The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-05-09
Address to the White Democracy.
New Orleans May 9Th. 1896.

| To the Democrauc White voters o.
the State Of Louisiana: A grave
crisis coafronis you, the gravest thai
has befallcn this State since the mid
night order of 1872. whereby Dem
ocrsiic victory WAS turned into q
Democratic overthrow.
The adoption Of the fifteenth amend.
ment precipitated an irrepressiblf
conflict in every Southern State
where slavery once existed.
Men in mass are governed by social
forces aud race instincts stronger than
all the formulas of law, and where
those legal formulars are imposed by
exterior force, and are not the natural
growth and embodiment of those
social forces aud race instincts, they
cannot execute themselves, and can
only be executed with great heat aud
friction by the exterior force which
imposed them.
The 18th amendment to the consti-
tuition Of the United States was i'm
poset. on the Southern people by ex-
terror force, aud by exterior force only
can it be executed, as long as their
social traditions and race instincts re-
main the same.
Blu, The era OF force has been tried
and failed. Through csrpetbag gov
erument and scalawag detection,
through the plumber of reconstruction,
backed by fixed bayonets and pointed
cannons our people have remained
firm and unshaken in their proud re-
solve that This land shall not be a
iIayii or San Domingo.
Both history and the laws OF social
science demonstrate that no two races
as widely divergent as the Caucasian
and the negro can live together in
political aud social equality without
complete amalgamation of the two, or
complete domination of the one by the
other.
Of the three alternatives. amalgama-
ton, negro domination or
WHITE SUPREMACY,
the Democratic masses of the South
have chosen the latter, and it they will
maintain with all their might and
main, personal and material, social aud
political.
This is the sacred standard, the La
burnnm. the ain hoe signO yiuces" of
the Democracy.
So we'll has this been carried to the
forc that for the twenty years of its
ascendancy in Louisiana there has been
peace and order and prosperity, as
far as Slate government could effect
prosperity. The States judiciary,
finances aud credit, her public works
and public schools, her institutions and
asylums have been drawn up from the
depths where negro government
plunged them and lifted to the plane
OF honesty, solidity aud efficiency.
After this twenty years of peace,
and of quiet, orderly domination, the
Democracy was confronted in the last
campaign and is confronted now with
combination whose incongruity is
both ludicrous aud tragic. The lordly
and aristocratic protectionist and
agrurain and sans culottic free trade
populist; the National Republican
supremacist chat rare bird on earth
and most like unto black swan, and
the negro preacher who drills his flock
in hatred of the white man; the re-
vived aud rejuvenated carpet-bagger,
histocally infamous and world-becurs-
ed, the originator of returning boards
and false returns the great horde Of
ignorant blacks, who yearn for social
equality, and a large contingent Of
white men, who favor the "Jim Crow
car" bill--all Of these stand together
under q leader who traycrsed tho
State in his campaign, talking white
mans government here aud shotgun,
negro instruction there, attacking
the Administrations now because il
used idle money to buy up the inter-
esting-bearipg debt. and now because
it robbed the laboring man by build
ing the levees too cheaply, and
descending at all times to every form
of mendacity and demagogery.
This anomalous aggregation,
THIS MONSTER HoRRID, FORMLEss,
and crowned with darkness, the Dom
ocracy has defeated.
But 1t still stands growing and de-
fant, threatening assault and revolu-
ton. We desire, in behalf of the
Democratic party aud the Democratic
white masses of Louisiana, to warn
these misguided meu in the most
solmen and emphatic manner that the
Democratic State officers aud Demo-
cratic State Legislature have been
elected and are going TO be installed,
and woe betide him who lifts his hand
TO prevent them.
These officers have been elected by
a majority exceeding $4,000 votes. A
majority of $4,000 of the white voters
of this State have supported this VIC
torious ticket.
The constitution prescribes how the
vote thus cast shall be tabulated,
counted aud promulgated. The Leg
islature is not returning board or a
trial court, aud cannot reverse the
will of the people as declared by the
returns made according to law. Any
attempt on it's part so to act would be
a fragrant aud shameless usurpation,
TO which no free people would submit.
So to act for the purpose of placing
our mother State under negro domi-
nation would drive the white masses