Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1840-06-11

No man Is more unimpassioued. high.
minded. and honorable than Mr.. Nicho.
las, the Senator from Louisiana. The
foilowiny letter from his pen appears in
the New Orleans Courier Of the 10th in-
stant:
WASHINGTON CRY, May .. 1910.
"DEAR s's: We had yesterday afternoon a
most extraordinary and Disgusting spectacle
here. About Eve O'Clock, between thirty and
forty carts filed with negroes. With full COM
piement OF black marshals moanted ON horse
back, raraded up and down the Pennsyl .ania
Avenue. This odious pageant with the words
hard cider" held up conspIcuously 10 view
passed undisturbed. We have had several high-
ly exiting party professions among the people
Of the District this winter. and are on the eve Of
the great and siudiously gotten up parade at
Baltimore; bot one would scarce have expect
ed that, IN n slaSeholding city, the authorities
would have tolerated such ar exhibition
would that you, and indeed every citizen uf
Louisiana, could have witnessed. as did. this
scene, so calculated To crafty the fanatics, and
to awaken deep rsflectiOnsin the STAKEHOLDER.
VERY respectfully.
RoBT. C. NICHOLAS"
Concurriug enlitely IN the respectable
qualities attributed by the Enquirer 10
the Senator from Louisiana, We are sur.
pused that be should have fallen into the
error Of committing 10 the press so solemn
an objurgaiion on an occurrence which
We are sure he would not have consider.
ed worthy OF notice, had he taken the
trouble 10 inform himself correctly about
IL or at least, il offended, his indig-
nation would have taken a different d.
reciioa. We took some pains 20 inquire
into the matter ourselves, and TO relieve
the mind Of Mr., Nicholas, and tranquil.
ize the nerves Of the editor Of the En-.
quirer, we will briefly state what this
''odious," hard cider" fanatic. gralify-
ing, MISUNDERSTANDING pageant was
On the day when. by the laws OF
Georgetown, the owners Of public carts
take out their yearly licenses. it 10 eusto.
mary Tor the carriers 20 parade through
the town with their useful vehicles; and
accordingly on the first Saturday in May
last, after The renewal Of the licenses, The
negro csrtmen formed the usual procIs
sion. A couple Of worthy but over.zeal-
Gus locoloco citizens OF Georgetown.
however. thought i. good opportunity
for playing of piece Of wsggery on The
wings OF Washington, whose recent great
meetings just then made the opposite par
" tetucI sure. lbcsc worthy IOcOiOCOR,
as we learn. furnished the casalcade with
the "odious hard cider" Gag. aud bribed
them TO extend their march INTO the city.
which they did some distance down
Pennsylvania Avenue. Whether the
authorities tolerated. or even saw, The
procession, we cannot say; but so far
from passing ''undistutbed. as Rir. Mich
olas asserts, IL was violently arrested in
It's career by number Of Wing Young
men; many Of the poor duped carlmen
sonndly tbFashed. and the page ant bro
ken up, dispersed, and driven back
whence IL came. And this Is the matter
about which the honorable Senator. iffhe
above alleged extract be not a forgery,
has thought 81 TO transmit q grave and
formal despatch TO Louisiana. Had Few
cry citizen os that State witnessed the
spectacle. as Mr.. Nicholas wishes that
they conld have done, their only feeling
would have been that Of pity for the poor
negroes who had been led into a scrspe
that cost them so dear.--N6t. Laiek