Year: 1872

/ y


ance here, and by every possible means


show your appreciation of our endeavors to


obtain reform. do not feel at all response.


ble now, for we want honest men, and the


Reform party have the voice of the people,


which tells US that we will have them in


our fight in the present campaign.


The Reform party, in the first place, has
| the universal cOmmendatiOn of every hon
/ est, intelligent man in the country. The


Democratic party attempted to control the
| politics of the State, and found that they
| could not do it, and now wants the Reform
| party to cOalesce with them, saying they,
| too, can reform. This is "where they make
| a mistake" They met in a great cOnven-


ton in this city few weeks since. All the
| Democratic celebrities of the party were
| there They talked and made speeches, but


their object was thoroughly selfish.
They did not make nominations, but
| agreed to wait for the action of the Cincin-
| natl convention. This shows us the stand
| ing of politics in the State of Louisiana. As
| my eloquent friend, Colonel Randolph has
| said: The matters of a federal nature are
| a secondary consideration. We must take
! care of our own dear State. We must not let
! the idea that the Cincinnati or Philadelphia
| convention are to govern our action in a
| time like this, when our State is on the


verge of bankruptcy. We must think of a
| plan to save its fall; and how are we
| to do it! We must urge this party of


reform. We must support it, make it
| strong, and then we can send such men as
| will represent our interests; men who will
work for the interests of the State and peo-
| pie before they think of their personal
aggrandizement. We must think of plan
| to make the name of our State pride, so
that when Louisiana is mentioned in the
North or West the name will be spoken
with a feeling of admiration. We must
protect the interests of our people
think of them before national politics
We want to wipe out all the corruption
that exists here. sWe want all honest men,
We want an honest, intelligent Legislature,
which will investigate all the transactions of
the unscrupulOus men who have robbed
and plundered the State for the past four


years-the men who have overtaxed, and


burdened the State with oppressive taxes.


Now, the Reform party will accomplish


this. They will select from among your


selves men who are capable of occupying


positions Of trust and honor.


Among the first things for you to do is to


"be true to yourselves and the Reform


party will succeed. We want the State of


Louisiana regenerated. 1t is the only way


to get an honest Legislature. We must


have regeneration. 1t will have its good


effect upon society. upon commerce, upon
the business of New Orleans and the State of
Louisiana.


On the fourth of June the Reform con-


ventiOn meets; then it viii nominate true
and honest men-men who will be a credit


to the State. But in the meantime we must
keep the ball moving; we must constantly


show how much reform is needed. We do
not intend as yet to indorse any cOnven-
ton; we have time enough for that. Let
us make our State as it once was; let US re-
generate it. We must have pure and hon
est officials, and the Reform party of this
State, with your support, will do all these
things, and restore to our fair State its once
good name.


He said, as he wound up, the crowd was
much larger than he anticipated. We had
only to lend our heads to this affair-be
earnest and sincere, and we must succeed.
He said labor was deprived of its Just re-
ward. Here some one followed Louder"
Then ne said somebody else would en-
Tighten the hearers to a greater advantage
than himself


The crowd here cried Justify for Ogden,
for Walker, for Parker, and others.


THE OPINIONS OF A GAs-FITTER.


Mr. John G. Fleming went into Gibbon
when he commenced, and alluding to the
remark of this author that one of the
causes which led to the decline of the
Roman Empire was ''the decline of public
courage" He said this was the condition
of the community at present. He was acri.
mOniOus on the fact that some of the peO-
pie of the State "served as vassals in the
court of III. G.. WarmOth," +" man Imported
here by the war; He belonged to the class
Of people who lived upon the improvement
of public property, and lately, owing to the
general embarrassment, he had scarcely
been able to make a living. He an
nOunced his determination to de-
nOunce any public officer whom he
had proof had violated his trusts.
He went for Senator L. B. jerks, and
certain city warrants that were in the name
Of B. L. jerks, calling this up as an exam
pie going to show the Reform party was a
necessary institution.


Speaking of the courts, he said before a
plaintiff got through with a suit of $500 it
would cost $3.50. The Judiciary was sub
servient to political control. Let them stay
there so long as they behave themselves
He had tried the Democratic party for eight
or twelve years, and, in answer to the
proposition that there was room enough in
the party lines to reform, he did not think
it. He alluded to Dean Swift's "VOyage
to Laputa," where one of the philosophers
said, Il am trying to extract sunshine from
cucumDers, and if / could only get another
appropriation l could get enough sunshine
to last all winter" If these Otfice-hOldeTs
could only get enough appropriations they
could get enough sunshine to last them out, |
no matter who furnished the cucumbers.
In answer to the question Ofice-holders had
made to him, how do you know we steal!
he said this put him in mind of the query, |
how do you know somebody stole certain |
COW. No one knew, but the COW was shot and |
a few days after somebody sold the hide !
in a lanyard. The circumstantial evidence
was good. Going into the peddling bust !
ness of certificates, he descanted on the dis |
counts to which they were subjected to, and |
to draw from this the proof of |
official peculatiOn. The precepts of the Re- |
form party were here laid down at some |
length, in the midst of which narration a
voice cried out:


''What about Greeley?"


"Well, Mr.. Greeley has shown for the |
past fifty years he is able to take care Of |
himself, and so has General Grant"


His policy was to put honest men in
office, and he urged the people not to stand |
idly by when the citizens were being |
robbed. He alluded to Aristides and the |
fact that he was called "the just, etc., and |
also drew a moral from the point of his |
Punishment, closing in grand OratOricaI |
burst.


MORGAN GOES FOR CORRUPTION.


Mr.. c. C. Morgan, who announced him
self as a Republican, said the principles of
the party filed his soul with joy, and he
felt like saying: 'sHeip me, Cassius, or l
sink" In saying the cOlOred man was not
as much interested in the tax question as
the white people were


A voiceL"Yes they is; they pay taxes,
5OO."


This disconnected him a little, but, after
going into the principles of the Reform
1arty, he began to read the address and
etter of his own, and had not got far in it
when voice cried on:


s'Dry up"