The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1872-03-14
The CoIored Member.

From the Galaxy
The election was over in the flat. sun
struck. dumh-aguiSh. cheek -gashed. bay
indented parish of Alligatorville. and our
tellowman and brother Pompev Howard
had carried the dav by exactly the ma
loritY which his hackers had bet on.
1t does not require much practice with
the douhe-b -barrelled phrases OF the Eng
lish language to hit the idea that our fell
bowman and brother was that kind OF
human comrade and fraternal relation
which the lndo-European inhabitants Of
Alligatorville delighted to honor with the
title of "nigger"
In complexion he favored the ace Of
spades. and was not to be put to blush by
the ace of clubs. There was no more
prospect of his hair getting out of curl
than there was OF its turning into feathers
of goldthread or pointe appiquee. The
bridge of his nose was 50 far from being
an elevation and was on the contrary
such an indisputable. monOtonous. and
even grovellng depression, that vou
could only consider it bridge by sup
posing that it had broken down and gone
to ruin. His lips projected to that degree
that he might almost have used them as
teelers in the dark, or as buffers to deaden
a collision: while it was possible to
imagine manikin naturalist as standing
upon them quite at his ease, and measur-
ing with a halt-inch pole the breadth of
the nostrils above. His laws were SO
huge, protuberant and powerful, that
Darwinan might be excused for inferring
from them that he belonged to a race
which not very long since got its living
bv cracking cocoanuts and marrow bones
with its teeth.
This man and brother had been a slave;
he was descended from men and brethren
who had for two hundred years been
slaves in a land of strangers; he was
further descended from men and brethren
who for thousands of wears had been
slaves, savages, idolaters, aud cannibas
on their own native soil. Since the
hoarleSt cycle cOmmemorated by history
there had not been year when somebody
was not getting after" these men and
brethren. hunting them for the mere art
less pleasure of killing them, making them
work when they didn't want to, and for
purposes which We're not to their profit.
taking their wages out of their hands and
their bread out of their mouths. tattoong
their backs with cato -nne-tails and their
Shins with boot-toes, and, in short, giving
them a hard, mean, degrading life of it,
On Egyptian granite and in Greek and
Roman marbles and Venetian canvases.
and in more modern picture books, their
woody heads and prognathous laws and
cucumber shins had been painted and
sculptured and printed in every attitude
and action expressive of subiugation. ser
Witty, pOltrOOnery, hel plesSnesS, and ride
ulOusness.
At last benevolent and sagacious bird
called the American eagle, moved to head
long compassion by a conscience and other
circumstances over which he had no con
troll resolved to repay Pompev Howard
in one lump for all these insults and in
juries to himself and his torefathers.
1t said to him in substance: You never
struck a blow for your liberty, and never
theless you shall have it. You are as
ignorant, as heavy-brained, and as moral
ly degraded as the vulgarest peasant of
the Oldest despotism of Europe; neverthe-
less you shall be a citizen of a great and
proud republic, which depends for its
strength and honor upon the Intelligence
and virtue OF its clul1enS. You never
governed even yourself, and have not the
slightest knowledge of craftsmanship. nor
a conception of right or wrong in politics;
nevertheless | constitute YOU an elector,
with the possibility of being Juror,
dignitary in the commonwealth, an exc
cutor of Justice, and a lawgiver."
Having decreed thus much. this most
ingenious and far-sighted of all fowls that
roost on stars, with coats of arms around
their necks, sailed cheerfully away from
the and brnthar loo,-ipfr 70
own devices.
Immediately on the departure of the
eagle, or whatever posterity may discover
him to have been, carpet-bagger sidled
up to the newborn elector, and, with that
guileless smile which Saten wore when
he blarneyed Eve, whispered to him
80 man and brother, run for office and
support my little bill, and you shall have
more money than you can get by hoeing."
Accordingly Pompey Howard, with the
carpet-baggers guiding fingers on his un-
certain nose, had run with all his cucum-
Der legs Tor the position of representative
from Alligatorville, and. thanks to the
votes OF other men and brethren Just as
fit for political power as himself, thanks
to the professors Of the ballot-box leger-
demaln who counted those votes, had
SOiilC Jul duCdu vi all cOIupeLlUOrS-
The first impulse of the ew-fedged
legislator was to shake hands with half a
hundred or so of ragged adherents, and
his next to start for his cabin, four miles
up the spongy and leedy banks Of Allga-
tor Creek, with view to supper. In the
outskirts of the crowd of electors he met
his father, commonly known for the last
sixty years or so as Uncle Toby, white
headed, shrunken. twisted, and wonder
fully wrinkled little man and brother, who
barely kept himself from dropping upon
all fours by holding on with both hands
to long stick, and who consequently re-
sembled the orang -outang which one dis
covers in unbelievable illustrations of
natural histories.
"Hullo, daddy" shouted Representa-
tive Howard. "Where was you in the
votin'? | spected to see you thar putin
in your ticket for me.'
"An' so did put it in," squeaked Uncle
Toby, with such grin on his wizened
face as you may see any day through the
bars OF monkey cage II stuck it in
the hole in the Pos office. Some bows
told me that was the place."
Them boys!" exclaimed the colored
member Indignantly. ''Now that amt
far. They JUS been and come it on the
ole man. Now that ticket oughter count
all the sama