New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-07-31
NEW ORLEANS SATURDAY, JULY 81 1875
General FORESTS Speech.

General Forests Speech.
The Confederate General n. B. Forrest
made short speech at Memphis, Tennes.
see, on the fourth of July, which has greatly
exercised the evil dispositions of the Con-
federate Democrats. He also so far forgot
his dignity as white man as to accept a
bouquet of flowers from colored girl, who
said:
General Forrest, allow me to present YOU
this bouquet as token of reconciliation,
and an offering of peace and good will
This act, in the estimation of Democrats.
placed him on q level with JOHN Brown,
who stopped to kiss the child of a black
woman when he was on the way to the gal.
lows. General Forrest said:
l accept the flowers as a memento of re-
conciliation between the white and colored
races Of the Southern States accept it
more particularly as it comes from color.
ed lady, for if there is any one on Gods
earth who loves the ladies l believe it ia
myself. This day is day that is proud to
me, having occupiad the position that did
tor the past twelve Years, and been misun-
derstOod by your race. This is the first
opportunity have had during that time to
soy VA6U 0uA SOuA i AIN mere q
representative of the Southern people. once
more slandered and maligned tnan any
man in the nation. l will say to you and to
the cOlored race that the men who bore
arms and followed the flag of the Con-
federacy are, with very few excep-
tions, your friends. | have an opportu-
nifty of saying what l have always
felt-that am your friend. for my interests
are your interests, and your interests are
mn inf
soil, breathe the same air, and live in the
same lard. Why, then, can We not live as
brothers? | will say that when the war
broke out felt it my duty to stand by nv
people. When the time came did the best
l could, and l don't believe hickered.
came here with the jeers of some white
people, who think that / am doing wrong.
believe that 1 can exert some influence,
aud do much to assist the people in
strengthening fraternal relations, and shall
do all in my power to bring about peace.
1t has always been my motto to elevate
every man-to depress none. want to
elevate you to take positions in law offices,
In stores, on farms, and wherever you are
capable of going. l have not said ANYTHING
about politics to-day. don't propose to say
anything about politics. You have right to
elect whom you please; vote for the man
you think best, and think when that is
NOAOs UA0C yOu 1uu L 0IO 1I00kl0us OO as
you consider right and honest in electing
men for office. 1 did not come here to |
make you long peech, although invited |
to do SO by you. am not much of |
speaker, and my business prevented me !
from preparing myself I came to meet |
you as friends, and welcome you to the |
white people. l want you to come nearer |
to US. When can serve you will do so. |
We have but one flag, one country; let us |
No
not in sentiment. Use your best Judgment |
in selecting men for office, and vote as you |
think right. Many things have been said
about me which are wrong, and which /
white and black persons here, who stood |
by me through the war, can contradict. 1 |
have been in The heat of battle when colored |
men asked me to protect them. / have |
placed myself between them and the bull |
let's of my men, and told them they should |
trious, live honestly and act truly. and |
when you are oppressed I'll come to your
relief. thank you, ladies and gentlemen,
Tor this opportunity you have afforded me |
TO be with you, and to assure YOU that l |
am with yOn in heart and in hand.
In commenting on this speech the Shreve-
port Times says: "The speech of General |
Forrest is positively disgusting. Nothing
n the events OF the past ten years has been
- nauseating, unless, probably, it was the |
movement which, in 1872, dis |
yraced the politics Of New Orleans And,
This effusion of General Forests is too vile |
md repulsive to deserve a review"
Also, "He was not there as the representa-
i've OF the Southern people, and the South |
'rn people, as a mass, from one end of the |
country to the other, will repudiate his |
lotion and utte-ances at the negro celebra-
ion on the fourth of July" 1t will be
understood that in Shreveport language
Southern people" means white Democrats.
md not Union men, Republicans, or colored |
olks born and raised in the South
OF the speech the Natchitoches Tindieu-
or, characterized by the New Orleans
Times as "the livliest paper on Red river
ays:
Is there not some "swash bucket" about |
Ill that Forrest said above-some lingering. |
uniting desire for a small piece of the |
hicken pie. Forrest was blackguard as
soldier, and as politician he is worse |
han boot lick.
General Forrest said to the colored peo
lie that the day was . proud ono to him:
hat those who followed the flag Of the
were their friende; that they
hould live as brothers; that he wanted to
levate them to take positions in Law offices.
4 stores, on farms, and wherever they were /
apable OF going; that they had right to
ote. for whom they pleased; and that he
7anted them to work, be industrious, live !
onestly and act truly. There were. in his
emarks, all the advice, philosophy and en-
eolored men need have, and
he speech was from one who had a right
D speak as q Southern man. His offense
7as in calling his auditors ladies and gen.
lemen, and in assuring these who had as
enbled to celebrate the fourth of July that
9 was with them Sin heart and in hand,'
nd he has been called positively disgust
lg and nauseating by ono Confederate
and nettled another to say that
Forrest was blackguard as q soldier"
II republics are ungrateful, confederates
70 much moro 50. They never will allow
man to surrender, even ten years after the
attic, and they would rob him of his lau-
els if he attempts to do 80, or publicly
cknowledges that the freedmen made by
'e war have any privileges under the law,
any rights which Democrats are bound
respect. The New Orleans movement of !
02 is referred to: great Confederate Cen
al was in that; it was disgrace the moro
alpsbly because it did not win, and it did
os win because it had no heart in it, and
anted only the votes of colored men. The