The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1874-01-09

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.EdN0e Oa1nah1kn 1tZeorduE


Althan III OF the 2ven-
ton an unable to form conjecture
| as to its future action nor was I able
| to CLEAN from the conversation of other
| members, while in New Orleans, any
information which might throw light
upon it. The prevailing sentiment
seemed to be one of dependency and
despair. Meantime, our condition
grows from bad to worse; our people
have lost faith in their leaders and in
themselves taxation with increasing
pace continues to absorb the fruits of
our daily and yearly toll our best and
most energetic young men are hunted
from their homes by Metropolitan
and the representatives Of an ignorant,
degraded race-fit tools of despotism-
pollute with their presence the legisla-
tive halls Of the State, and play fast
and loose with our lives and our prop
erty.
| This is a condition of things which
must not continue to exist. It is safe
to predict that at the end of three more
years OF Radical rule, political vitality
will have ceased to exist amongst our
people, and that tho voice of Patrick
Horny himself, returned to gaze on the
ruin Of that fabric OF liberty which he
so fondly helped to rear, would fail to
rouse them from the apathy which is
fast absorbing their energies.
Undersuch circumstances, any action
must be better than no action, and it is
to be hoped that the able and earnest
president of the late convention, who
holds in his hands the destinies of the
State of Louisiana, may consider the
| matter we'll and grave1y. If the fruit
| less result of our struggles has taught
us no lesson, then indeed our cause is
hopeless.
1t has been my misfortune to differ
so long and SO radically with the repre-
sentative men of this State whom I
have met in conventions, that return
to the subject with extreme diffidence
and reluctance. 1t does seem strange
that after the passage in open session of
the United States Senate of a bill en-
towering the President to suspend the
writ of habeas corpus and to declare
martial law in State on the eve of a
general election, the representatives of
the people of this State should have
met in convention three successive
times and yet have failed to consider
the meaning and intent of such a
measure.
It means that our whole political
course since the war has been a success
sion of blunders it means that we have
connected our fate and the fate of this
State with the ups and downs of q ma
tional party whose name has become
Synonymous with defeat, and which,
while acknowledging itself powerless
to help, has proved itself al1-powerful
to harm us; it means that the argu-
ment which the Northern Democratic
party used to justify its treachery and
! bad faith in the late war, is base lie,
and that the object of the war WAS not
the practical restoration of the Union :;
it means that we are to-daya conquered
people, as much so as any oppressed
nationality of Europe it means more
lit means that our liberated slaves, a
people whom we affect to condemn and
despise, with a superior political sagac-
ity have grasped the fact and are MAX
ing use of it to perpetuate their rule as
our political masters and it means,
finally, that unless we mend our errors
before it is too late, we will be crushed
aud that they will continue masters of
tho soil and destinies of the State of
Louisiana.
I protest against the dogma so I'M
sparingly used that we must be the
tools of one or the other political par
ties. We are MEN citizens of the
| once free State of Louisiana - and the
veal and woe of this State should be
more to us than the triumphs and dis
asters of any political party.
1t is in our power to demand Of the
Northern Democratic party some evil
dence of its earnestrcss and sincerity
some guarantee that the results of the
late election shall be enforced and rec
ognized, even at the cost of such a
struggle as resulted in tho downfall and
wreck of our liberties. Surely if the
perpetuation of the Union was worth
such sacrifice of blood and treasure,
the recovery of political and personal
liberty must be worth something; or,
failing there, if the bugaboo of rcvolu-
ton is too appalling for the conserva-
tive spirit of our quondam friends and
allies, if having once fought so willing
ly to rob us of our liberties they cannot
now risk something to restore those
same liberties, then we can at least, re-
tanning our dignity as men while re-
nouncing our rights as citizens, make
with our enemies such terms as may
secure to us the enjoyment of orr lives
and property.