Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-05-13
Judge Dagg's Address to the
COlOred Conference.

The Gazette has been requested
by the conference of colored Meth
odists whom Judge Dagg was adj
dressing when the summons came,
to publish the following, which is
purported to be the speech delivered
by him on the occasion as reported
by stenographer present at the
time and who took the speech down
as delivered.
Chairman and Members of Lake Provi-
dence District Conference:
/ was invited by your pastor to come
here tonight and address you on behalf
of the white people of this little city. l
dc, not know that can speak the thoughts
of any one but myself. No one having
sent me, / therefore am here in the in
terest of no one in particular, but having
beer associated i'm business and judiciary
way with your people for quite while,
/ felt it my duty to accept the invitation
to address you. see no reason why We
white people should not welcome you
here, and We do welcome you.
In uttering my own sentiments feel
and know that / express the sentiments
of all the better class Of white people in
| this place. We have need to welcome
you, because you are representatives of
a great church, church that is doing a
great work for your race and for fallen
humanity. You are doing a great work
too in missionary fields, and the influence
of your zeal is felt over the world. No
other church i'm the world is doing more
for the worlds evangelization than the
Methodist church, North and South.
While happily may claim some religious
instinct, unfortunately may not perhaps
be as religiously inclined as some people,
yet know the power of the church and
ty, and | would not live in community
where there is no church.
Again, We white slave holders, and sons
of slave holders, of the South, know the
loyalty of your race in days gone by. We
remember how, when the tocsin of war
was sounded, and our fathers, sons and
brothers went forth to battle-the North
fighting for your freedom and the South
fighting it-they left their mothers, wives,
sisters and children in the care of slaves,
with no white mans face among them,
save the aged and decrepit. We know
you (or your fathers) could have rebelled,
and plundered and burned our homes
and murdered our helpless families and
taken possession of this land. But you
did not do that. You were true to the
trust reposed in you and were loyal to
your masters.
We owe you the duty of being as faith
full to you as you were to us. | know
there is that radical element in both your
race and mine who stir up strife, but |
wish you to know that when anything evil
is committed against your race, it is not
inspired or condoned by the slave hold.
ing class or their posterity. No, We use
every effort to discourage all such unfor-
tunate occurrences.
You may know there has been some
talk, and even bill has been introduced
in the Legislature of Louisiana, to divide
the tax paid by the two races and let
your schools be supported alone by the
tax you pay. We believe this unjust and
against the will of the All Wise One,
therefore each time it has been defeated.
We feel we owe you substantial and con-
tinuOus aid. Not only that but l feel We
owe YOU better schools, better teachers
and longer terms. i am i'm favor of this.
l think if the poor must be cut off from
school privileges by legislation, or denied
the right of education because they are
poor, or because they are black, then we
ought abolish the public school system
entirely, for it was for the poor people,
the poor citizens of America who were
unable to enjoy the privilege of high
school education, that the public school
system was established.
Here the hand Of death was laid
upon the speaker, and he tottered
against the pulpit and fell. Hon.
John S. Boatner, Jr., who was also
to speak, and who was sitting near
Judge Dagg, sprang to his aid, but
his soul had left its tenement of
clay. He was dead.