The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-10-31
Address to the citizens Of shreveport.

As'' A'''
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Address 10 the citizens Of Shreveport.
The combination of radical plundcr-
| ers and federal, civil and militury oili-
/ cials who have combined in this par
| ish, under directions from Beckwltil
and Packard, in New Orleans, to out
rage and intilnidate the citizens ofthis
/ portion of Louisiana in the interest OF
| the Kellogg usurpaiiOn, are ut This mo-
ment preparing ailldavits and warrants
! on which To have siXty.iive ~ seventy
of our most prominent citizens arrest
ed The only charge that can be made
against the proposed victims of this
pending outrage, is that they have OBJ
| ligatrd themselves no longer to retain
| in their employ men who persist in
voting as they have done in years past,
| for Curpetbng, scalaWag and negro
thieves, who have, 10y corrupt misru!e,
| beggared the state and rendered prop
crty literally valueless. In other words,
their only crime is that they propose
to discharge from their employ and
hire whom they please, and in the eX-
ercise of this plain and simple right OF
freemen to protect themselves from
cXorbitaut taxation, pluuder and final
rain.
That the arrest of the gentlemen who
entered into this agreement, and prob
ably Of others, is TO be made by federal
authority, backed By the federal army,
and that the processes for the infamous
work are now being prepared, we have
the express declaration Of Brigadier
General Merrill, commanding this de-
partment, and \. b. Lsvisee, United
States commissioner tor this district.
Now, this is IA bold aud audacious
game of intimidation in the interest Of
the Kellogg usurpation, but If our peo-
pie are firm and resolved, if they have
the back bone to sustain their own ac-
tion, if they are true and brave men,
the dastardly programme will he
beaten, and the outrage made to react
with fearful power upon the perpetra-
tors.
The position assumed by cur mer-
chants and property holders has Had
its effect upon the negro dupes of the
thieves who lead the radical party it
has opened their eyes, and many OF
them have determined TO vote with
their best friends--the white people.
The object of this movement Of the
Kelloggtes and federal authorities is
simply TO counteract the influence of
this movement upon the negroes il is
to intimidate the gentlemen who en-
tered into the agreement to protect
themselves, and force them to with
draw from it; to make them stink out
of - brave and proper action 10y threat
cning them with the tcrrOrs of arrests
and confinement in siockades and Of
federal courts us they exist in Louis
lama. If this il accomplished and our
people back down, the negroes will be-
come Insulting, arrogant and intD}era-
bic; Head by their chiefs, they viii lit
orally ride rough-shod over the COM
nunity, and this section of the state
will be carried by them in the election.
This is what this proceeding means
nothing more nor less.
Let every man, then, of whom ii is
proposed To made a rictim in this mat
Ter, stand resolutely by his action, and
meet all its consequences with the cour-
age of Il freeman, ami with lreeman'S
determination to main his rights.
The purpose of the authorities Is,
without doubt, to propose to release
the prisoners on bail. If this ploposl-
ton is accepted, and the prisoners i'm
mpdateiy released, the end of the au-
thorites will be obtained, the influence
of the action Of the citizens upon the
negroes will be destroyed, and there
will be no indignation excited in the
north. In other words we will lie cap
turcd, and this is precisely what is eN-
pected by Merrill and Levisee to he
accomplished.
Therefore we advise our people
those of them who are arrested-to re-
fuse to give any bond, to treat the ar
rest, as it is, rs Il ScandalOus outrage,
without law and without justice. We
advise them to force these men to re-
tire from this thiugOr 10 carry ii TO its
full consequences, and then let the
American people judge whether, ten
years after the surrender OF the south
ern armies, after Louisiana has been
recognized as state and as part and
parcel of the union, while there is no
hostility within the borders to the fed
eral government, and when her own
civil authorities can execute the laws,
brigadier general and United States
commissioner, candidate for state OF
flee, surrounded by cavalry and infan-
try, can arrest and imprison our citi-
zens because they choose to exercise a
right exercised in every other section
of the union and in every other section
of the civilized world. If these men,
fellow-citizens, make this issue, force
them to develop the dastardly outrage
in its full proportions, that the whole
country may see it in all its hideous-
ness. Our word for it, no one will re-
main in General MerrilPs stockade or
guard house many hours afterthe news
of the outrage is telegraphed north and
east
Citizens, stand firm dispatches have
| already been sent over the United
! States in relation to the threatened
outrage upon our rights and liberty,
and the eyes of the American people
are upon you. Your action in this
matter now will excite the sympathy
or derision of the country, accordingly
as it is courageous and manly or weak
and coutemptible.
You are not alone; the whole com
muLity supports you. Lists are nov
circulating throughout the city pledg
ing the siguers to the same line OF ac
| llbu y wa dSittu tp''iii VIZ hu'''''' W ''N'
ditional names have been signed, anC
every man in Shreveport will share
VouT responsibilities. The planters O
Summer Grove, Spring Ridge, Green
wood and MooriDgsport neighborhco'l'
have unanimously signed sinila
pledges. Even the ladies of our city
are signing cards that will make then
as guilty as you are.
Let the arrests begin; the American
people contemplating the arrest by tin
civil and military officers Of the repub
lie, of whole community, for the ex
ercise of right common To all men
will be an interesting event in our pa
litical history. Extra Shrevepor
Times, 22d inst.
It-pfa1- NopRIII dppidpi i'm tlp Il hi