The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-11-04
THE VICTORY.

renOWn. Our COiulnuS coutdllI Gue
official figures of the election last
Monday. The Radicals and all their
allies are routed, "horse, foot and
dragons" Only they who have
suffered as we have can appreciate
the greatness of, our deliverance.
Only they who have hoped against
hope as we have can understand the
fullness of our joy.
We carried this Parish in 1872
and were cheated out of the fruits of
our victory. The celebrated Chan
Gerry suit in the U. S. Court in New
Orleans, which ultimately resulted in
the midnight order of Durell, was
based upon affidavits, of which one
was made by George Kelso and Harry
Lott, two mulattoes of this town, to
the effect THAT fifteen hundred negro
voters in Rapides had been deprived
of the right Of registering and voting
Perjury and fraud, and judicial vii
liany with the strong arm of the gov
eminent at Washington, have com
bined to put on us the foulest usur-
patton this continent has ever known,
and this Parish has been one of the
most conspicuous victims fit. One
of the perjnrers has for two years
held in the Senate the place to which
we had elected our candidate. Three
votes in the house of Representatives.
have helped to swell the Radical ma
jority there, not one Of whom was
elected, and every Parish office and
the Judgeships have been filled by
men who were beaten at the polls.
1t was mighty impulse that ami
mated our people last Monday. 1t
was born of suffering, and nurtured
by the spectacle Of these triumphant
Williams, parading their official plum
Ger constantly before our eyes, and
rioting in the luxury of their stolen
power. That power is broken at last.
There can be no pretence now that
this election was not fair. The in
timidation game failed on their side,
and there is no shadow of a chance
for that accusation to be made
against US. The company of U. S.
Infantry that have been for some
time across the river were brought
in this town and pitched their tents
in the Court House square, where
they now are. The U. S. Cavalry
that marched into town the morning
Of election day rode round in battle
array. No doubt both officers and
men felt they were doing dirty work,
when they were thus engaged in
everaweing our people, only somehow
we would not get overawed. We did
not pay much attention to the SOL
diers. We were all too busy polling
votes, stirring up the laggards and
vieing with each other to do the
most Of the good work. Neither can
there be any cloud thrown over the
polling at the country precincts At
every precinct in this Parish, runner
GUS as they are, squad Of U. S. SOL
diers was stationed. They had an
effect not at all dreamed of by those
who contrived this formidable dis
play. They emboldened the colored
voters to cast their ballots as they
wanted to, and not as heretofore at
the bidding of their former leaders.
1t was perfectly known in our coun-
ellis that several hundred of the black
voters desired to vote with us, but
many of them were afraid to do it.
They were threatened by their own
colored politicians with remorseless
punishment if they dared to vote
with the white men. We gave them
every assurance of protection, but to
the mind of the negro there is moth
ing that gives such delightful
sense of security as a Yankee uui-
form with Yankee inside of it.
They saw them at every polling place
and advanced manfully to the ballot
box and voted our ticket. Hence
our victory.
And this victory will be product
i've Of the best results to black and
white. The black man can feel
henceforth he is an agent in helping
to redeem the country, in which we
both have to live, from it's present
degradation and ruin. But even with
his assistance we could not have sue
ceeded without a unity Of action
among ourselves. Never have we
seen common spirit so thoroughly
animasing our whole people as in this
campaign. The Democratic Conser-
vetiye Marty. the White Mans party