The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1870-02-09
The Miss ssippi Negro Senator.
Is he Eligible2

/ l. %& So ~ 80 e
The Legislature of Mississippi has
elected a negro named II. r, Ravels e
the Senate of the United States for the
term expiring on the 4th ofMarch, 1871.
The telegraph announces that he has
arrived at Washington and will claim
his seat as soon as his State is admit
ed. He is said to be very intelligent
having received liberal education il,
Ohio. He is a native of North Carroll
Ma. His iberality of sentiment is
shown by the fact that it is his.intep-
ton, as already announced. to offer, on
his admission, bill to remove the dis
abilities from every Mississippian who
has been DISTINGUISHED for participa-
ton in the late Civil War.
= The Radicals have not intended that
a negro should be admitted to seat
in Congress as long as they could pre-
vent it. They know very we'll that
the hostility to the African race in ev;
cry Northern State, as shown by re-
cent elections, is SO great that it would
damage the Republican party to ,ele-
waite him to seat in Congress, and
consequently to social and political
position far above that occupied by the
great mass of Northern white people.
They did not intend either that a
rough negro, fresh from a cotton plan
tation, should sit, side By side, with
the Radical members of Congress and
be admitted to the same table and So
cial gatherings as their wives and
daughters. The Radical negro who
claimed o seat from. Louisiana disc0v-
cred that within twenty -four hours af-
ter his arrival. in, Washington and was
indiscreet enougllrto publish it to the
world, The negro's7 desire forLofiice
vas intented to be gfatifed only with
the offices set upfor the government of
the Southern people, the refined Radi-
cal gentlemen at the North deeming it
a proper punishment for st!rebels" to be
governed by their former slaves.
But Mr.. Negro is getting his eyes open
and is beginning to smell rat or two.
He. argues that, if negro is good
enough for the government of "reb-
Ell" state, he is good enough for a seat
in Congress. He very naturally con
cludes that if social equality is such
good thing, his Northern friends should
be willing to try it on small scale.
In short he demands that member of
his race should be admitted to seat
in Congress. The result of his de-
mands is the recent, election Of ne
gro to the Senate from Mississippi. In
him the Radicals have drawn a very
huge elephant and are sorely' troubled
at this time to know what to do with
him, .,l.... .,......,,.-.,
- When it was first proposed two years
ago to elect negroes to Congress Mr..
Greeley, while pretending to desire
such a consummation, took the ground
that the negro cannot be- eligible to
the Office for several, years to come.
Now that the fact has taken such a
shape as to require action, this opinion
is boldly put forth and insisted upon
by many men who claim, to be the ex-
ponents of Radical intelligence. All
profess themselves as delighted at the
idea of a negro getting his rights, but
profess great regret that the C9nstitu-
ton Ito which, of course, they are so
faithfully should exclude him from the
halls Of Congress for several years to
come. The idea is evidently to make
out a prima .tacie case against Ravels
and thus postpone action until the tern,
for which he has been elected shall
have expired. They hope to; avoid
the unpleasant necessity Of passing d.
rectly on his case.
It's alleged that the article Of the
Constitution which requires Senator
to be nine years citizen Of the United
States prohibits from the Office ne
gro whose citizenship is of recent date.
Strangely enough they dednce the idea
of want of previous citizenship in the
negro from the bred Scott decision,
which they have denounced and re-
pudiated, and from the opinion, of chief
Justice fancy, whom they have time |
and again consigned to hell fire for his
Outrageous" decision. Because say
they, the Supreme Court Of the United
States has decided that this govern
ment was formed for white men and
that the negroes were not thought Of
ut the time, therefore the negro was
not citizen until his recent enfran.
by the action of the general
This is rather hard on
old Taliaferro and the Southern apos-
ties of the new Radical evangel, who
contend that a negro has always been
better than a white man, and that no
power on earth can deprive him Of The
rights, and privileges to which he is
entitled by the law of nature.
But We do not believe that the Rad
cal theory of negro eligibility to Con-