New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-12-17
THE LOUISIANA QUESTION.



Senator Wsss's sssech. VT
While the Louisiaaa election was bein
discussed in the Senate Of the United State
ON the sixth Instant, Mr.. West spoke .
follows 81
Mr. President, considering, the grea
length Of time that this subject has Occu
pied the Senate today, and, also, that per
hsps during the remainder Of this session
We shall get quite snffeit Of the subject
should have preferred net 70 have riser
in my place; bat there arc some few things
that have fallen from the lips of Senators
to-day which require at my hands sach
ststements - I shall now mako.
Whenever tho Democratic party Of 'thia
country, and particularly whenever the
Democratic party 0fthe Dsete Of Louieisns
fails either. to convince the country or them
selves that black man can be converted
into Demo6fAtcand my experience 10 that
they might . we'll expect to Pee the grand
old Mississippi run mp stream - to expect
to sec col0fed man vote tho Democratic
ticket when his neighb0rs are being muir
dered By his side for their political faith
but whenever they fail TO convince them.
selves that auch can be done, they resort to
this old exploded fallacy that the races in
Louisiana, white and black, are nearly
eight prep0ndefaAcs, and therefore that
the State 10 Democratic. Trying their own
''color line" and assuming that We have not
a white man in our ranks, let me tell Sena-
tors to-day that pine-te of the men who
have been elected in Louisiana ct tho last
election came from the old Confederate
stock who have seen the error Of their
ways AID are joining the Republican ranks.
Whenever they fail to convince themselves
- A. hnn IN hot al ,l,Ao
fsllscy, and what il itY Let the, Senators
turn TO the census of 1870. will be
particular because the facts are impressed
upon my memory by repeated assertion.
Let them take pages GIG and 629 of the Sec
ond volume Of the census, on the statistics
of population, and they will find but . mes-
gre difference between the number of the
white male adults and the number of the
black male adults. They will find abso-
lutely the fact that the white male adults
preponderats to the extent of $50 over the
blacks. But it 10 very convenient for them
to stop there in their researches. Let them
20 to the column Of citizenship and they
will find in that celamn that they have over
$4,000 unnaturalised f0yeignerl in the State
of Louisiana, and God knows how many Of
them they vote. There are 5000 in the par
;sh Of Or|esns alone, mem that have been
there thirty years under the protection Of
the British flag, and using it when they are
called upon to do Jury duty. Such is the
fact, Absolutely under the census of 1870
there is Q preronderance of $1,000 black
voters over the whites in Louisiana, and
the gentlemen are not oven willing to &C.
cord ~ that majority, accumulated % it
nightly by the men Of my political faith
and color there. hope We have heard the
over and over again. ~ ssfaH
la
about this Returning Board and it's action
in 1874 and 1876. sII will be shown by the
testimony here-I b svo not seen any of it,
but am part of it, because went through
the canvass in all parts of that State-that
parishes which BY violence and outrage and
murder in 1874 cast Democratic vote, this
year, with peace and with quiet are restored
to their normal condition. have rolled up Q
Republican majority. They will find that
vote to the extent of 5000 majority, this
year, by violence and murder and outrage,
have been distorted to q representation OF |
$500 Democratic majority. These are the |
facts that they will find; We shall have
enough of this, and it will 60 to the country.
All that / can rejoice in 10 that nay voice,
which has been raised over and over again |
on this floor in regard to outrage and vio- |
lence in Louisiana il. now to be echoed bv |
who have witnessed what l have often
borne t. stimony to here. ...EE
Mr.. President, the Senator from Ken
lucky almost overwhelmed nae with his
high legal authorities First, had to con.
tend with the honorable Senator himself.
Then he quoted one of our old associates |
here, q man pre.eminent for his judicial |
opinions in this country. the ex-senator |
from Illinois. Then he quoted an eminent |
and / bow in humility to their superior wis. |
dom and knowledge of Law. l have stated /
no opinion here; have stated the law and /
let any body put his own construction ON it |
that pleases. But, Mr.. President, why have |
not stated an opinion! Because neither l |
nor any Senator here has any right to in
terfere with the machinery provided by q
> late, under the constitution Of the United
States, for its appointment of electors. Sup
pose the Senator does differ from me? Sup.
pose the honorable ex Senator differs! Sup
pose the highest authorities in the land may
choose to differ, will you go back of the |
machinery provided under your constitu.
lion and you organize yourselves into
grand returning board, greater and with
greater powers than Louisiana has ever
lad, and presume to say that that State
hat proposition foreshadowed here by the
senator from Kentucky, that the Congress
# the United States, on the second Wednes.
lay in February, il TO curriculum Louisiana,
9 to assume Jurisdiction that Louisiana
lever dreamed of, and perhaps cast out
'otes from other sovereign Statetl
Sir, this is the tribunal provided by law,
nd have jnst as much right 10 touch the
eturns Of the State of the Senator Of Ken
acky or the State Of the Senator from
lissouri as they have to touch those from
.nni n ana All Mr. proai6ouf hnw nffan |
70 hear this reference to the tranq uillity,
ae peace, and the good order that pre-
allied on election day in Louisiana. It is
he peace of death, purchased BY the death
thousands of Republicans. How WAS it
! 1868 when the news came hsre that an
lection unparalleled in tranquility and i
eace had been held in this Statei Why, {