Year: 1872

white people are coming out and saying to
you c0lored men, Here, we will give all
this fight up; we recognize all your rights;
we accord to you everything; we are
us half way shake hands, and let us come
together and see if we can't make better
government than of white against black"
What is it best to do with these people :
| say the best way is to take them at their
words; watch them, but believe them for
this time and try them, aud ten TO one they
will keep their words. IF they don't, it is
worse for them and no worse for you. Isn't
that sense?


believe these people. No one has fought
them harder than I have. No one intends
to fight them any harder than do should
they be faithless to their trust. But they
have not done so yet. They have nominated
on the State ticket cOlored man, Mr.. Arm
stead, cOlored preacher living in Natchi-
toches, whom | know, and who is almost as
black as any man here, if not altogether.
| am watching these people. | mean to see
II they are going to keep their word and
vote for your MEN after having placed them
on the ticket. That test comes in two
months. If they are honest and fair and
straight, there is not Liberal or Democrat
in this State but will vote for that c0lored
man just rs straightforward as they will for
Colonel MoEnery.


There are a few hot-headed, foolish fell
lows whom l have heard in our town, down
below here. l have seen them strutting
around, saying, "Pll be dem-if am going
to vote for any nigger; | won't do it," [
believe they are men who don't see the dan
ger there is in this thing of putting black
against white; but they. will be governed
eventually by the wise c0unsels of the more
prudent and better sort of white people.
These people have said, through their rep
resentatives in convention, that they will
do it, and am willing to take their faith
as Louisianians, and their word as their
bond, and trust them with its execution.


Again, the Democrats and Liberals of
this State-and now | wish that my white
fellow-citizens of this parish will give me
their attention as | say this-have accepted
the Cincinnati platform. You don't know
what that is. | will tell you. The Cincin
natl platform is a piece of paper in which
they say-and it was aiterward ac-
cepted at BaltimOre-that the Democrats
of the country accepted every Republican
issue so far as reconstruction and the rights
of the black people were concerned; and it
pledged the Democracy of this country be-
fore the white people and the black people,
and before God in heaven, that SO far as
they were concerned the differences be-
tween white and black, on political and
civil questions, were abolished; and they
recognized your rights to vote, to hold office
and to the equal protection of the law.
Now, then, have pledged myself-and l
have stood in this State as Radical Re
publican-to vote for McEnery and Penn
and for the ticket which the Demo
Gratis and Liberals have put out, for
Democrats and Republicans are upon it,
questioning no man for his past record,
whether he be Confederate or federal l
shall keep that pledge in earnest and in
faith, whoever follows, whoever falters,
whoever is false. I tell you | would rather
give my vote to man who went out and
fought for what he thought was right than
to these late COnfederates, who haven't got
through fighting vet. McEnery and Penn
| know personally to be liberal generous,
magnanimous, brave and true men. Col
Onel McEneTy has assured US personally, as
well as By the platform on which he stands,
that he would recognize the rights OF all
the citizens-that he would guarantee that
under his administration, the col0red people
not only should be protected but that
everything should be done by him officially
to elevate you and give you schools and
raise your people up. He spoke sentiments
as noble as / ever heard from any Radical
Republican, He said, II believe it is the
duty Of all good citizens to help to elevate
the c0l0red people. | believe would not
be good Governor if / sought to Cypress
those people


Can you ask anything better as promise
from any man No Republican can give
SOU better promises / shall go to the polls
and support those gentlemen upon those
promises that they will protect you and see
that none OF your rights are taken away.
and then if in the next Legislature the de-
mand shall be made TO repeal the laws
which give you equal rights l shall hold up
the pledges Of these gentlemen to them, and
hold them to their word. LApPlanse]


Let me call your attention to another
fact SuppOsing that against the advice OF
myself and other Of your friends you should
follow the attempt of few white men that
was made in this State to get you to come
together in q black mans party, all one
way, and the white people all the other
way. Do you know what that will lead to!
What has been the history OF the last four
years You havn't seen much in St.
Charles, because you have been peaceful
and quiet But you have heard from other
parishes; ycu have heard from Orleans
that we have had fight after fight, trouble
after trouble, riot after riot, murder after
murder; property has gone? down, Ieoor has IA;
been stopped on plantations; every IN
terest has suffered, every person has
suffered. Now, if you keep up the
black mans party against the white
mans party, it viii be the same thing for
the next four years. Now, if that is done
what will happen? In the first place, the
black mans party will have their Governor
down in New Orleans, and he will be calling
for the federal troops, and they will come,
and have big row, and that will cost you
$40 900 or $50, 900 or 100000 Then, again,
the white man will have his Governor, and
he will get up row, and you will have the
soldiers called out again, and your militia
and your Legislature and that will cost you
another 100000 You may say that doesn't
cost me much. l tell you it costs you more
than it does the white man, and will tell
you why.


will give you an instance. Last winter
the two parties had fight, one Governor
and one Legislature in one building and an
other Governor and another Legislature in
another building. They had their soldiers
and federal soldiers, marching them back
ward and forward and doing all sorts of
foolish things. That cost near 100000.
Who pays that2 You say Mr., So-and-SO,
and Mr.. So-and-SO, who owns all these
lands, pays it. You think Mr.. This, or Mr.
That, who is a stOrekeeper, pays 1T. Not a
bit of it. What do you buy at the store
Coffee, sugar, cotton, clothes.


What do you have to pay for pair OF
shoes when you 90 to the store? A voice
from the crowd-S2 25. Do you know what
they cost up in the North, where they don't
have this high taxation9 They cost about
ST.. What do you pay for your sugar A
voice-fifteen cents What do you pay for
your coffee "a vofce-twenty five cents,
sometimes thirty cents What do you pay
for your salt ? A voiee-fve cents a pound. I
/ have seen the time when you could get a
bucket full for five cents. Do you know
why these things cost so mueh7 Why, the
storekeeper says this: 81 have got to pay a
tax OF $l00 or $1,000, and for this l am
going to sell SO many pounds Of sugar, and
nh