The weekly Louisianian., 1874-06-20

TIL E n E W 0 r L
selection Of honest intelligent and
competsntmen to administer the af-
fairs Of the Government.
MI. Speaker, You will find the out
cropping Of this desire in Louisiana
to-day. You will not only find it there
but you will find it in Tennessee, in
South Carolina, and wherever else in
the South You may choose to push
your Investigations. What they re-
quire is that you shall encourage them
in these laudable efforts toward reform.
You should be the first to encourage
them to do what is right. Do not tell
them to follow blindly after this man
or the other man. Do not tell them
that if they in the exercise Of their
rights dare to assert their manhood
and elect from among their own peo-
pie intelligent, honest, and capable
men to I'LL a fair proportion Of the Of
fees it will destroy the Republican
party and lay them open to the charge
of negroizing the South. I%contended
MI. Speaker, from the very outset that
Republican interests would be ad-
vanced by honest governments in the
Southern States, as well as in the
Northern States and honest govern
ments in the South You will get just SO
soon as the colofed people understand
you will hold them responsible for the
same and not the men they elect.
Gentlemen on the other side have
told us that the white people the South
accepted the situation. I thought
they had, at least I began to think
they had, just before the last genera!
election. It was believed at that time
that I was inclined to favor the liberal
Republican movement in Louisiana.
These gentlemen then began to find
out that I wa not SO bad IS they had
been in the habit of charging. They
had prior to this alleged that I was g
fire-brand, that I was corrupt, aud that
I WIS everything that was bad, just as
they say about Republicans generally,
But when they thought that I raj in.
clinod to democracy through the lib.
eral Republican party, and would &C.
cept q place on their ticket, the fusion
convention of Louisiana rendered to
me the unanimous nomination fol-
Congress from the State at large on
their ticket, the very place which was
afterward given to General Sheridan.
When they found that they could not
| get ME because 7 would not accept the
position, not many days elapsed ate,
this failure to compromise before they
were restored to their former opinion.
MI. SHERIDAN, lin his scat.) Yor
wanted to be the Lieutenant Governor?
MI. PNcHBAcK. O, Yes, I had
hankering that way, but that was not the
difficulty. I demanded the same repres'
~entation for the colored people that the,
had on tho Republican ticket, but they
could not see that it, would have interferei
with their arrangement with Governor
Warmoth to send him to the United States
Senate.
Mr.. speaker.I ask yeu to took bacl
over the political history Of Louisiana 70:
tho last ten years. You will find that VI
have been in q most extraordinary condi
ton, the last three of which have subjected
me to much Misrepresentation and I fea
that the judgment Of some Of the mem
bers Of this House has been affected b.
what they have heard in reference to me
I do not blame them for it, if it be true
For Notwithstanding I an q republica,
working hard and earnestly always in tn
interests of the Republican party, certai,
men in Louisiana who claim to be Republi
cans have insidiously l,.bored to destro.
my power and influence in my State.
have been stabbed in the house of m,
friends. For two long years these me,
published a paper professedly republica,
whose columns daily teemed with til
vilest and bitterest denunciations of m,
character only equaled, as !. once tolt
President Grant, by the New York Sun j,
its attacks upon him, The baneful infu
ence ofthese assaults has o~vershadowed MI
inmy contest in the Senate and hangs ik'
an ominousc cloud over this. body, ant
may prevent my obtaining a recognition
printa facie to a seat upon the floor ofthi
House.
It is but another dastardly attempt o.
the part Of these men deprive me Of m.
right and the people Of houisiana ola vot'
in this House, because I am unwilling t.
be cheated by these false Republicans
and too mainly to be used as their tool.