Year: 1872

color, Grant could only get two
votes in a fair and free election ?
In the adjoining parish, where this
constitutional government" was
also in force, what was the result?
One Of our colored fellow-citizens.
who helped to frame the constitu-
ton of the State, was foully assas-
sinated, for no reason Whatever ex-
cept that he was a colored man and
a Republican. This is not the kind
OF constitutional government" that
1 and those I represent desire. 1
want government that will protect
every citizen, whether black or
white, Republican or Democrat, in
the free expression of his will at the
ballot-boX, and that is the kind of
government we will have in Louis
lana or we will have none at all,
and will go back under martial law
and military Jurisdiction, as the
gentleman seems to desire. I must
refer again to that point made by
the Senator (Mr. Blackman) in
reference to a majority of the col
ored men elected to the Legislature
having been kept out of their places.
At that time believe I was one of
the foremost men in the State in
battling for the rights Of those col
ored men, who I believed then, and
now believe, were unjustly deprived
of their seats in the Legislature.
My distinguished friend from Qua
chita Mr.. Ray, was at a supper
given just prior to the assembling
of the Legislature, at which I made
a strong appeal to the colored and
while Republicans present to see
that exact justice was meted out to
the contestants, and Mr.. Ray did
the same thing. The Legislature
assembled, and who did we find
arrayed against these men? Did
we find opposing them the officers
whose duty it was to execute these
laws? No: We found a majority Of
both houses deciding who should
or who should not occupy seats in
the Legislature. 1t may have been
unjust, but it was not the fault of
the law. I am of the opinion that
you can not pass a law that will not
be abused, to a certain extent. No
matter how carefully it may be
worded, the executive officers will
sometimes abuse the power which
is placed in their hands. If you
change the present laws on regis
tration and election to the fullest
extent, at the next meeting Of the
General Assembly you will have
the same abuses to complain of.
The gentleman is mistaken when he
asserts that majority of the colored
men elected were prevented from
taking their seats. In the House
of Representatives there was a case
from West Baton Rouge, one from
Iberville and one from De Soto, in
which, in my opinion, wrong was
done to colored men. In the Senate
there was one case which I thought
was decided enormously. I believe
those four were the only cases in
which colored men were deprived
of their seats when they had any
reason or foundation of contesHng.
1 think if this question were sub
mitted to the people to determine,
they would conclude it was better
that a few of their number should
meet with injustice, that the great
mass might be protected in the
exercise of their rights. No matter
how we'll regulated and enlightened
the community may be, these
abuses will creep in. There was
another point made by the gentle
man from Claiborne (Mr. Black
man) that our party was going
back on us; and he cites as an in
stance OF it that the civil rights bill,
in reference to which we propose to
petition Congress, received only
four votes in the United States
Senate. Now, I venture to predict
that that same measure, which was
offered by Mr.. Sumner as an
amendment to the amnesty bill,
and which received only four votes,
w;ll before the Senate adiOnrns