The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1898-03-26
TIE SURFACE.

y half of its allotted time witho,
arriving at any conclusion on II,
suffrage question, and if it propose
t to adopt plan to suit the Times
5 Democrat it will sit until doom
S day without having accomplish
anything.
The people or rather the Demo
Gratis of Louisiana have called tn
convention together to legally dis
franchise the mass of negroes il
this State. Had not such a neces
sity existed there would have beer
no constitutional convention. The
delegates were elected to perform
that plain duty. They were elected
for that purpose and not for the
purpose of holding sort of indigna-
alton meeting to denounce fraud,
abuse the people of South Carolin a
and Mississippi and talk themselves
hoarse about honesty.
Everybody knows that election
frauds have been committed in
Louisiana. But the convention was
not called to deal with the past.
1t is to deal with the future. To
avoid trouble. To make a recourse
to fraud and bulldozing unnecessary.
10 maintain white supremacy with
out resorting to violence and dis
honest elections. In order to do
that 1t is necessary to invalidate that
Republican infamy known as the
Fifteenth Amendment. Everv
Southern white man who is not a
traitor regards that amendment as
the most iniquitous measure ever
adopted by government for the |
purpose of humiliation and revenge.
and yet lot of pretended purists
are raising cry of bogus indigna-
hon because an effort is being
made to thwart the evil effects of
hat infamous amendment.
We believe with that staunch old
Democratic journal, the Daily
states. that the first duty of the
convention is 20 eliminate the negro .
rom the electorate, and if that , !
ant be done the convention ouoh, \
adjourn and the members be
flowed to return home. So loncI
S the negro will remain a factor
I our politics, there will be fraud
nd bulldozing in our elections. =,
he white people of this State will -
ever permit the negroes to hold .
re balance of power. The purists
ay whine and the kickers NAV
ok, but Caucasian rule is the I'M
rltten law of the South to remain -
force as long as the Almighty =,
III not change the established -.
der of things.
The first step toward honest elec
'ns is the elimination of the negro =,
tiers. This the suffrage committe 80
S endeavored to do, but it has so
failed. The Times Democrat 49,
led the original proposition; Sec ~
IN tive, which promised to accom- ~
sh the purpose of the convention. A.
s knocked out in the first round -.
Senators Caffery and McEnery, 10
the convention is again at sea.
e understanding clause" which -.
5 rid the State of Mississippi of H.
negro as a political factor and g..
ich has rendered the same service -.
the white people of South Carroll 40,
has been voted down in the ~
mocratic conference and unless
proper influence is brought to +.r
r the wide divergence of opinion -,
oh seems to prevail among the u,,
egates may result in failure on 49,,
part of the convention to offer ~
remedy for the abnormal con- &c.
on of affairs in Louisiana. 49,
efore this issue of The Gazette
in the hands of its subscribers. 49,
hope that the convention
have passed suffrage law, ~.
+ and unmiStak q HE in ;+e ,,,e,,