New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-01-17
THE WHITE LEAGUE CONAPIRAC!
AGAINST FREE GOVERNMENT,

the Purpose Of Giving the Sense
Of the Republicans Of Louisiana
| AS to the Correctness Of the Facts
Stated in Gen. Sheridan's Dispatches.
Mr.. President and Fellow Citizens-l
thank you for the honor you have conferred
upon me in asking me to address you at
this time. l appear before you with the
most solemn impression that we are now
standing at the critical point in the for
tunes of Republicanism in the Southern
States. The destinies of the Republican
party, and with them those of the cOlOred
people, and with them those of the white
people Of this State and Of the South who
have been supporters of the Republican
party. are now in the scale, and the scale is
| literally trembling on it's balance. At this
very hour, while am speaking to you, the
people OF this Union, in every city. town and
village, and every capitol of the States, and
every legislative hall in the capitol of the
nation itself, and in the halls of Congress,
are solemnly, and with intense excitement,
celebrating upon the question whether
there is anything in Republicanism at the
South worthy OF preserving it to the nation.
They are everywhere asking the question
| sand Republican votes in Louisiana,
| what is the reason that the election of
| 1872 has been 80 long in doubt? What is
| the reason that, on the fourteenth of Sep
tember last, 5000 men, with arms in their
| hands, in thirty minutes, overthrow your
State government and all its forces, and
drove your State officials into the Custom.
house for protection? What is the reason
that at the recent election it is now claimed
| by the Democrats that they carried it, and
| carried it by virtue OF negro votes, and that
| thousands Of colored men are said by them
to have voted for the White League ticket (!
| 1t is just at this critical juncture that one
man. independent in position and character.
with the intuition of genius and the force
of strong and well balanced mind, has
gone right straight to the heart of tine Ques
| ton and answered it-"Banditti." That
word contains the whole answer; it sumsjup
the volume OF eight years OF blOodshed,
anarchy, massacre and murder. In giving
the wings Of language to that term, in hurl-
ing it like thunderbolt at the heads
of the guilty. coming from his lips as it
did. clothed with all the authority and
majesty of the solemn official declaration
| of the second military officer in rank in the
nation: of one of the historical military
heroes of our national history. Of one of
the eight or ten great names winch stand
at the topmost line of the scroll OF the
worlds greatest military names. General
Philip II. Sheridan, has uttered the
most fearful indictment against part Of
the people of this State which has ever
been found against any civilized con,mu.
nifty. Not only through every town and
village, not only through every great city.
not only in Washington and in Congress.
but in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Rome,
Berlin, Vienna, and in every civilized CAPT.
/ tOl of the globe has this terrific indictment
been Rcd, pondered and judicially weighed.
1t is to the facts of historical record which
none can dispute and which every one
knows, upon which this indictment of Gen
y ~, ,s-t,A 4
dress myself now.
From 1866 to the present time there have
been nine great butcheries or massacres for
political reasons in the State OF Louisiana.
/ give YOU the list. In 1866, 900 persons
were killed, and l6O we're taken wounded to
the Marine Hospital, and this is not count.
ing those dead and wounded whose bodies
were carted away by the authorities and
dumped in some unknown places At that
massacre, have the authority of q surgeon
in the United States army now on duty in
this city for stating that, after these l60
wounded were taken to the Marine HOspi
tai, the perpetrators of the massacre, stand
ing in line on the New canal, fired vOlleys
into the hospital itself, the marks OF whose
bullets were for a long Jime visible on the
walls.
The Bossier parish massacre in which
over 300 negroes were killed and wounded;
y
killed and wounded; the Orleans massacres,
in which sixty-three were killed and
wounded; the Caddo massacre, in which
f0rty-six we're killed and wounded the
Jefferson massacre; in which torty.seven
were killed and wounded; the st. Bernard
massacre. in which eixty.eight were killed
and wounded--alI these occurred in the one
year 1868.
In 1877, the Coifas mas sacre. In which 100
Lijln1 ind vun;1rlaN Tn 1874 fb.s En,1.
shatta massacre, in which six white men
were first captured by mob and afterward
taken out and shot in cold blood. Add to
these an estimate given 10y members OF the
General Assembly from the different par
ishes of over 1000 persons since 1869 who
have been killed for political reasons, and
you have the grand total, and by no means
an accurate OF full one, but such as have
been able to gather hastily together of 2i90.
You will observe that OF these 72i were
perpetrated in 1868, in the fall and summer
preceding the presidential election. To
these 724, which belong to the particular
massacres which have just enumerated,
must be added over 300 individual murders,
which occurred in that same period, making
somewhere over 1000 persons killed in 1868,
and for political reasons Now mark
1868 was as peaceabla and qniet an
election day as ever occurred in this coun.
try. Yet in the parish Of Orleans where
there were from $4,000 TO 10000 registered
Republican voters, the total vote cast for
General Grant was only 270: In the parish
Of Bienvilla out OF us registered Repub.
;ican voters. cna vote was cast for Grant:
In the parish of Bossier. out Of 1885 reg.
istered Republican voters. ons vote was
registered Republican voters. one vote was
cast for Grant: in Calcasieu, out OF .l5
Republican voters, nina votes were cast tor
Grant; in Claiborne, out ct 1893 Repub.
lican votes. two votes were cast tor
Grant. In Mcrehouse. out Of 1880 reg.
isteged Republican voters. one vote
was east for Grant: in Sabine. out
of 80: registered Republican voters. two
votes were cast for Grant: in st. Bernard.
out Of 6l0 registered Republican voters. one
vote was cast for Grant; in st. Landry. out
OF 3GiI registered Republican voters. no!
one vote was Gas. for Grant: In Union.
cut Of So registered Republican voters, one
yote was cast tor Grant: In st. Martin. out
of S:::s registered Republican voters. %
votes were cast for Grant: in st. Helena.
out Of 500 registered Republican voters. I36
votes cast for Grant: IN Ayoyelles. out Of |
PISS registered Republican voters. $50 votes |
Wi ere cast for Grant: in Catalonia. out Of |
30. registered Republican voters, $50 votes |
vera cast for Grant: in Caldwell. |
out Of $50 registered Republican voters.
% votes were cast for Grant: while |
IN :hose banner Democratic and !
White League parishes Of De Soto
with 1903 Republican voters: Franklin. with
50: Republican voters: jackson. with So.
Req. :can voters: Lafayette, with 50!
Req, .D.,can voters; Hesm;lloE. with .S,: Re.
publican voters. and Washington, with l6S
Republican voters, not one solitary Repub.
i;can vote for Grant was cast in ali thos.
parishes. The let resul. OF the Democratic
and White Came'ia ca,npsfgn Of 1868 was
that out Of 36,2.S Republican votes in
twenty-five parishes Of the State. through