The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1903-08-22

tended thirty years more. line state
gave the Society a lot on Phillppa
NOW Dryades) Street on the cOndi-
ton that they would erect suitable
hall thereon. This building was de-
stroyed by fire in 1854. and the one
which now stands was erected.
At one time the Mechanics Insti-
tute was the seat of the State Govern
ment. On the first floor the Chief
Executive and the Secretary Of State
had offices and the Senate met, while
on the second floor. which is reached
by two broad staircases, was the
vast assembly room of the House of
Representatives.. But these are facts
still fresh In the minds of many peO-
pie still living, and have nothing con-
nected with them out Of the ordinary
run of politics. Gofurther back to the
reconstruction period, for instance,
and especially to the riot ON Monday,
July 80, 1867, and the old building
looms up with greater Importance.
The anniversary of that day has just
passed. Exactly thirty-six years
from Thursday, July 80, 1903. the
meeting was held In the Mechanics
Institute, which caused the blo0dieet
riot in the history Of this State.
To get to the origin OF the riot Il
will be necessary to go back to 1854.
This year marked the real beginning.
General Banks Issued an order author
izing an election for the choice of del
egates to a convention for the pur-
pose of revising and amending the
Constitution Of Louisiana. This was
carried through, and the Convention
met and ended it's labors, and. accord
Ing to all precedents, went out Of .ex-
istence. When the Convention ad-
iOurned IL became absolutely defunct.
Whether its work was just or unjust.
the people quietly acquiesced. But
when. in 1855, the same men, or some
of them, who had q hand In the Con-
ventiOn Of 1864, got together and de-
clded that the same convention should
be rerecOnvoked and that their
amendmets to the Constitution
should be revised and amended, the
people Of Louisiana rose MP against 1t.
The movement Of the ex-c0nven-
tionests did not have the support Of
500 white men In the State. and pro-
test after protest was made. but In
vain. There was already bitter senti-
ment between the two sections be-
i
added more hatred.
The condition Of the Southern peo-
pie at the time was poor. The war
had just ended. the wounds left by II
were still bleeding, and the tossing
OF feather In the air, 90 to speak,
would cause pain. A sudden and
violent social and political change
had just taken place, and the South
had been shifted from the pitch Of
J wealth down to the pit Of poverty. =
The horrible reconstruction days were
| In full blast, and the woes and sufier.
ings of the Southern people wert
| growing more numerous every day,
To the running Of homes and thu
other depredations Of the war which
had just swept the land of It's life and
wealth were added other wrongs
which should have been killed by TIN
last gun fired. Behind It was thee
of "Rebels! Still Rebells!'' and fol
that crime there seemed no expiatiOr
except co wardly submission.
To carry their purpose, these ex
conventiOniats sent the cry to thu
North that the people of Louisiana
were disloyal. that secession wa
again rampant and rebellion ripe
and that the life and property O
Union men were not safe here. But
this was only an imploration to keel
the great mass of Southern people II
political servitude, and II It did not
serve that purpose 1t did engendel
i more prejudice. Every act which
might be distorted into dislOyalty
was watched. ProvOcatiOns wen
even resorted to that the rash an(
imprudent might do something
which would impeach good citizen
ship:
All this was the work of these ex
conventionists, who In their EFFORT
to regain position wanted q deat
convention reconvoked for the pur
pose of changing the organic law O
the State. The real and controlling
motive was to get back into the Of
fees and the patronage which the,
had lost when the war ended, and b,
means of which they had been ralse'
from poverty and obeecurity to com
paratiye wealth and partisan MOTOR
ETY.. Before the war they were q
utter insignificance, and would neve
have emerged therefrOm In times g
peace. Some OF them were renegade
from the Southern cause, Others wer
the rankest kind OF carpetbaggert
In 1854, as a result Of that C0nventiO
!, they got the most lucrative position
In the city and the State, and the vic
lence and wrongs which really trOv
bled them were exclusion from Ofiic(
This was the condition Of affair
.. when these men tried to impose MOI
!. wrongs on louisiana. Extreme ID
| n = Vwo an ~ n fH>fX n