The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1875-03-25
Seif6ator Norwood on the Louisiana Question.

Senator Norwoods speech on the Louisiana
question has been printed in pamphlet form,
and merits wide circulation We quote the
concluding paragraphs, which indicate the abil-
ity and eloquence of the effort:
The President tells the people of Louisiana,
"You must obey the law" Kellogg, with
"damnable iteration" like a prating parrot, re-
peats "obey the law" and Senators rise and
say the people of Louisiana must "obey the
law" What law, Mr.. President, are the peo-
pie of Louisiana to obey? In 1872 they held
an election, and by the report of your commit
tee, the candidate of the Conservatives had the
majority, and yet, through the order Of drunk
en- Judge, the government of that State was
overthrown, and the President said, "You must
obey the law" Kellogg usurped the governor
ship of that State, and the President held him
by force of arms, and said to the people of
Louisiana, "You must obey the law" have
shown you tonight that they have never resis-
ted law of the United States; that they
have raised no arm; they have not even raised
their voice except against the usurpation of
Kellogg. Their submission has been more
sublime than any heroism that was ever dis
played upon the field of battle. They have
obeyed the law. They were encouraged and
told last year that they should have fair and
honest election. They obeyed the law and
held their election peaceably and without in-
timidation, and it is conceded that the Con-
servatves carried the State by an overwhelm-
ing majority. Kellogg organized his returning
board. A majority of twenty-nine was over
turned by that board; the Legislature was
literally stolen from the Democrats, and Re
publicans defeated in the election were seated
by Federal troops, and yet the President says,
"You must obey the law"
The Senator from New York advises them
to 20 to work They were at work but, says
Bishop Wilmer, without contradiction, "theft
of the products of the soil became so general
that production had to be abandoned" They
worked and filled their Golfers with money to
educate whites and blacks, and the State Off
cials, guardians of these wards, stole the fund.
The devotees of Bel, the heather god, were re-
quired by their king to make offerings by day
to satisfy the appetite of his idol by night, and
his high priests entered by night and stole
their offerings from the temple. So the people
of Louisiana have been plundered and robbed
by the guardians of law and order for six years
past, and they are now mocked in their calam-
ity by the advice to make more money for the
thieves to fatten on.
Were I called on to counsel that stricken
and deserted people, would appeal to them in
behalf of themselves and their children to bear
for a brief time longer the ills they have; L
would appeal to them in the name of liberty,
and of forty million souls, to abide in patience
the verdict of the people in the centennial year
of our Republic. Their destiny is our own.
If their thraldom shall not be broken, the
prison wall must expand and embrace us all.
We cannot live half free, half bondmen. The
advice to them may seem cruel, it may be sell
fish, because they hold the destiny of US all in
their hands, for the flame Of revolution kndled
there will spread to the confines of the Repub-
lic would beg them to believe that even
their
Existence may be borne, and the deep root
OF life and sutFrance find its firm abode
In bare and dcsolatcd homes. Mute
The camel bears its heaviest load
And the wolf dies in silence. Not bestowed
In vain should such example be. If they,
Things Of savage and ignObe mood,
Can suffer and endure, We of noble clay
Can temper it to bear-it is but for day.
Yes, sir; 1 believe as strongly as believe
in the progressive destiny of mankind that the
justice of the great American heart, like an
angel of mercy, will 60 to the rescue of Loui-
siana on the morning of our centennial day,
and will roll away the stone which now en-
.onlbs her. and that she will rise and come
forth to walk the earth again in full commun-
ion with her glorious sisterhood.