Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1840-06-11
From the Richmond Enquirer.

The NEGRO PROCESSION AT WASHINGTON
No man is more unimpassioned, high-mind-
ed, and honorable than Mr.. NICHOLAS, the
Senator of Louisiana. The following letter
from his pen appears in the New Orleans
Courier of the 10th instant:
"WAsHINeToN CITY, MAY 8, 1910.
DEAR SIR; We had yesterday afternoon
most extraordinary and disgusting spectacle
here. About five o'clock, between thirty and
forty carts filled with negroes, with a full
complement of black marshals mounted on
horseback, paraded up and down the Penn
sylyania Avenue. This odious pageant, with
the words 'hard cider held up conspicuous
ly to view, passed hndisturbed.' We have
had several highly exciting party process
sions among the People of this District this
winter, and are ON the eve of the great e. stu:
diously gotten up parade at Baltimore; but
one would scarcely have expected that, in
slaveholding city, the authorities would have
tolerated such an exhibitions / would that
you, and, indeed every citizen of Louisiana.
could have witnessed, as j did, this scene;
so calculated to crafty the fanatics, and to a.
waken deep reflections in the stakeholder.
every respectfully,
"ROBERT G. NICHOLAS"
Concurring entirely in the respectable
qualities attributed by the Enquirer to the
Senator from Louisiana, We are surpriseJ
that he should have fallen into the error OF
committing to the press so solemn an obiur-
cation on an occurrence which we are sure
he would not have considered worthy of no.
tice, had he taken the trouble to inform him.
self correctly about it; or, at least, IF offend.
ed, his indignation would have taken differ
ent direction. We took some pains to I'M.
qulre into the matter ourselves, and to re-
lIeve the mind Of MIR. NICHOLAS and tranouil.
ize the nerves of the editor of the Enouirer.
we will briefly state what this sodious.'
'.hard-cider," ''fanatic-gratifying," ssrcGec-
tion-awakening pageant was.
On the day when, by the laws of Georges
town, the owners of public carts take out
their yearly licenses, it is customary for the
carriers toparade through the town with theft
useful vehicles; and accordingly, on the first
Saturday in May last, after the renewal OF
the licenses, the negro cartmen formed their
usual procession. A couple of worthy but
over-zealous locofoco citizens of Georgetown.
however, thought it good opportunity for
playing off piece of waggery on the Wings
Of Washington, whose recent great meetings
Just then made the opposite party rather sore.
| These worthy locofocos, as we learn, furnish
ed the cavhcade with the ''odious hard CIDER
! flag, and bribed them to extend their march
into the city, which they did some distance
down Pennsylvania avenue. Whether thu
''authorities tolerated." or even saw, the pro-
cession, we cannotsay; but, so far from pass
ing 'undisturbed," as Mr.. NICHOLAS asserts.
it was violently arrested in its career by a
number of Wing young men, many of The
poor duPed cartnen soundly thrashed, and
the pageant broken up, dispersed, and
driven back whence it came.--And this is the
mighty matter about which the honorable
senator, If the above alleged extract be not :
forgery, has thought fit TO transmit a Grave
and formal despatch TO Louisiana, Had "ey
cry citizen ofthat State witnessed the spccta
} cle," as Mr.. Nicholas wishes that they coul,
have done, their only feeling would have bee
that OF pity for the poor negroes who had bee
led INTO scrape that cost them so dear.
Nat. Int