The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1878-10-12
AT RAVEN CAMP.
The First Gathering OF Color
ed Men TO Listen 70 Demo-
cratic Speakers Ever
Held i'm Grant.

at Raven Camp for the benefit Of
the colored people of ward one,
Owing to some misunderstanding
as to the hour quite number
gathered on the ground at II
o'clock, but learning that 2 o'clock
was the hour generally understood,
it was agreed to wait until that
time. In the interval the sexton
of the church appeared with the
KEYS in his hand and threw open
the doors of the building, where
upon an inspection was made OF
the church, which we found to be a
building quite creditable to our
colored friends, and calculated to
put the exertions of the whites in
this section to shame, as they have
no temple to the living God, but
have to hold their religious exer-
cises in whatever room they can
procure when needed. The floor
was scrubbed clean, the benches
and altar well busted of, and every
thing in neat and apple-pie order.
The church stands in a grove of
fine shade trees, and the ground is
perfectly level grass plat, free
from brush and small underground.
|. At 2 o'clock Tom johnson an
nounced that the speaking would
begin and that MIR. Ed. Hunter
would be the first to hold forth,
and an invitation was extended to
all to come inside of the church,
which was very quickly complied
with. Upon taking our seat we
counted eighty-six colored men,
eighteen white men and several
colored women. One noticeable
fact was that there was not q white
Republican nor an Independent
present. They were probably
afraid to come to the scratch.
Mr.. Hunter spoke as follows
Ny Fraeads-We have met for
friendly talk, to promote the well
fare of the country, and to discuss
what 20 do to accomplish that well
fare. As for my part / propose to
do all in my power to benefit the
whole people, rich and poor, white
and black, and this is the desire of
my party. If the Republicans have
this desire they have not proved
it. Listen to me attentively, for
my interests and yours are the
same. The Democratic party is the
only party that can give protection
to life and property. 1t has proved
its ability to keep the peace in the
past two years. The object OF gov
eminent is to secure the lives,
property and happiness Of the peo-
pie. The Republican government
failed to do this, as you well know.
They did not study economy and
justice, but how to benefit them
selves, and they robbed the State
in order to enrich themselves. Yet
these are the sort of men you have
always supported. Just let a man
be Democrat and that is enough
to condemn him in the eyes of a.
colored man, but let a Republican
be ever so rascally and conternpti-
BILE, he is the man. The Colfax
riot proved to you what towards
these thieves areSwhen they skunk
away and left you to bear the brunt
OF the fight. Now, Iappeal to you
to judge for yourselves if that party
has not failed to protect you and
to keep its pledges. The case of
Judge Osborn's is proof of this,
when mob took a prisoner away
from him in open court. 1t proved
the Republicans could not protect
life and property. Under Radical
rule you had bat few schools and
they were extremely poor in char
acter. 1t is as much to the inter-
est OF the black man to have a
good government as it is to the
white man, and the enmity that
exists between white and black is
not natural, but it is kept up by bad
white men so that they can use you
to get into Office. They are so
mean their own race does not re-
spect them, and their only hope is
to make tools of you and thus Sc
cure yOur votes. No man Init q