The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1875-02-13
No Compromise with Villainy.

pers, that strenuous efforts are being
made by the. rump Legislature in
New Orleans, to effect compromise
with tho conservatives, by giving them
a majority in tho lower House, and
perhaps the Treasurer, provided the
Kellogg government he acquiesced in
by our leaders there. The people IN
tile country will accede to no such
agreement. In the first place, We
will never receive from them as a
favor, what We claim as right. BY
the returns of election made by the
several Supervisors of election, in the
parishes, and the unimpeachable
evidence given before the Returning
Board and both Congressional com
mittecs, we have shown beyond an
honest doubt, that We have honestly
and fairly elected to tile lower House,
4 sufficient number Of representatives,
to entitle Us to a majority Of, at least
twenty three members in that branch
of the Assembly; and a sufficient
number of Senator's to give 10 . con.
trolling power in the Senate. This
being a fact, We demand our rights
and will not beg for them. In the 50
conl place, We are presented with the
faint hope Of a probability that the
Treasurer's Office may or may not be
youchsafe,l us. 1t il no more in the
power Of public bodies, than Of in
divi,luals, to grant what they never
rightfully possessed. The returns
and evidence in the possession Of tho
Returning Board, clearly entities US
to that Office which We have won IN.
der the most grievous disadvantages,
and in spite Of the presence of feile-
raj bayonets in the parishes where the
colored element was in the majority,
thereby intimidating the negroes and
prevent them from voting with the
Conservatives, and arresting our
white Conservative citizens, an d
frightening hundreds Of them from
the polls, in almost every parish in
the State. These arc stubborn facts
which the whole country knows at the
present moment.
In the third place, it is brazen
piece Of impotence to ask Us to vol.
UNFAIRLY acquiesce in tho Kellogg
government, which We have MI along
repudiated and fought against, on &C.
count Of its fraud and usurpation
forced upon us by the national gov
eminent, whose duty it was to de-
fend, protect, and insure to the PEG.
pie Of every State, free, untram.
meled and q republican government
of their choice. Besides, to yield to
such request would be virtually
writing ourselves down publicly, as
imposters, liars and perjurors, with
the design Of deceiving, and impos-
ing upon the people Of the Union, to
whom We have submitted our case,
and from whom We expect redress.
1t is requiring too much Of an op-
pressed aud down troddes, yet still
a loyal and honest people, to stultify
themselves before the country and
posterity. We can stand tyranny for
a while longer, but can never viii
lingly submit to degradation.
Fourthly and finally, it is repug.
nant to the dictates Of duty, self-res.
pect and conscience, that such . COM
promise should ever be effected. It
is debasing in politics as we'll as in
morals, for virtue to compromise with
vice truth with falsehood: iustice
with injustice; liberty with tyranny ;
honesty with corruption; integrity
with rascality; right with wrong ;
honor with infamy, or refinement with
blackguardism. Knowing tho char
acter Of our people as We do, We take
it for granted, that any man Of prom.
inence in our party, WHO should 80
far mistake his duty a. to consent to
such a venture, 90 frsught with evil
and disastrous consequences, would
forever forfeit the confidence of his
people, and blast for all time to come,
his hopes Of preferment.
Immediately after writing the above,
and expressing our views "a to the
compromise which is now upon the
political tapis, We receive the Shreve-
port Times Of the 9th, in which our
opinion in regard to the compromise,
10 identically tho tame as that of our
confrers Of the Times, although, the