The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1868-05-13
Non-paying Offices for the Negroes.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS anu sent uele
gates to the Radical Convention at
Chicago. OF the candidates for elector
only one is a negro and of the delegates
to Chicago every one is a white carpet
Dagger.
The action of this Convention is only
carrying ont to the letter the policy
long since determined on by the Radi
Gals in the distribution of the Offices
That policy is to give the carpet-bag-
gers the kernel and the negroes the
she'll. Not long after Mr.. Sumner pro-
claimed with so much satisfaction that
he expected soon to welcome colored
Senators and Representatives into the
Halls of Congress, it was discovered
that the advent of suchrepresentatives,
interfering with the well-settled office
distribution policy; would split the
Radical party and drive its hungry
members from the Federal crib. An
Office worth five thousand dollars a
year, with the recognition of social
equality for colored members in the
Radical society at Washington, was
something which had never entered
into the Radical calculations, and
something which the Radicals never
intended should happen while they
have The power to prevent it. Some
of the wisest and most interruptions OF
the Radicals were entrusted with the
task of the devising..means Of keeping
the negro out of Congress for an indefi-
mite length of time. An expedient was
soon found. 1t was discovered that
the clause of the Constitution which
requires q Senator to be citizen OF
the United States for nine years, and a
representative for seven years, would
answer the purpose exactly. 1t mat
tiers not that the Radical doctrine is
declared to be that negroes always
were citizens; that they are so by nat
ural right; that they have been depriv-
ed of their natural rights by Southern
tyranny, and that the abolition of sla-
very put them on q footing of perfect
political equality with the white race.
The new discovery was too good de-
vice to give up; SO Mr.. Sumner had to
postpone his prospective joy, and Mr..
Thad. Stevens showed no particular
disposition to 60 "outside of the Con-
stitution on the question. No native
negro has, therefore, been nominated
for Congress in any Southern State,
and whenever a carpet-bag negro was
mentioned in connection with the
office, he had his cue from his managers
and declined the race.
And so has it been in tile distribution
of all the Offices. Whenever any Office,
which has emoluments attached to it.,
is to be given away, the negroes, who
furnish the votes, are passed over and
the Office. bestowed on some one Of the
Yankee Adventures who are making a
good thing out Of Radicallsm at the
South. In this Parish, for instance.
out of over two thousand Radical votes
only about fifteen are white; and yet
every Office with salary attached isin
the hands of some one of this paltry
number. The carpet-baggers have no
objection to sending colored members
to the Convention or the State Legis-
latnre, but for clerkships, judgeships,
sheriffalties, &C., with their large sala-
ries, none but Yankee adventures are
deemed fit to receive them. For a
Presidential Elector, with no pay, and
considerable expense a negro is admit
rably qualified, But to be a delegate
to Chicago, on which to base a claim
for Federal Office, this is the peculiar
privilege of the carpet-bag adventu-
rers. Besides the Yankee members
know that the appearance Of negro
in the Convention at Chicago would
split the party into fragments. The
delegate from Ohio, State which has
given fifty thousand majority against
negro suffrage, and the delegate from
Michigan, which has just given forty
thousand majority against negro suf-
frage, would never be caught in a Con-
vention which should number negroes
among its delegates. With your
Northern Radical, negro equality
means negro equality only at the
South, and not negro equality in Ohio
or Michigan or Minnesota.
1t is time that the colored voters
were getting their eyes open to these
things. They have certainly seen
enough to satisfy them that all this
hubbub about the negro is tohelp hun
CRY office-seekers into fat offices. They
ride the negro now because he is very
convenient and serviceable hobby
They would discard him tomorrow if
by SO doing they could advance the
interests Of the white Yankee adven-
turers who have overrun the South
The colored men should assert their
rights. If they furnish the votes they
should certainly receive the emolu-
ments.
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