The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1900-01-27

SuS Os0 SO0s ~"~sSs sAAo e'
Warmot6, are making desperate eff
forts to get back into power and the
mastery arraiRnment by Senator
McEnery Of neyro-carpetbag rule
will, we believe, deter many young
men from going astray. Thousands
Of intelligent voters of the present
day who have not been told OF the
methods Of Louisiana Republican.
ism, should be given an opportunity
to read the senator's dispassionate
and lucid portrayal of the wrongs
suffered by the white people of
Louisiana during that dark period,
known as reconstruction. We re
greet tia, we can not reproduce the
senator's speech in its entirety. We
will, however, print the following
excerpt, which. we hope will be read
by every white man in Lafayette
parish:
From the day that the negro was enfran-
chised and negro domination prevailed in
the State until 1876. when it was over
thrown, there was an era of corruption, vice
and tyranny not equaled in any age. Con-
gressional investigation and reports prove
this. As an initial step to this corrupt era.
the Freedman's Bureau was organized. The
negro was made to believe that he was under
the special protection of the government and
its army, aud that the whits man was his i'm
ferior, and that any personal grievance he
had would At once be righted by the bureau
| and the offending white man who dared
to insult him would be summar'ly punished.
This too often happened on the unsupported
testimony of some negro who imagined he
was offended and his new born liberty
sighted.
The bureau agent exacted from every
planter a large sum of money for the priv
ilege of employing negroes. reaching in
some instances. Ia nv personal knowledge,
the sum of 81 500 for the year. Negroes be-
came justices Of the peace, constabies, sher-
ifs, legislators, State officials, lieutenant
governor, generals of the malitia. Even the
nigh Office of governor was awarded to him.
They were ignorant, insolent and oppressive,
and corrupt beyond mention. The State
debt in eight years increased from 81 ,ooo,-
900 to $4,000, 900. They were police ju-
ors in parishes ami councilmen an the towns
and cities. All parochial and municIpsl in
debtedness increased in the same Propr ton
that the State debt had increased The
State expenses alone went to Sig, 100000
year. when the legitimate expenses ought to
have been then, as now, $I,25o,ooo
1t is we'll known that laws were enacted
| during recess. They were promulgated at
| ter the adjournment of the Legislature as
having been passed. when they never were
presented TO that body. The journals were
| that they went through the regular course of
| legislation. The courts as a rule were cor
| ruPt. Negro jurors were emPaneled, and no
white man had an opportunity in criminal
cases for a fair trial.
A drunken Judge on the United States
bench, at midnight, signed order organ
| izing the Legislature OF the State, and no
| member was permitted to enter the state
1 \
States marshal. Polling places were, be-
fore dawn, taken possession of by negroes,
! who stood long lines, and il was with
| great difficulty and humiliation that white
man could vote. White men under arrest
for some fancied wrong were brought to the
| polls under guard of United States soldiers
| to encourage, edify and amuse the negro
| voters. The entire State was military
camp, and United States uooPs were alm,'s
| daily employed as political agents. De-
| tachments were furnished sherihs and CON
stables to make arrests on warrants issued by
courts of record and justices of the peace
| The parties in many instances were turned
over to the military authorities, and under
the pre,ense of a rescue, kept under mill
tary guard. L nited States marshals forged
by the hundreds the names Of United States
commissioners to warrants and arrested with
United States cavalry the most respectable
citizens on fictitious charges and place.
them in irons and confined them in loath
some dungeons.
| The Republican Representative from thu
Fifth Congressional District of Louisian;
had the holiness to publish, i'll a Republican
paper called the Intelligencer, in order tc
| give him greater power over the negroes
that these troops had been furnished at hi
request, on the reQuisition of the Attorney
General of the United States, for the sol
} purpose of keeping the Republicans II
. power. People lived IN terror. Every maj
went armed, expecting an attack at an
moment from the negroes. 1t was thu
, | rastime OF drunken negroes riding along tn
; roads to fire into dweliing-houses. Prior L
an election they became more turbulent
The people could no longer stand such
, cond,ion of affairs. For some months prio
to the Presidential election OF 1870 they be
came unusually violent and unruly.
The consequence was that the indigns
ton of the people broke into fierce energ
and overthrow the negro-carPethag d'mins
, ton. At its end the State was in pitiabl
condition. Tax collectors had stolen tn
5 collections they had made. The Sta,
Treasury had been looted and the Auditor
books made away with in order to Prevel
! prosecution. Levees which had been bui
, tor 81 per square yard, when they ougt
not to have cost more than 70 or FL cen
} per square yard, found to be full
barrels in order to give them bulk. Sta
credit was at the lowest ebb; warrants c
!. the State Treasury went begging on Caror
! delet street 1t 20 cents on the dollar, Sta
; bonds at 50 cents IN the dollar Demora
Z ization and distrust were everywhere.
THE LIZ WH/z:ES AND
THEIR ALLIES.
= The ssI ilv Writes" are driftin