St. Landry democrat., 1892-10-29
Public Speaking.

The meeting which was announced Il
take place at the Courthouse last Mon
day at 10 a. III. was postponed until tina
night Mt 7:3O. COL Robertson, the Dem
ocratc nominee for Congress, reached
here, on Sunday evening, aud was joineC
on the following evening by Hon. i. d
White, L. 5. Senator, and both made
elouuent and forcible addresses to 4
large and enthusiastic audience, many
of whom were ladies. Mr.. T. H. Lewis
called the meeting to order and an
nounced that Hon. L. ID. Estilette would
preside and introduce the speakers,
which that gentleman did in very fe-
licitous manner, besides making stir
ring address himself.
Col. Robertson, although suffering
from a severe cold and hoarseness, made
a speech of considerable length, giving
an account of his stewardship and re
ferriDg particularly to his course on the
silver question. He also touched upon
the aritfquestion and upon the impracti-
cable and visionary schemes of the third
party people, and begged our erring
brethren who had without due reflection
gone astray and were following blind
guides in search of strange gods to re-
turn to their allegiance to the grand old
Democratic party, the party of the peo-
pie and of the constitution, in whose
success lies our only hope for the better
ment of our condition and the perpetual
ton of the peace and safety of our sec
tion
Senator White followed in mastery
speech of about one hour, in which he
illustrated the practical workings of our
iniauitous tariff laws, and showed in a
lucid manner how they benefited the
wealthy manufacturers of tue North
and East, and robbed, oppressed and
ground down the toiling masses of the
people. He also explained the practical
workings of the Force bill, under whose
provisions our polling places would be
surrounded by baycnets, returning
boards organized, our people practically
disfrauchised, and condition of things
brought about similar to that which ex-
listed in this State from 1868 to 1876. For
the information of those Wilo had come
upon life's stage since the hideous night
of reconstruction, he briefly described
what that condition was. He showed
how our chosen officials had been syste-
matically counted out how our people,
impoverished by devastating war, had
been oppressed humiliated and robbed
under the forms of law, until the limit
of human endurance had been reached,
when they took up arms and by a mag
nifcent etfort-on the 14th of September,
1s74-swept our oppressors from power;
how few hours afterwards, under in
structions from Washington, these task
masters had been again installed over
us and propped up with Federal bayon
cts; and how finally, in 1876, after eight
years of civil commotion, of debasement
of public and private virtue, of humilia-
tion and disgrace, the true people of the
State, almost freDzied in the throes of a
tremendous struggle, regained control
of their affairs. He showed how, during
this dark period, the taxes had been
piled mountain high; how the money
thus derived had been squandered and
stolen how legacy of debt had been
left US upon which we pay interest to-
day and how, under system of legal
ICED robbery, propped up by Federal
bayonets, over one hundred millions of
dollars had been wrung from this i'm
poverished people; and he asked his
bearers if there were any among them
who were willing to throw their votes
away on third party candidates, thereby
making Republican success possible,
and thus take the chances of the return
of such an era. He closed with fer
vent appeal to all those who had hereto
fore acted with the Democratic party to
remain steadfast in their allegiance to
it, predicting that with its success would
come relief to the toiling masses and
the dawn of better days.
Next Tuesday is All Saints Day. In