Wyoming democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Wyoming Co., Pa.) 1867-1940, 1869-02-10
Wednesday, Feb.1O, 1869
How They Love the Darkey.

Although the colored troops fought no.
bly, which entitled them to vote; they can't
attend the Inauguration Ball. Though Re
publican newspapers and orators distribute
a great deal of cheap talk about the poiti-
cal and social equality of the black man,
they refuse to put it in practice, whenever
the test is offered When the dusky MEN
ARD, of Louisiana, presented his credentials
to Congress and asked admission, he was
refused, although he was as much entitled
to his seat as any other scalawag who went
South to get an Office. The Republican
party went back on its teachings. MACK,
of the Enquirer, tells us all about the Ball,
and exhibits still further the scandalous hy-
pocracy of the Radicals, in the profession
of their belief that there is no inherent
difference in races, and that the line of sep
aration is formed upon nothing but an un-
reasonable prejudice against color
General Grant has made flank move
Mhent upon one of the ''knottiest'' of the
equal rights problems by his refusal to par
ticipate in an Inauguration ball-that refus-
al being equivalent, of course, to an aban-
donment of the project. So now it is given
out that there is to be no ball on the Fourth
of March, and the object of this paragraph
is to explain why. 1t will be remembered
that some time time ago I published, in
one of my letters, a paragraph to the effect
that one of the Radicals who had charge of
the preliminary arrangements lit was
Schenck, if I am not mistaken, had said in
private conversation that ''no ID niggers"
would be admitted to participate in the
fashions and festivities of that historic oc-
casion. A few days afterward I met a
Democratic friend, who inquired of me my
authority for the statement. l gave it to
him, and with other proofs that / had not
misstatad the designs of the Radicals to ex-
clude the negroes, nor their fears that the
negroes would need special exclusion to
keep them out. While we were conversing
on the subject remarked that something
| ought to be done to make an issue on the
question as between the Radicals and their
colored friends, and that the ball room
would be better place than the Supreme
| Court to determine whether all men were
born free and equal, as we have been so Of
ten informed of late by Congressional bills
and resolutions.
The next thing was to get few colored
gentlemen and ladies who would be willing
to go to the ball after the Radical leaders
had expressed their desire to keep them out.
1t was finally agreed that two hundred
dollars should be raised by private sub
scription for the purchase of twenty tickets,
which would admit twenty dusky gents and
forty dusky ladies. 1t was found impossi-
BILE to get a sufficient number of the right
kind of colored persons in Washington who
were willing to go-for the tickets were to
be given only TO those of dignified bearing,
who could dress well and dance well, and
who, i'll addition, knew their rights and
would maintain them, and not be showed in
to a corner, or made to form ''sets," by
| themselves in the merry dance An indi-
yidual was found, however, who was willing
to go to Philadelphia or Baltimore, select
the required number from the aristocratic
circles, and guarantee their appearance in
full dress at the ballroom. Unfortunately,
however, just at this stage of the proceed
ings, some of the Radicals got wind of the
programme, and very soon Grant was in
formed of ''copperhead plot to get mig
gers into the Inauguration bell" What
followed is well known. Grant wrote a
letter protesting against the ball. and the
idea of celebrating his Inauguration in the
customary way has been abandoned.
The above is the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth about this mat
ter. / should not have referred to it per-
haps, but for insane rumors of copper
head conspiracy to break up the ball. 5"
There has been no conspiracy about it, but
only determination to test the sincerely
of the Radical professions of love for the
negro, and belief in the doctrine of perfect
equality. The ball was to have been pub
lie affair, and theProceeds devoted to the
Lincoln Monument Association. Call you
an attempt to add S200.to the funds O ''cop-
perhead conspiracy ?" 1t is penal offense
to exclude negro from sleeping-car OF a
hotel-and why should it be conspiracy
to send one or twenty negroes to Radical
ball2 According to the laws of Congress
the negro are the governing class in the
South, and philanthropic movement to
enable few of them to dance at the inau-
guration of Grant and Colfax is branded
as ''copperhead conspiracy" Did any
one ever hear of the like before?
Increse of the National Debt.