The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-05-29

Cant, (the old Wheel-horse of DemOc-
racy), Littell and Estilette to the Legis-
~Iature, and Messrs. Theophile s. Fonte-
not, Tleodule Fontenot, Durio, Cha
chere and Roy were elected to the Police
Jury. The candidates elected and re-
elected this time were again acceptable
to the people of the parish, and again
even had we had a white league we
could have done no better. B. r. CAN'T
having died, an election was holden to
fill the vacancy in December, 1878. There
were three white candidates and one
colored. No interest was felt in the
election. Scarcely a tenth of the vote of
the parish was olled, and John SHINES,
Colored, was elected. He is the only
man of his race elected to any office of
any consequence for nearly seven years,
and that too in a parish where the col
ored vote is about as strong as the white,
and where eolored men own q large pro-
portion OF the taxable property of the
parish.
These facts alone are amply sufficient
to convince any sane and unpreiudiced
man that the cry of the White League
to rally white men " to save st. Landry
from African domination is all bosh, and
is founded simply on the well grounded
belief OF certain would be or will be pol
iticians that they can't concentrate the
colored vote upon themselves when they
present themselves as candidates at the
election Of this year OF in 1876. If to fill
every office in the gift of the people of
st. Landry, with such men as have oecu-
pied them since 1868, be African domin-
alton, all we have to say is, we are sat
lsfied and willing to continue it as long
as we live in the country. If left alone
in 1874, colored Republicans will do in.
st. Landry what they did in 1868, 1870
and 1872, assist the whites in eleeting to
office good and conservative citizens ir-
respective of race.
But, in answer to this, the White
Leaguers will say, we are organizing,
not for ST. Landry alone, but for the
whole State, we intend to organize in
every parish, and to raise the issue every
where. But suppose this is done, what
will be the result? Ifwhite men organ
ize together throughout the State, col
ored men will do the same thing. And
it, perchance, in q few parishes the
whites are III a majority and can have
things all their own way, it strikes us
common charity ought to dictate to these
White Leaguers TO have some consider
alton for their unfortunate white breth-
rem of the many parishes where this
black horror" as they are pleased to
term it, isin amajorityfo four to one. Tore
lieye ourselves of an evil by fixing it on
our neighbors, certainly is not christian
charity. Instead then OF arraying par
ties on an issue Of color, would it not be
more in accordance with the dictates of
common sense to marshal them on an
issue OF principle? Instead of calling on
white men to vote only for white men,
would it not be far better to call upon
white men and black men as was done
by the last convention of the people in
1872 TO stand side by side and vote only
for honest competent men and thus
bring about needed reforms in the State
Government?
This is q battle cry that will array
honesty against corruption, that will
appeal to the hearts of the people, that
viii restore law and order, reduce taxa
ton, promote harmony and puteventual-
" the destinies of Louisiana in the
hands of her best citizens.
If Virginia is to-day on the highroad
to prosperity again it is not because her
politicians arrayed the " whites against
the blacks" but because they had the
good and the craftsmanship to
combine both races under one banner
though the whites exceeded the blacks
by nearly 100000. The first battle for
the redemption of Virginia was fought
under q republican color bearer and on
the basis Of Cancellation and compromise.
What we want now is votes for honest
and competent men, to jill Offices in the
off of the people; and whether these
votes be white or eolored, we shall not
stop to enquire provided such men can
get them. 70 get them is common
sense, to refuse to take them is non.
sense, because in elections numbers al
ways win. To carry out needed reforms
we propose to take every vote we a get.
White leaguers on the contrary tell
more than half the voters Of the State,
'"HyOu shall not vote with us, we don't
want your cooperation, we don't want
your assistance The folly of such
is 90 apparent as to render COM
ment unnecessary. IT We drive them
away from us, we ourselves continue
the evils of which we complain.
FACTS AND FrGUREs.-Whenever you
tell q white Lacquer that it is i'm
practicable to redeem Louisiana by the
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