New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-09-10
Meeting Of COlOred Citizens nj Gin
cinnati.

We give below the speee h Of Senator-clect
Pinchback, of Louisiana, at the meeting of
colored citizens in Gin cinnati on the 4th in
slant:
The Chairman intro duced Lieutenant Gov
ernor Pinchback, Of Louisiana, who spoke as
follows:
saw notice in the papers of this morn
ing that a meeting was to be held here to-
night for the purpose of considering the
disturbances in the South, and giving list
of speakers, and among whom was myself.
Believing the movement to be an important
one, and knowing that it would be productive
of good, if, through its agencies, the atten-
ton of the Northern public could be fixed
upon the actual condition of that Class of
people who are suffering the most by the
disorders which now disgrace the Southland
which in former years, commencing with the
close of the war, have done so much to de-
stroy its commerce and industries, deplete
its treasures, and depopulate the Statcs-I
felt it my duty to be present, Notwithstanding
I had expressed a dissemination to appear
before the public of Cincinnati as speaker.
The actual condition of affairs in many
portions of the South is more appalling than
even the Notwithstanding reports of riot and
cold-blooded murders daily furnished us by
the Associated Press kilograms indicate.
The extraordinary changes produced in the
body polite by the introduction of the COL
ored element into the same, has resulted in
creating bitter antagonsm of race. This
enpty has been fOstered and kept alive by
political demagOgues, who have obtained
| leadership both among the whites and the
colorcd people of the South.
On tho one hand it has been represented
that if the resident white population of the
| South obtained control of the State govern
ments, they would ostracisc the colored
people, and deprive them OF their civil and
political rights, deny them education, and
either reduce them to slavery again, or to a
serflOm equally as distastelul and burden
some. These representations, as you per-
ceive, were well calculated to alarm the
| cOlored voters, and make them dstrustful Of
any utilization with their former masters and
old residents Of the South {; and so strong
was this impression made upon them that
whenever any one of their race, who foresaw
the danger that inevitably would result from
this unhealthy and dangerous state of affairs,
ATTEMPTED to demonstrate or call attention
to the evil effects likely TO ensue thcrefrom
he was sure to be set upon, and, if not utterly
destroyed, would find his influence, even
among his own people, greatly impaired
The indscretions and short-sightedness eX.
hibited by the cOlOred people was mild ia
comparison with the intolerance, madness
and folly of the whites; their pg-headet
leaders inflamed them by appeals to theil
passions and prejudices, which the sanction
of age and the growth of centuries had sane
tilted and made strong and difficult to over
come by the cry of negro incompentency
dishonesty, social equality, negro suprem
acv this is a white mans government &c
The policy of the resident Southern whites
from the adoption of the reconstruction meas
ures down to this day, has been a series o
blunders. They first attempted to ignore
the colored voter, and to regard his enfran
chisement as farce. Awakening from th
delusive dream, and realizing, in its falles
was irrevocably fixed, they organized sys
TEN of intimidation, terrorism, and persecu
r ton, through that Infamous secret organiza
ton known as the Ku-Klux Khan, who's