Pointe Coupee Democrat. [volume] (False River [i.e. New Roads], Parish of Pointe Coupee [La.]) 1858-1862, 1858-05-01
ns-We clip the following communica-
ton from the Baton Rouge Advocate Of
the 23d ult.
Communicated
WASHINGTON INFLUENCE.

Under this caption an article appear
cd i'll the Advocate some time since, il
answer to all anonymous communicable,
from Baton Rouge. which appeared il
the n. .. Delta on the 10Th of Marcel
last, attributing the defeat of the Afri
can Apprentice bill to influences brought
to bear upon Senators, from Washing
ton City. The Advocate inflicted a well
merite4 castigation upon the anonymous
scribbler, who dared arogate to himself
the right to sit in Judgment upon the
motives of honorable Senators. The
writer Of the letter to the Delta submit
ted i'll silence to the rebuke administered
by the Advocate, and it was supposed
that we should hear no more on this sub
jcct: bnt in this we erred. | have just
seen an article in the Pointe Coupee
Echo of the 10th of April, which states
that the a~ilusion OF the writer in the
Delta was not to those Senators who
originally opposed the bill, but to Sem-
tor Sinsaaes alone, who favored the meas
ure when it was first introduced, but who
changed sides and thereby caused its
defeat. The editor of the Echo surely
never took the trouble to inquire what
were the facts in the case, or he never
would have penned the article to which
l refer, as I take it for granted that no
gentleman, or any one who has the least
respect for himself, would qeiUfuly mis-
represent another, whatever might be
his feelings Of enmity or antipathy to-
wards the party whose acts he may be
reviewing. Senator SHINES whole
course whilst the African Apprentice
bill was undergoing discussion in the
Senate, was characterized by the utmost
frankness and Independence. Notwith-
standing the fact that four-ffths of the
members Of his own party in that bedy
were opposing the passage of that bill,
he remained firm, and sturdily maintain
ed his original position until the oppo-
nents of the measure despairing of de-
feating it otiierwise-and believing that
the result Of its passage would be to
place the State of Louisiana in open re-
bellion against the General Government
and otherwise destructive to the best in
terests of the State-declared "that
they believed it to be their duty to de-
feat the passage Of the bill by a resort
to the extreme measure of breaking a
quorum, for the remainder of the session,
unless it's friends would consent to a
postponement until the next session.
It was after this had been done, and un-
assurances given that these
gentlemen were III earnest, that Mr..
SHINES arose and made the motion to
postpone the bill, avowing at the same
time, his unalterable convictions of the
propriety and legality of the measure,
and that he was induced to make the
motion only because he was convinced
that Legislation for the remainder of the
session was at an end, unless the bill
scas postponed. That many of the most
important measures Of the session were
yet unprotected, and that he could not
consent to sacrifice the many important
calculated to promote the interests
Of the State and people, by persisting in
the attempt to force this bill through the
Senate when they must all see that it
could not be done. That in the mean
time, its friends and opponents could go
the people, the matter could, and
would be, ~canvassed by their constitu-
ents, and that when the Legislature met
next winter, they would be better pre-
pared to act upon the matter in accord
nee with the wishes of those they rep-|
resented than they were at the present
time. ~ ~
This was the language, and these the
reasons assigned by Senator SHINES for
his motion at the time, in open Senate, and
in the presence of an immense crowd.
Was the editor of the Echo aware of
these facts? I would fain believe not;
it is unreasonable to suppose that a
Journalist would hnowingly give
currency to slanderons reports ~calculat-
ed to effect the reputation and influence
of an honorable Senator, and that Sena-
tor his oun representative.
Would not any honorable and candid
mind see a sufficient motive in the rea-
sons assigned, to influence IN honorable
and Conscientious Senator to take the
which Senator SHINES did, with
out assigning others which could onlyl
Influence asman utterly %depraved, and
regardless Of the interests Of his con-
.stituents and the State at Target $50
The Echo calls on MIR. SHINES to de-
fend himself against this charge. How
is it possible for any man to prove a
false, which only rests upon the
bare assertion of an anonymous writer,
without one scintilla Of evidence ever
been brought forward to sustain
it? 1t would have been much better
for the editor of the Echo hadh sought
for better evidence than the s~cribblings
of IN anonymous writer, before giving
currency to 50 grave charge against