The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1874-07-31
RADICALlSM BEARING FRUIT.

An event TRANSFERRED in Homer Il few
days ago which forcibiy illustrates the
dangerous tendency of the false teach-
inps of Radical leaders in this STATE
ever since 1868. "A negro and a white
man, the latter, we believe, an unpre~
tending barber, had a personal dlfhcui-
,ty, the negro having grossly insuited
the white man. a large number OF
negroes were in town, many of whom
gathered around the black combatant,
and, in a threatening manner toward
the whites, took his part. Immedi-
ately the white spectators flew to their
Offices and stores, and seized their arms
1T being Il fact Of deep significance
that every white man In this State has
felt it necessary for years to keep arms
for his own and his famiIiy's protec-
ton.
The impending conflict was timely
prevented-and the howlers over the
Colfax "massacre" deprived of another
argument-by the appearance of the
town officers on the scene, who sue
ceeded in preventing the denented
blacks from the pursuit of their foolish
and insolent purpose.
Following very soon the prevention
of hostilities, Hon. w. j. Blackburn,
who through his paper, the Homer
Had, has often and often held up
..rebel Democrats to the negro as men
not to be trusted, and has been, i'll fact,
the leader of the negroes in Claiborne,
issued circular with an ill-concealed
purpose to create the impression abroad
that Republican meetings could not be
held in Homer, saying, 'that it has
been publicly and officially given out
and proclaimed that there can be no
more Republican meetings held in
Homer" This statement brought the
| Mayor and Mursh,,l of the town to the
front, who promptly demanded the
authority for it. Blackbur replied,
giving names of persons, all of whom
at once denied any knowledge of such
official statement, except w. II. Maxey
who appears to have remained silent.
BIackburn's mountain was reduced to
whites of Claiborne, who we may say
have been exceedingly temperate in
dealing with the blacks and their
leaders, being determined that Repub-
lican Misrepresentation of the con-
duct and motives of white men must
as to cease them.
Thus it turns out that the tree Of
RadicaIism is bearing its Legitimate
fruits, even III a parish so decidedly
ssliberal" as the parish of Claiborne
We see in this case that a people whose
liberality has become proverbial, have
| been driven to arms. We see, again,
that a man who has led on their enc
mics, but whose favor has been courted,
has been compelled, in the face of the
storm which he has helped to raise,
to repent almost i'll suckclotll and
ashes--going So far as TO announce that
he is with his race, the white race,
whenever the test shall come.
We take these things as they stand,
judged by our observation. The sys-
tematic Misrepresentation ago, we
will say Ties employed by the lscpub-
licans; their appeals to the Negroes
prejudice; their promises of reward to
him their howis for freedom and
against the sold masters" their stud
led, protracted, midnight cndeavors to
set the former slave against his master,
are all we'll known to these leaders,
Had the negro discarded leadership of
this kind, and listened to his White
employer, nothing like the Homer
affair would ever have occurrcd-;rt q
he, the negro, would be less shacllcd
than he is, and Louisiana more happy
and prosperous and be governed by
true and honest men, both black and
white. That the negro has not done
this, is, we believe, mainly due to the
mean white men who have led him,
and who have protitted by his igno-
rance. Having deliberately dug their
graves--not by leading but--by mis-
leading the negro, it is time these
white leaders Of ignorant, contiding
followers were preparing for their po-