New Orleans Republican., 1873-07-17
THE COMPACT ANB IT'S CONDITIONS.

No sooner had peace been proclaimed
than the political leaders who had been in
charge before the war. came forward and
revived the abuse of all who lived North
of certain line. and as they had always
denounced any conservative before the
war as an ''abolitionist," so they now
classed all Southern men who would not
follow them as apostates. traitors and
scalawags. These epitiets We're applied
to soldiers who had fought and suffered
wounds, imprisonment. and disfranchise-
ment on account of their fidelity to the
Confederate cause.
At last there seems symptom Of insur-
gency among the Southern people. .Iessrs.
Marks and many others have followed
the merchants and mechanics in refusing
further obedience to the behests Of the
arrogant ring which commands their ale
glance. They boldly declare their indie
pendence. They openly avow their con-
tempt for that canon Of the clique which
proclailns the colored man an inferior By
nature and in right. In a large public
meeting of the people those rebels against
the ring take the colored man BY the
hand and invite him upon the wide plat
form of social equality. They guarantee
to him the civility and respect of So
ciety so far as his personal character
shall entitle him to receive it. Here then
is an act of self-emancipation. The col
ored people accept the assurances Of
anity and friendship in the same spirit in
which it is offered. But inasmuch as it is
by no means certain that the insurgents
can sustain themselves against their old
masters, the colored people impose very
prudent condition upon their continued
cooperation. They publicly pledge their
honor to maintain the following terms
and conditions:
We publicly declare that so soon az the
existing opposition against the enjoyment
of our rights to be admitted. on an equal
footing with other citizens. in places of
public amusement and public resort; to re-
Ceive equal accommodation on public con-
veyances. steamboats,, and in public hotels;
admission in public schools and public IL
stitutions Of learning, shall have ceased:
so soon as our fellow citizens will be dis
posed to divide the governmental power
equally between the two races inhabit
ing our State, that each race may thus
be equally protected: we pledge ourselves
to unite all cur influence and cur energies
with those Of our fellow citizens in COM
mon movement to reduce taxation 10 a rate
SN4 =
try: 70 investigate an;. correct the public
debt: to suppress unnecessary Offices: 20
diminish largely the high salaries and eXor
bitant emoluments attached TO public OF
flee. The useless multiplicity and eXtrava-
CANT compensa of office being among
the principal causes of the public 'ielnoral-
ization and disoruer: and. IN a "oTG. {" Sc
cure in Louisiana. as soon as possible ;he
establishment OF an honest. economic ana
patriotic government.
In the meantime, the organs ard lead
ers of the ring and regime are Significantly
dumb. They give no cordia! approval to
the movement On the other hand, they in
termit their ridicule of the negro, and for
bear to denounce those who associate with
colored people in public meetings. This
forbearance. coming Immediately after
such vehemen: depreciation of "negro
rule" may mean good deal It imparts
to the unifcation movement more I'M
portance. We may infer that recognition
of civil equality is so indispensable to
the restoration of business and abatement
of taxation that the ring has been muzz!ed
and held back. AS it now stands. the
uniication society is conditional CON-
pact between the white and colored
people. The terms have been stated. and
it remains 10 be seen whether the condi
tons imposed y he colored parties can
be executed and complied with by the
white parties. Upon this hangs all
the law and tLe"-protits.