Year: 1873

sev Movement In LOuIBianN.ssSum'


uer Ontd dons..A Sign Of Progress


A movement has been set on foot In
Louisiana by leading Democrats TO win
rDe confidence and corporation Of the
coIored people. An address has been
issued by 3 committee Of which General
BeAUREaARD b chairman, in which the
committee recite the measures and the
policy toward the colored people they
pledge themselves to recommend. They
reuounce all prejudice against color and
propose to concede all the civil rights Nj
SUMNER ever asked for in any directions
and, what Is still better, they propose to
break up the large plantations so as TO
secure the Colored people an interest in
the soil. Whatever may be the motive Of
those who put forth this addresS-and we
do not care to particularly question IT
lhe document itself Is admirable in It's
terms, It's scope and It's spirit. 1t will de-
light Mr. SUMNER to fnd the proud white
people oi Louisiana, long before Congress
could be found with courage enough TO
legislate for Justice over the head Of their
preIudices, voluntarily surrendering to his
platform End pledging their honor 10
msintatnit,


This Is q movement, of course, against
tue KELLOGG usurpation. At present the
black people Of Louisiana are solid in
support Of KELLOGG as the recognized
representative OF the party to whom they
owe their deliverAnce and 10 whom they
look to have their rights maintained.
They are not to be blamed for distrusting
the Democrats, but their unanimous de-
,otlon to anybody and anything labelled
Republican has been attended with serl.
Gus mlschiefsi for they have been used by
unScrupulous men for selfish and mer-
uenary ends, 10 the serious injury oi the
State.


The new party organized on the basis
Vi the pledges set forth iu this address,
may fall TO wIn the confidence Of the col
ured people Of Louisiana, at least for q
time, but the party which puts forth such
pledges Is committed to them irrevoca'
bly,. In other wOrds, when the Democrat
&c party of Louisiana shall have deliberate.
ly put itself on such platform as that here
recommended by Gen, BEAUEoABD, then
politically the caste OI color is forever at
30 end In that State; and so throughout
the South, whenever the movement has
become general as 1t is to be presumed
It will SO whether the Democrats of the
South are quite sincere or not In these
professions and pledges oI the most ad-
vauCed Republicanism, they can never be
the same party after they are put forth
as they were before. This is genuine pro-
gress, and when the whole South can be
brought to stand on such q platform It will
DC the ripest and best fruit Of the war


This Louisiana movement, Tor whatever
immediate purpose designed, is.s sign
that the southern people arc becoming
rational 1t IA the beginning Of q great
change in the political and industrial CON
dItiOn Of the South. ln"time this will
come to be the platform o! the whole
southern people; after q while the dis
trust Of the blacks, as well as the ground
Tor It, will wear away, and they will d.
vide between political parties, and neither
will question or menace their rights


This has all been inevitable ever since
slavery was oyerthrown In the war. 1t
has taken the southern people q good
while to realize and acknowledge It.
They do not all, perhaps not maiori.
ly Of them, realize and confess 1t
Il yet-but they will come 10 do so in
time. They must, because 1t is the only
solution Of the problem they have to solve.
so the address Of Gen. BEAuREdGRD's
Committee Is the beginning Of wisdom,
and we hope to see more OF it. Gen.
BEAuREGARD may mean only to raise up
party In Louisiana that shall overthrow
KELLOGG; but II SO he Is building bStter
than be knows; for he Is paving the way
lOr the new era that awaits the South
whenever she Is prepared to accord full
liberty and Justice to her laboring class
and IN ,Ivo iherr nm interest In her soil.