now
standing over a volcano which might burst
open at any moment and engulf US in living
fire, can appreciate the action of Judge
Durell, which protected US in our liberty
and lives, and saved the State from an
archy. The Kellogg government does not
only hold its tenure through the decision of
Judge Durell, but the Supreme Court Of
the State. which is composed of Southern
gentlemen whose impartiality and integrity
| are unQuestiOned, has confirmed the legality
of its existence. We believe that Judge
Durell was right, and knowing that he was
| just and equitable, we propose to sustain
him with all of the moral and political
power in the control of the majority of the
people of this commonwealth. We hail in
him patriot whose love of country is
founded upon the principles of virtue; a
Judge whose decisions are moulded by an
enlightened sense OF justice; statesman
whose views are sound upon all public
questions; scholar whose cultivation is
the admiration of his fellow citizens: gen.
tlemen whose character is beyond reproach
and whose motives are above suspicion,
and in whose enlightened Interpretation of
the several constitutional amendments and
| the laws made 10 enforce their spirit, chang
ing the theory OF the government with re-
ference to the status of fAfro-Americans, we
| recognize that true standard of impartial
Justice which the nation will approve and
humanity applaud.
As much has already been said upon gen.
eral affairs, l think could not do better
than avail myself of this opportunity to
address myself directly to our white fellow
citizens who are designated 1.-THE oldest and
the best That class of persons and their
representatives are always lecturing the
colored people as to our duty. Now have
some good advice which l propose to give
to those who are present., and, through the
| reporters, to those who are absent.
Much was said last year in the Fusion
press and other kindred journals, about the
Africanization Of this State, and the pros
pecr of the administration of its affairs be-
| ing under the control of organized ignor-
! ance and corruption, in which language
| they were pleased to speak of that portion of
| American citizens of African descent, who
cast 10000 votes in this commonwealth at
the November election. being in excess of
all others combined. In full view of this
state of affairs and the overwhelming logic
| of past events, these journals and persons
OF similar Obtuseness are endeavOring by
most disreputable means to precipitate a
conflict of races, which they hypocritically
pretend to deplore. Strong in our faith of
the mate sense of American justice, we will
not shrink from the issue, come when it will,
and the sooner it is over the better it will
! be for us; for the result will be complete
annihiiation of any and all depraved wkite
men who sought to engage humanity in a
| bloody strife of determination upon the
causeless issue of complexion. In such an
| insane attempt all the colored people would
necessarily be driven into opposition, and
all the upright white men, all law-abding
citizens, all genuine Christians, all support.
! ers of the constitution of the federal govern
ment. which makes no distinction, and all
! friends of human progress of every cline,
would be associated with US to strangle and
| crush out any overt act OF the infamous
spiri: Of caste.
When we were oppressed by the unparal
leled wrongs and injustice of two centuries;
when we saw, in smothered Indignation, our
fathers dragged from US in chains, our old
mothers brutally beaten with stripes, our
lovely sisters unblushingly prostituted, our
endeared babes snatched from their cradles
and publicly hawked upon the auction
block when we suffered all these, and a
thousand other humiliating expressions,
which were predicated upon our color, with
ont rising nm IN rebellion auainst our ena