The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-11-25

-camped at the Mechanics Institute, the
Legislative hall of the State of Louisi-
force which was there for the purpose of
sustaining him, aud enabling him TO
history of the State before us for the past
four years., with all its wrongs and
'snfferin IS spread out before us and I'M
Orleans for the purpose of organizing
what has been known as the
REFORM PARTY,
and to which I am proud to state be.
long to-day; still fully identified with
every principle it ever Taught. and ready
ipaign, and to assert the truth of every
proposition laid down in the original
We met in front of the City Hall for
the purpose of organizing that party.
IFellow-citizens, that was real Re-
simulated about It, and the country ac-
inception. We showed you nothing but
that was tainted in the slightest degree.
We had no presidents of meetings
mo set
speak from honest consciences. Mono of
you could doubt for a single moment
from the slightest taint of corruption or
the possibility of suspicion. That move
nent was a part Of the great reform
the United States to-day. 1t was part
of the fissure which has. opened
up all over this broad land within the
great change which has taken place and
is still going on against corruption. 1t
whole people of the State. 1t laid down
its dogmas and submitted them to your
consideration. It called upon you to
and SO far as the sentimen is involved
were concerned the movement was q
complete success, operating, as | shall
good of the State.
The organization of the
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
was preserved. 1t did not strike it's
-colors and come into the ranks of the
Reform movement. Indeed, we did not
invite them. We said to them at the
for home purposes, to wage war upon
these corruptionists; and we want the
assistance Both of Democrats and Re-
Pnblicans in this great and holy work.
you. You know it. met with very. en-
Iecollect. that on June 9Th the Reform
Convention assembled in New Orleans,
composed of many of the very best men
You know that about the same time
the Democratic Convention assembled in
mittees were immediately appointed by
both Conventions; and the spirit that
animated both was one of Cancellation
l.
explain to you how it happened, but the
conference was unsuccessful and rec
,9nciliatiop vas not effected. Ny opin.-
opinion is that the Democratic Conven-
from dersnt the aisTens
influences operating upon it being so
numerous as to- take away from the
almost entirely But that did not mat
ter. These two Conventions certainly
/. represented the best sentiments of the
question about that.
Permit ,1d. me to rem mar .oe here that
,ment e was two Wf oidDthe first Object
being to bring about reconciliation be-
tween the whites and blacks. and
inserted In the original address,
by which. it was declared that
we would form party upon a plat
'tion to the constitution and laws of the
United States as they stood at that time;
hRar ta sR1n as seh 9 the RsseRe T bs
first time in Louisiana that distinct
announcements of this kim. had been
arouse the colored people all over the
State, and the broad honest terms in
which we addressed them went very
est in that great movement. 1t is true
that owing to their improper fears, we
to understand ours to be an honest
movement and, have no doubt, consid-
the time near at hand when the white
and the black people of Louisiana would
be united and the black man perfectly
protected in all of his acquired rig hts.
That % great change has been wrought
upon them am well satisfied as that
am standing here before you on this
platform, and that the final result will
be propitiousI have still no doubt. There
was another objective point,
THE PRESENT GOVERNOR OF LOUISIANA.
We denounced him as infamous. We said
we were above the use of the powers
shat his cunning and chIcanery had
been able to wrest from the ignorance
of our colored people, and were deter
mined to have nothing to do either
with him or with the corruptionists
surrounding HIM. Immediately after
the formation OF our party, this cunning
schemer organized counterfeit reform
movement in Louisiana. AS 1 told you
before, in our movement we showed you
nothing but pure lights, honorable men
and honest principles. We did not ask
you to form a corrupt coalition with
men of black hearts and infamous char
acters. We told You to take the col
ored man by the hand with frankness
to teach him to repose confidence in you,
to protect him and in every way to Sc
cure his political rights. This is what
We recommended, and we begged you
by course of honesty and truth, to sue
coed. This was real reform. 1t was
part of the genuine mOyement repre-