The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-11-25
their word and +ou 49,, at - - - =. =

CAclI worn ana Tell Them, Lieu rs have
little of the right of revolution" they
don't listen to us. We argue this outside
Of politics altogether.
Now, my friends, we have, according to
the American theory of government, the
! right to govern ourselves; according to
that, we have the right to select cur own
officers and public functiona1ies at the
ballot-box, which should be sacred and
inviolable
Is your ballot-box sacred .and invio-
tablet
To shield the ballot-box from every
wrong and every injustice and tyranny is
always tho intention of every right mind
\ ed man.
Every ballot-box should be so shielded.
4 According to the present organization it is
i the tool of fraud. I remember, l was in
4 Mobile on the election. day. l have been
often blamed for speaking on political
4 subjects. I do not care straw who
! blames me: of course [Applanse.
But to show you my ignorance in poll
tics, never voted in my life before. I did
+, want. to vote for Jefferson Davis once.
[Anplause.]
I There was one of their priests in Mobile
d who had been in the Yankee army. I
, reckon God will pardon him for that. He
was perfect Yankee Irishman. He pro-
nounced COW, ke-ow. The night before
the election a few of us priests got togetl-'
er in one of our rooms, and we made ter
, rite onset on this noble priest to convert
him. With a great deal Of persuasion we
did convert him. n' ~ - II" 49,
that, bnt Oh the day of election we went
Il 10 +hn T In
before, but he had. y. .'.i -i'.''
j One of his Radical friends offered to us
q ticket, and said, "Here is your ticket.O
He answered, II reckon"-he pronounced
the word II reckon GuEss-'I reckon
not. This time l vote the Democratic
ticket" They had small ropes there, and
I said to him, "Father, you know the
ropes better than I, you 20 first" So he
went first and voted the Democratic
ticket.
l will pass one step from my order Of
thought. The word PARTY suggests this
to me. III this country now party absorbs
the individual. Very few men now pre-
serve their Individuality We are all so
terribly alike. Wherever there is the
semblance of individuality, what does the
world sayi go to the insane asylum"
Individuality has come to be looked upon
as a species of insanity, and in politics
the individual is absorbed in the party IT,
l believe in a man being independent,
fearing no one but God aloDe, standing be-
fore the world caring for right and con-
science, and when you are right 60 ahead,
and do not care for the consequences ~
In regard to the harmony Of races, Twill
give You but one Thought. Some races
harmonize only in political equality, and
some races harmonic only in political in
equality. Each man should preserve his
own Individuality. am not a Republi-
can. / am not a Democrat. I am
Southern man. That means all. APP
plause. 40. Il
That goes deeper; that means that I
love my country, and this little part of my
country more than all the rest of the
world together. [Applause.l That means
not Eecause my interests are here, but he.
cause my life is here, my faith is here, my
trust is here, and my heart is here. That
means that stand by my country first
and last, and always. [Applause.
But some men are ruled not by princi-
pies, but by. interest. All, they love to
make money. Naughter.) Money makes
the man. But money unmakes the man
hood. (Applause.) And how many are
there, who ut the affairs of the almighty
dollar sacrifice their manhood, lay down
| their honor?
We have seen men who, nine or ten
years ago, offered up their hearts on the
altar Of the South, bnt whose hearts now
are narrow and selfish. They have given
up their manhood. They have taken
money. Let tliem keep it. [Applause.
Government, according to tho best
political ideas of the nineteenth cen
tary, is for the benefit of the governed.
That is political axiom. Those who.
govern, govern for the benefit of the
governed. l wonder is it SOL No.
That is changed since the war. Now,
government is for the benefit of those
who govern; we poor people are slaves;
we must not say boob
! We mnst not make an argument.
We are the slaves of those who govern,
|iand if we remain the slaves of those
who govern we are not worthy to be
other than slaves. Applause'] When
the war was over, when Lee, Of whom
some one said: r|r.H ,H.D 81! ~
"Forth from it's scabbard never hand
Waved sword from stSin as free;
| Nor purer sw ord led Drawer band,
Nor Drawer BAND had cause more grand,
Nor cause a chief like Lee!' thhitc 4n'fI
When he sheathed his sword the hon.
GRAND the promises of the other side
were violated and the States Of the
South lapsed into conquered provin-
ces, and notwithstanding what has
been said and written and legislated,
! the condition, practically of the South
ern States to day occupy is the position
of conquered provinces. aii,.!I
-Now,t according To- my idea Of right
tile first thing to do, is to petition,
next to argue, next to demand. There
is nothing like that. These rights are
ours. Give those rights to US back, or
-- I'll not finish the sentence. (Con-
tinued applanse.) ~ nj, ~, ~; =.
Ladies and gentlemen, ! have kept
you long enough, but, could keep you
till tomorrow morning, but as you did
not bring your pillows, With you, l
shall not do it. Ht-Is,f>
IL thank you for this large audience,
and.uOt through. mock humility; I aW
not a man of that character, but in all
sincerity, think it is a beautiful cem-
Tp1iment to pay to the members ofthe
White League. 4
And it is not for nothing they wear
those white rosettes., over the hearts
that are the homes of honor, but it is
to be hoped that the Wilderness or TIE
rosette, at least, shall not be turned
into the crimson!of the blood of battle.
l5HR "a G.;t nj rIs.f -. TIlLUI, ......is....'
>, TEXT FOR, .YouNG MES.-A better sub
ject fol, young men to- mediate upon was
never written than the following by Swift:
mo man ever made, an i'll figure who I'M
derstood lis own talents, nor d good one