The New York herald., 1867-05-15


In New Orleans, on Saturday last, there was
a republican mass meeting, at which some flve
thousand persons were present, ive-six.hs Of
whom were negroes. The speakers were
Mayor Heath, Hon. Mr.. Kelley of Pennsy lyania,
and Messrs Hamlin and Conway. The various
negro ward clubs marched to the meeting In
procession, with all the accessories of bands OF
music, banners, transparencias, notices and
inscriptions. "No disturb occurred" as
the face'ious Tribune reporter has it, until
about m dnigat, "when the negroes stopped o
CIR in ST. Charles street and cleared it Of its
white occupants by showing their clubs through
the windows" Then, taking possession Of the
car, they compelled the driver to go ahead.
This, il may be answered, was q trlling act
Of retaliation compared with the terrible
slaughter Of unoffendiug blacks by white
rufians, which disgracad the city Of New
Orleans in July last. But still, in the organiza-
ton South Of the republican party, it is one of
those manifestations which point to ian ire
pressible conflict" between the white and
black races. and conHct which may lead to
the most fearful consequences unless season.
ably arrested.
From the beginning of Senator Wilson's
Southern stumping campaign at Orange Court
House, Va, and from point to point in his pro-
gress down to Mobile, we have seen that his
audiences have been composed of q general
turnout Of the enthusiastic blacks, with small
sprinklings Of whites, attracted more by
curiosity than sympathy. 1t also ap-
pears that beginning st Richmond these
riotous demonstrations OF the Southern blacks
agains. their exclusion from the street cars
have followed these Southern initial party
movements Of the Northern republicans. 1t is
remarkable, in this connection, that while
South, whites and blacks could be seen at any
time riding together in the same public con-
veyance, we find only since the abolition OF
slavery the local authorities of Southern cities
establishing the rule of the total or partial ex-
clusi0n OF blacks from the street cars. This,
however, though remarkable, is not surprising,
when we remember that it was only few
years ago that in this city Of New York an
occasional street car allotted to the blacks
bora this inscription :-"Colored people al
lowed to ride in this car" But this special
permission, and many other things in the
North, bore the ear-marks of African slavery
in the South, and some Of them still exist.
although our street cars have been adapted to
the Civil Rights bill.
But all these distinctions throughout the
United States Of race and color, in the matter
of citizens civil and political rights, which
grew out of and were dependent upon the in
stitution Of negro slavery, ceased to have any
sense or purpose in them with the abolition of
slavery. The local authorities Of the South,
therefore, are looking backward TO slavery,
which is gone, instead Of looking at things as
they exist, in establishing these street car ex-
clusions against the negroes. They are thus
contributing very effectively to make dis
tinct and hostile political party Of the
blacks, when the paramount political OBJ
ject OF the Southern whites ought to
be to fuse the two races into COM
mon political party, on the ground Of
common political interests The ruling South
ern white class, too, are playing child sh and
foolish game in their frequent public manifts-
tations Of devotion to their "lost cause" and
of hatred to "the detested Yankees in their
social regulations In all these things the
Southern blacks see that by their late masters
and mistresses "the Yankees" are hated as the
enemies of slavery and all its distinctions. In
the outset to the reconstruction OF political
parties in the South it is but natural. therefore,
that the blacks should ins,inctively join the
Northern party, to which they are directly
indebted for their freedom, the free dinners of
the Freedmen's Bureau, their civil rights and
the ballot box. General Wade Hampton fore
saw all this with the final passage Of the recon-
struction laws Of Congress-, and at once at
tempted mastery flank movement to head of
the republicans from the Southern black vote,
and the movement has failed only because he
was not promptly and properly supported by
the Southern landowners and leading poll
ticians.
From the developments OF Senator Wilson's
Southern tour 1t appears that the blacks from
the Potomac to the Gulf, are, with few
exceptions, fusing with the republicans, while
the Southern whites appear to be all adrift.
Array the two races against each other,
and the whites in all the ten excluded
States, except South Carolina, Mississippi
and Louisiana, are in the majority, 80
that upon this reorganization Of Southern
parties in these States the republicans win have
only three States against seven, with some ol
the heavy cotton districts In Georgia and Ala
bama and perhaps the German sections Of
Texas. But oil other dangers to both races In
the South and TO the republican party are
tribes compared with the dangers threatened
from Southern political white party against 9
hostile Southern party Of blacks. Republican
leaders and stump orators in their threats and
hints Of confscation and free farms to tht
blacks, are sowing the wind from which, II they
do not take care, they will reap the whirlwind
L. ths, hn1I al achscx yxa k~rn a,