The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1880-12-10
scoNTIsUED OPPOSITION.

~ y ~ y = ~ - = SsSA - OANs
Congress assembled at Washington
Monday last. The meeting OF the two
houses was not characterized by any
thing Of importance. The latest and
last annual message OF President Hayes
was sent to both houses and read to
the members. The message OF the
President presents nothing startling
little that even so small a paper as this
should concern itself about. 1T was, it
seems, made up of odds and ends from
the several departments, and may well
60 into the many public documents,
bound In black, which congressman
are accustomed to send, postage free,
tos their applaudtng constituents.
There appears to be nothing in what
MI. Hayes dictated to his private
secretary, or what Mr.. Hayes had die
tatcd to him, especially worthy Of
notice in this one province, COT the
elevenl except the following extract:
Continued opposition to the full and
free enjoyment of the rights of citizen
ship conferred upon colored men by the
Amendments to the Constitution, still
prevails In several of the late slave
holding States. It has, perhaps, not
been manifested in the recent election
to any large extent in acts of violence
or naturalization it has, however, by
fraudulent practices inconnection with
the ballots, with regulations as to
places and manner of voting, and with
counting, returning and canvassing
votes cast, been successful in defeating
the exercise of the right and. the pre-
servation of all rights, the right of
suffrage which the Constitution ex-
pressly confers upon our enfranchised
citizens. 55l
The President, it would appear, has
little reason to bless God for ssthe con-
tinuance and increasing prosperity of
our country as he does in the SEN
tence opening his message-when the
great and tscontinuedD wrong he COM
plains Of, in the extract given, still ex-
lists. The Suge of Fremont may I'M
derstand how this is-we do not.
What strikes us, ssaIl in a heap" is,
that the President should incorporate
in his message any allusion, what
ever, to Returning Boards. We have,
or did have, in Louisiana Returning
BoaTts-one of the sold he kind.,'
Mr.. Wells, Mr.. Anderson, Mr.. Casa.
navs, and some other distinguished
citizens were members of this Board.
And this State, Notwithstanding the
reprehensible remarks of the Presi-
( Hanf hn1Ha in T..
the names Of these distinguished Re-
turner's. Mr.. Hayes ought to have
known that Louisiana would, in
her sovereign capacity, repudiate
any disrespectful allusion TO her
distinguished sons, coming, though
1t might, from President. We
beg to inform the President that
there are few poor Americans left in
Louisiana who honor the Office of
President, even though they may
allow President to denouace
their Returning Board but, is it fair
to place them where they should
either give up their President, or their
Returning Board or, else. give up
both, and go into absolute constitu-
tional liberty? Tho President has, nc
doubt, business engagements which
prevent a thoughtful view of this
dilemma but, with the people OF
Louisiana it is very serious Question
-one they are exceedingly anxious &c
stave on. Mr.. Hayes should have left
this paragraph in his message to his
successor, Gen. Garfield. He could
write of "yioience," s'fraud" and sin
timidation," because the solid South
where these practices are said to exist
gave him solid opposition. Mfr
i Hayes, the solid South did not. We
believe Louisiana, and also Florida
voted for Mr.. Hayes. Was it his
place, then, to recall our troubles and
anxieties, and bring dishonor on the
names of Madison Wells aud Tom
Anderson We ask the President to
understand us fully: --he will oo down