New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-05-21

l
Mr.. Carpenter-SUppose You did SUI
pose 20, 900 colored men in this State shout
meet in convention, and pass a resolution
that no white man should hold office o
vote. What would the white men do
What you have got TO do is to knock you
people out of this ave OF the white man.
Mr. Ingraham-How!
Mr. rCarpenter-StaCd right up to him
and if he insults you, knock him.
Mr. Ingraham-But knocks Of that kn(
would prejudice the whole people agains
| US.
Mr.. Carpenter-Don': you think ,he
| whole power of the government is enough
to sustain you: We can not protect youl
individual tiresldes. Il black man came
| to murder your babes you would xii! him
| would you not! Ii a white man comes
| for the same purpose. Kill him.
Mr.. Iugraham-We admit the truAt Of a.!
this, and it ought to be done. bat in our
presen. relations, when we have the law
| and the courts fOr protection. we do no:
rely upon ourselves.
Mr.. Carpenter-That is jus. the idea that
am trying to get az. II you insult a white
man he kills you. If d white man insult.
you you run to the courts: don't you do
thar; Just go tor him.
Here briet interregnUu: occurred. de.
voted to the discussion of excellent cham.
pagne and cigars. After this recess State
Senator j. Henri Burch took the floor.
Mr.. Burch-Before coming here. scarcely
knew the object OF the meeting. do not
live in New Orleans: represent one Of the
country parishes. / understand. however.
from short conversation with some o: nv
people this morning. that this meeting is
for the purpose OF placing before yOU az
one OF the Senators OF tho United States
and one directly connected with the erou.
bles in Louisiana. the real aspect Of poiti.
cal affairs here, and also TO endeSvor to
help the cause OF QUE people on this politi.
cal question. am the more satisfied of
the necessity of this meeting after hearing
some remarks which have fallen from your
lips this afternoon. Our opponents are
moving heaven and earth to lay their case
in the most favorable light. not only before
Congress, but before the people Of the
United States. am sorry to say. sir. that
there is much meaning in the re
mark you made. that you viewed
our case IN the way in which
it was presented at Washington. I will
add, by way Of parenthesis. that those who
presented it there were seeking seats in the
United States Senate. and. am afraid,
lost sight of the wants OF the rank and file
of the party IN this State. ] desire to pre-.
face my remarks by al.uding TO remark
made by you to my friend. Mr.. Chester.
that, AS citizens. we have the right to de.
:end ourselves. and I'VE must not expect
either Congress or the naticna. administra.
ton to protect us. Why. sir. the colored
men Of the South have the same right to
expect defense from the genera! govern.
inent as have the settlers On the Western
prairies. Those settlers have the same riga.
TO defend themselves that we have. and yet.
when they are threatened by the ModOcs.
what does the genera. government do: 1t
doesn't leave them there to eXempl.fy this
doctrine OF seif-defense. but it sends troops
for their protection. In nearly every paper
we pick up we :ind statement. that the
United States government is sending troops
over to the lava beds.
Senator Carpenter-Let me cali your az.
tention to the difference between the posi-.
tion of the colored people of the South and
that of those Western settlers. They live
III Territory. and have no State govern.
ment. That is the reason they are protect.
ed by the arms of the United States. The
general government desires also to protect
you here. but what is tina: protection !:
First, to see that YOU have a republican
form of State government. and then TO sus.
tain that government by the army and
navy of the Init"d States against any DO.
mestic violence. Then you MIS-. govern
yourselves. If yOa cannot govern your.
selves, you must 90 back into territorial
condition. and then We will take cace o!
you.
Mr. Burch-Arother point has suggested
itself to my mind from hearing your re.
marks. The colored people Of the South
| were of opinion that the thirteenth. four.
teenth and fifteenth amendments were bul.
warks OF protection to them fro NJ the men
who would not only strike at them. but
strike at the government itself. Now. it
these amendments do not give them that
protection, We are deceived people. and it
is necessary that ws should have further
constitutional amendments. I will admit
| that if you place a musket in the hands OF
! a colOred man he will command more re-.
spect from the whites than he does with a
hoe in his hands. because. when our people
were in the field they did not fear the white
enemy. But we are N times OF peace, we
do not go now as the early settlers OF the
did, with gun in one hand and a noe III
the other: we look to the United States
government for protection. l do not propose
to discuss any points of law with you. nor
am going to ask you or any member OF the
committee which investigated Louisiana It.
fairs. nor any member of.Congress. to tram.
pie his legislative oath under foot to keep
me in my seat as State Senator. Ii have
no right there. am ready to leave: II
have right there, don't want to be put
out of it. Now. sir, what are the direct
causes of this trouble in Louisiana. You
must have thought it strange that these
very men who claim that Mr.. McEnery was
elected are now clamOVOu5 for new elec'
ton.
Senator Carpenter-Far from il. One OF
the most singular aspects of the case was
that they were as much afraid OF new
election as you were. and that satisfied me
that new election was the best thing tor
all of you.
Mr.. Burch-Notwithstardi the fac:
that they may say they don't want new
election, they do want it. Now. how do
they propose to have this new election.
and what would be the consequence OF it!
tell you. sir, that the Republican party OF
this State can never have an election in
Louisiana that will satisfy the Democrats
Four years ago. when we elected Mr.. War
moth. it was exactly the same. The identi
cal language and the identical means which
are now used against kellogg's govern
ment were used against Mr.. WarmOth. He
was denounced upon every hand. and our
party friends were murdered by scores in
nearly every parish in the State. Mr.. War
moth dared not make his appearance on the
street, and yet he was not halt as faithful
to the Republican party in the first year OF
his administration as Mr.. Kellogg has been
thus far. We can Onlyjudge of the future by
the past, and, judging by that past, we. as
a people and as party. cry out against a
new election. I defy any man to find u
Democrat here who is satisfied that Re-
publican was elected at any election. In
my parish we have men who believe that
they and their forefathers have had life
lease of the offices they have occupied, and
we never got them out until Kellogg was
elected. Governor Warmoth commissioned
our clerk of court in Baton Rouge, but he
has never served We have elected two
mayors. and they have never got their
seats. You tell us to 90 20 law, but tell
you, Senator Carpenter, there is more law
for the colored man in Louisiana than there
is justice. l am not going to steep my
for n I IN 70