The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-12-04
Our Race Relations
[From the New Orleans Times.l

blA tID = h1htal lAitS
We have a strange c0ngl0meratiOn o
races in Louisiana. All tribes and racer
have contributed, directly or indirectly
to the blood we boast, even if We ignore
that distant kiIlsllip derived from tho
grand old gardener and his wife. lnOul
mixed population the ends of the eartl
have come together. North, South, Eas1
and West have sent hither their cOntri.
buttons in blood, civilization and bar,
barrie force, and these may even now III
found sufficiently distinct to challenge
the attention of the skillful Psychologist
Without going into any specific classi,
fcation of the sources whence that blood
which is so blue that we call it white
ia derived, we must not ignore the fact
that We have in our midst several va
rietips of the darker races, at the head Oi
which stand our fellOw-citiZens of Atri-
can descent. For practical and political
people are, however, classe0
as white and cOlOred, though the cOlOl
lines at some points SO run into each
other that the common observer may
find it difficult to SAY where-One ends OF
the other begins. Among whites there
are some quite dark among the cOiOred
some that are almost white. Then, tax
ing rank among colored people are the
Cclestials from the far east, and some
few remnants Of the real natives Of this
country.
Now the great question at issue is-can
n race relations be SO tremendously
adjusted as to admit of successfully
working out the problem of prosperity ?
We believe that they cam, and, so be-
lieving, look hopefully to the future.
With the Indian tribes the people Of
Louisiana have never had any serious
trouble. Though the poorest of the
poor, our ChOctaw Indians retain ele-
ments of independence and sovereignty
which no other people on earth possess.
nh W go where they please. BY a GUS
tom which has BECOME a law they obtain
fec tr Hnsportation on every passenger
and fer ryboat which runs within the
limits of ,pur Commonwealth. No one
questions L,.''eir. right; no one charges
them fare or fee. Their sovereignty
may be of the sqnatttr ofdef; u II -
always respecte q ana never Aoun" pro-
Then comes the Celestial with his
almond ewes and his braided queue. he
minds his own business, uses his own
chopstick, earns his rice ana 0olong ny
the sweat of his own brow, ,$nd lets thos
rule who will.
All of race antagonislns WHICH eXlsEln
this State lie between the blacSS ana
whites they are, however, by no mSahs
deep rooted and now that the color llAe
is broken by a policy based upon princl-
ple, they will gradually disappear. As
long as the cnlorea voters were kept in
the solid phalanx of ultra Radicalism,
there could be no enlarged fraternity OF
feeling between them and their former
masters. But as colored people began
to c0inpar notes with their white neigh
hars, and to test by results the states
manslip of their Radical leaders, they
discovered that the Radical game was a
losing one in all it's aspects; that 1t alike
Slapped the foundations Ut prosperity for
both races, increasing taxes against ont
aud reducing wages against the other.
When all began to feel the results of
common calamity, the fact that they had
interests in common with the whites,
dawned upon the cOlOred people, and
with it, the conviction that for the pro-
lection and advancement of these inter-
eSts they must act with the reputable
and discreet Of their white neighbOrs.
To lend their political power to the sup
port of adventures and plundererS.
whether black OF white, was found TO he
as defective in policy as IN principle. AS
a Northern Republican contemporary
inquiries Why should the negro vote as
a Negro, or the white man az q while
man, Oh questions that neither directly
nor indirectly involve any just claim of
either racef Why should they not be
separated, as the people of other free
communities are, by their political con-
victinns4
Since tho negroes have in son1e meas
IRE abandoned the tribal rule of running
together, whether right or wrong, they
have raised their WI status as citizens
and removed some of the most serious
III, THeulties to complete harmony which
axis,..ad between them and their white
na;gl,lwsrs. These difficulties were based
..atfar N, unfounded apprehensions
among the blacks than on persistent
nrain6iees an,ol,g the whites, and we
frl,st that as the TWO races are brought
nearer tn each other In material as well
as in political interests, they will find
~tlleirreward in d prosperity which neith-
er could work out under the policy OF
race antagOnism.
When intelligence and strength work
tremendously together they can achieve
results which would be impossible TO
either acting by itself.
WHATI Know OF HousEKEEPTEG.-A
lady correspondent of the Maine Far
mer gives the following valuable hints
to housekeepers: @If you wish short
biscuit without much shortening, donot
knead them. Do your husbands and
brothers boots let water through them n
Then apply tar and oil, after being
thoroughly mixed, and yon will have
no further trouble. Patent not applied
for. One cup Of sugar, one of butter
milk mao EGG. nne-faarth 0f y nfstnapc.
one and nne-half teaspehnfuls saleratus,
three tablespoonfuls Of melted lard,
will make just as good doughnuts as
any editor ought I'll eat. Some cooks
are invariably troubled with saleratus
biscuit By allowing just b even
4easpaonfnl of saleratIls the trouble
will be obviated. Tie birthstone is Of
fensiye, use strips of paper. N inch
wide. rolled into d lengthy cylinder,
for lighters. If ron wish to save your
papers, d bit DC split pine will answer
better, and, when stacked in lava vase,
make o very conspicuous orilaInent.a