The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-05-04
A New Friend to the Negro.

Mr.. Edward A. Pollard, author of
Beedle's Dime History of the Mislaid
Cause and other great works ofhistoric
fiction, is about to become candidate
for constable in one of the African sub
urbs of Baltimore. At least we may
infer as much from the uncommon
amount of pains he has taken to con-
vince the negroes that he is the best
friend they have ever had or are likely
to have. When man who has been
rampant secessionist and bull-headed
hater of abolitionism all his life sudden
| ly takes the negro to his arms asa
long-lost brother or sister and COM
mences to abuse the white people at
the same time, you have bnt to point
your gun at him and pull the trigger
if you wish to shoot down full blown
scalawag in search of negro votes.
Therefore the inference is inevitable
under the circumstances that Mr.. Ed
ward A. Pollard is about to announce
himself as candidate for constable
somewhere in the neighborhood of Bal
timore.
Some time ago this person, whose
whole life is consumed in the pursuit
of notoriety and the contempt of
Southern gentlemen, wrote and print
ed Philadelphia magazine an article
entitled "The Negro in the Wood pilen
or something of the sort; which was in
tended to pave the way for leap into
the musky arms of Radicalism. When
this article appeared, it was read here
in Louisville by Radical-if by no.
body else-who, having severe at
tack of the scribbling itch, conceived
the idea of writing Mr.. Pollard letter,
assuring him that of the levelness of
his head which had produced the arti-
Gle there could be no doubt whatever.
But this scribbler, feeling a little
ashamed of using his own name in the
business borrowed that of Hcolored
-
wholly unaware of the disgrace of be-
ing mixed up in a correspondence with
the Beadle historian. On receiving
this letter the last named individual
sent it to the Baltimore American for
publication, with one of his own. From
this last we make an extract, showing
how fondly Mr.. Pollard has always
loved the negro, and how he has
defense, and how. he is determined to
do it again:
My affection for the negro is no new
thing. desire in him the real peace
prosperity of the South, and do so in a
solicitude that defy any country edi
tor in the South, OF small traffickers in
sentimentalisms, OF any of those peo-
pie who speak from the raw and child
ish prejudices of an untrdueled or Bour-
bon existence, to impeach for real pa
triotism, OF to challenge on the ground
of Il wise and generous humanity. My
regard fos the negro has basis inf
nitely broader than political party.
owe him many happy hours in that
early home of my childhood, where
not less than five hundred slaves con-
stituted the ancestral estrate. The
honor, the tenderness, the real virtues
Of his race had impressed my heart,
even when he had an opportunity of
showing these qualities but in the hard
and narrow fortune of the slave. l be-
lieve l was the first to invent for these
then despised creatures a poetic name.
I wrote the book " Black Diamonds, y
more than ten years ago. / risked my
life, even in the days of slavery, to de-
fend poor, nameless negro on the for
tifcations of Richmond from the bru-
tally of a white overseer, whose fierce
bullyism had hitherto been the terror
of the cowardly city-that city which
has furnished assassins for Its modern
heroes. / fought him to the point OF
bloodshed; and rescued from his say.
age lash the poor, cringing slave
whose only claim to my protection was
wronged and strickened in my sight
My battle with "Hagan, the King of the
Cherokee Nation" I am ready to re-
new with whatever lawless man dares
to abuse negro, or any other unpro.
tected human creature. in my view.
intend to stand by the negro in the
South, and before Southern men, ant
that despite the weapons of the Kukln,
! Klaus, or the more eowardly sings o
, libel and abuse. Of the male mem
r bers of family greatly ravaged by
death there only remain myself ant
q brother in Eynchburg, Virginia, ant
dare to say that there is not negro
f who has ever lived in the home of eli
= Their of us, or known either of us, bu
, would stand by us in any difficulty o
peril. For myself, I here, solemnly
f touched by the spirit of many recollec
! tons of what has passed in my life, re
' membering many loved ones among
humble and despised people, speakin!
in no disposition of egotism, and will
, no possible accent of boastfulness, de
clare and pledge myself that on ever,
occasion and in every presence | shall
protect and defend the negro to tn
last extremity that Justice and human
ity shall ever demand of me.
, 1t seems that Mr.. Pollard's affection
t for the negro is nonew thing. True
he has let concealment, like worm il
the bud, feed on his damask cheel
fiom early childhood, never venturinI
5 to tell his love until encouraged to d
so by the reported adoption OF tn
Fifteenth amendment and the tende