New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-09-03
4 North Side view

The following Is from the Pros?dence
Jou,.:a:-Sanator Anthonyss papers
Ths Louisiana State Conservative Con-
vent;on mas unan ousiy adopted a platform
which. in some OF its aspects, as unmistak-
ably efeare and in others ia as ambiguous as
political proclamat;ons are apt to bee 1t as
sumes snat is IS speaking to and tor the
eawhite people Of louisiana and that it
has become Unnecessary sor the white people
to unite ana act together in self.defense, and
for the preservation Of white CIVILIZATION
That Is 10 say. che Conservatives OF Louise
fana are called upon to array themselves dis
colored people upon political issues That
there may be no mistake about it, the con-
vention resolved that ',reform can be effect
ed only ~ e?ectirg to Office white men of
knowa capacity and integritys" The pepu.
lation of Louisiana is about equally divided
between shs whites and blacks, and tie
Conservatives announce their intention of
preventing il possible the election of any
colored man % office Now. whatever may
be tile evils IN Louisiana, however much
the present government may be blamable,
nothing can be more certain than that this
published determination to exclude from
all! participation ip office One-half of the
eligible populations on account OF color, is
no wav to bring about Or maintain truly
conservative state OF public opinion and
feeling. Had this convention saida "We
will support good men, able men, and none
others, and we will select them wherever
we can find them" and had said it honestly,
It would have been entitled to the good
wishes Of the cOuntrye 1t Instituted in
stead political war CT racesO
There are other resolutions which can
only be read entelligently by those who are
intimate enough with the persons and cir
cumstances to be able to read between the
lines AS. for instance, the convention re-
solved that "the rights of all men under the
constitution and laws of the land must be
preserved !nviolates irrespective of race.
coloro or previous condition, but we deny
that Congress can cOnstitutionaliy enact
laws to enforce the two races into social
the Louisiana Conservatives mentally re-
serve the right to determine for themselves
what acts Of Congress are intended to
force this social union and equality,
and as well what Jaws are or are not
CONSTITUTIONAL it Is easy to see that
to q white Louisianian the first propo-
sitlon IN this resolution means little,
while the latter fneans muche and that
while everybody North and South unders
stands that 'social union" in the real mean
ing thereof Is not the intent of, nor to be
and should be insisted upon, that the negro
in the South shall not be refused all rights
OF decent and comfortable locomotion In
public conveyancess nor deprived of the
ability TO get bed or a meal Of victuals at
hotel. AS to the debt of the State, the
convention declared ITS determination to
favor the payment Of che legitimate indebt-
edness, and its opposition to the recognition
of dishonest obligations issued in the name
At, Yl,,%r NOk frv% Ito
class or classes Of obligations that it in
dorses or repudiatess The war of races in
louisiana, as in Kentucky, does not seen TO
have originated with the negroes
And now comes Go A. Sheridan. OF Louis
iana, contestant for the seat of Representa-
tive at large from that State in the present
Congress- with his commentary upon the
platform OF the conservative convention.
Mro Sheridan Ss member of the "White
Mans party He is in favor of system
Of reconstruction which shall separate the
races shy well defined alignments." There
is, ne goes on to saye an unmistakable rec
solve by all Southern whites to have and to
hold the government of the States, and
they will exact this, peacefully if possible,
but surelye And so confident is he both of
the determination and of the success of the
whites in this purpose that he reveals the
mode by which the end is to be accom-.
plishede The killing of negro "here and
there" will have the tendency to COW the
others into submission, and although not
very sure about it, and not considering it
apparently of any great consequence, he
ventures the encouragement that ''there
will not be any open war" Matters politi-
cal are to assume the proper shape by the
simple, and to the Louisiana white mans
view, strictly constitutional method of
keeping the negroes away from the polls.
Now we begin to see the emphasis of the
resolution of the convention referred to.
Mr.. Sheridan anticipates that there will be
"some blood split in the coming Elections"
but he has confidence that when the ne
groes are informed, as he says they will be,
that "the whites intend to carry the elec-
tions at all hazards" they will refrain from
coming to the polls. And this mode of
dealing with political matters is the ''un-
doubted right" as Mr.. Sheridan says, Of
the white men of Louisiana. 1t looks at
this distance little ticklish.