THE BLACK RULE AND THE WHITE LEAGUE
Submitted by: Gladys Stovall Armstrong
Typed by Darnell MArie Brunner Beck
Published by: The Deep Delta


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	During the reconstruction the Negroes  ruled  the South.
The Blacks would hold camp meetings that sometime lasted for
weeks  and  they would  feed  themselves  by  stealing  chickens,
cattle,  corn  and  such.    This  caused  the  Whites  to  unite
together and they would bullwhip the offenders when caught.
They became known as "The Bull Whippers,"  later they became
identified with the "White League," which was formed in eyery
parish  for  the  purpose  to  overthrow  the  Negro  rule  of
Louisiana.   The  men  secured  arms  and  the  ladies  did  their
share  by  putting  together  ammunition  of  powder  and  ball.
Prior  to  this,  the  authorities  would  confiscate  their guns
and threaten to arrest them and charge them with treason.
	    
	On Sunday,  September 13,  1874,  a New Orleans newspaper.
ran the following:
	    
	"CITIZENS OF NEW ORLEANS
	    
	"For nearly two years you have been the silent but
	indignant sufferers of outrage after outrage heaped
	upon you by  an  usurping  government.    One  by  one
	your dearest rights have been trampled upon, until,
	at  last  in  the  supreme  height  of  its  insolance,
	this mockery of a Republican Government has dared
	even to deny you that right so solemnly guaranteed
	by  the  very  constitution  of  the  United  States,
	which  in  Article  Two  of  the  Amendments  declares
	that the right of the people to keep and bear arms
	shall be infringed.
	    
	"In that same sacred instrument to whose inviolete
	perpetuity our  fathers  pledged  their  lives, their
	fortunes  and  their  sacred  honor,   it  was  also
	declared  that  even  Congress  shall  make  no  law
	abridging the right of the people to assemble and
	to  petition  the  Government   for  a  redress  of
	grievance,  it  now  remains  for  us  to  ascertain
	whether this right any longer remains to us.
	    
	"We, therefore call upon you on MONDAY MORNING, the 
	14th day of September, 1874, to close your place of
	business,  without  a  single  exception,  and  at 11
	O'Clock  A.M.  to  assemble  at  the  Clay  Statue on
	Canal  Street and in tones  loud enough to be heard
	throughout  the  length  and  breath  of  the  land
	DECLARE THAT YOU ARE OF RIGHT OUT TO BE AND MEAN TO
	BE, FREE!"

The above was signed by the following:

M. MUSSON		J. J. GIDIERE		Sam BELL	
H. S. ADDISON		Henry RENSHAW		J. M. FRANKENBUSH
Jno. I. ADAMS & Co.	W. W. EDWARDS		SCHMIDT & ZIEGLER
MILLER & DIEHMAN	Harrison WATTS		Sam FLOWER
W.H. CHAFFE		NEWMAN & KENT		Jno. N. PAYNE
Chas. CHAFFE		BEHAM, THORN & Co.	Emile J. O'BRIEN
M.HILLARD		S. B. NEWMAN, Jr.	J. M. VANDERGRIFF & Bros.
B.F. GLOVER		Jas. R. BALFOUR		Wm. A. BELL
Jno. W  PARSONS		Paul E. MORTIMER	Louis BUSH
J.B. CAMORS & Co.	Leeds GREENLEAF		E. B. BRIGGS
M.HINMAN		J.J. WARREN		Julius VAIRN	
J.B. SINNOT		Robert HARE		J. B. LEVERT
Jno. M. PARKER		S. K. RUSS		KEEP & RAYMOND
Henry DENEGRE		Holt MURRAY & Co.	W. W. JOHNSON
0.HUARD			Paul SANAGER		E.F. DELBONDIO
Perry NUGENT		Woods SLAYBACK & Co.	S. H. BOYD
Wm. SANCHEZ		Eug. SONIAT		M.GILLIS