The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-10-15
GRAND MASS MEETING.
Parish OF Plaquemines Shows its Might
Speeches Of Gen. Z. L. Gibson, Hon.
Ef,inyham Lawrence, and DR.. ]. B.
wilkinson.

Effinyham Lawrence, and DR.. ]. B.
i wilkinson.
There was, according to previous call, an az
sembling of the voters of Plaquemiues paris
Int Rogas and MENDOZA settlements, on Monday
at IL NJ, to give public expression of thei
sympathy with the Conservative movemen
now sweeping through the State.
Long before the hour of meeting larg
concourse OF ladies and gentlemen gathere'
about the stand erected and appropriated
decorated for the speakers. Under storm o
plaudits Messrs. Gibson, Lawrence and vii
kinson assembled the platform, and the meet
unanimously elected President, with Messrs
Stockfelt, Ban, Grant and Forsythe as Vic
Presidents.
DR.. Wilkinson then opened his address t.
the meeting by calling on the people to d.
their duty to their State by electing only true
and upright men to Office. He dwelt upo1
the necessity of registration and entered into
general review of the action of the Genera
Government towards Louisiana. The Doc
tors address was received with prolonged ap
plause.
Hon. Etingham Lawrence was then intro
duced, and in terse, pointed sentences, varied
now and then with SMILES and figures OF
application to the subject. He asked thai
there should be Cancellation and an end of al
race prejudice. The candidates put forward
should be only those deserving by their pas,
career of honor and probity. Mr.. Lawrence
then paid high compliment to Gen. Gibson
the candidate for Congress from the First
Congressional District.
| Gen. Gibson then coming forward, address
ed the people. He,ynade thorough examina
ton of the issues presented in the present
campaign and in forcible tones asked that w
should grapple with them with a full reali.
cation Of their importance.
He dwelt upon the necessity for union, and
advised his hearers to 90 forward in earnest.
Registration, he urged, was matter Of
necessity. He was frequently interrupted by
could not be heard for the shouts of those as.
sembled
The party then left Tor Point-a- Ia Hache, al
which place another mass meeting was held.
On their arrival atthe point" there was very
large gathering of whites and colored people,
they having been called together by the an
nouncement that Gen. Gibson and other dis.
tinguished persons were to address them. The
river bank, tor considerable distance, Was
illuminated by bonires.
The meeting was called to order at
o'clock by Capt. Edward Smith, and Mr..
Perrin Hingle duly appointed chairman.
DR.. Wilkinson spoke for some time, and
was listened to with great deal of attention.
Gen. Gibson then took the stand amid great
cheers. After speaking for some time he was
s'make speech for the colored people" The
following IS the speech:
TeHo,c-citizens Nominated for Congress by
the delegates from the First Congressional
District, have visited your beautiful parish
not for any purpose Of my own, but in obedi-
ence to this mandate Of the people I am
deeply grateful for the cordial welcome which
has been extended to me. This morning, ut
the Buras Settlement, had the pleasure to
meet large concourse of the people, mani
testing an intelligent and earnest interest in
the public welfare. I have been especially
gratified to observl that good will and peace
marked the relations between the white and
colored people of this parish. [Cheers.
address you tonight, determined to respond
at once, and | am here now to thank you for
this manifestation of regard and confidence
greet yon as my tellow-citizens. greet
you as my equals before the law. I greet you
as LouisiananS and American freemen en-
titled to all the rights and privileges which
the Constitution of our common country has
ordained to secure to us all, and which the
recent amendments of that immortal instru-
ment were intended to secure and do secure
to your race [Cheers] Your civil and po-
litical rights do not depend upon the shifting
policies of party, but repose upon the imper-
ishable basis of the Constitution. And yet,
fellow.citizens, every time there is an election
in this State, mischief-makers proclaim that
your freedom is in peril, and attempt to excite
an aCoincf ho uvhi{o manila Thov
have again and again proclaimed upon the
floor Of Congress that the white people of this
State sought to deprive you OF your rights;
that your lives We're not safe; that you were
not permitted to buy property and to enjoy
its ownership in peace; that you were not al
lowed to vote as you pleased, but intimidated
away from the polls, or compelled to cast your
ballot against your Judgment.
Not only this but that every man from the
North who settled in this community and who
might be your friends, were likewise insulted
and abused. That all the disorder and poverty
and distress in our beloved State was owing
to the hate of the Southern people of you and
the Northern men amongst us!
Now, fellow-citizens, it may have been when
you first aquired your freedom, you were sus-
picious of Southern men, for while emancipa-
ton gave victory to the North, it cost the
Southern people not less than So, 200, 600, 900.
We were not only defeated in mighty strug-
gle for independence, bat the losses of the
South in men and money, the sacrifices she
made; exceeded those of any other people in
the tide Of time [Cheers.
One-third of the total value of all property
in the United States was south of the Poto-
mac, before the war now there is not more
than one-ninth. See, therefore, how the
North has outstripped the South in the race
tor wealth and power. But it is an error to
imagine that the mere act of emancipation
this unprecedented ruin. 1t did not
diminish the number of the colored people
its only effect was to change their relation to
society. You were, therefore, still in the
not as slaves but as freemen, to con-
tribute by your labor to the reconstruction of
the country, and to participate, equally with
with the white people, in its good or bad for
tunes. (Cheers.]
l am glad to believe that you have come at
last to feel some confidence in your white
l wish those men at the
North who abuse your white fellow-citizens