Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-05-22
Letter from New Orleans.
Politics in Louisiana.

NEW ORLEANS, May IA, 1917.
To the Editor Of the Spy: The confident as
sertions made in many of the northern journals
that the Cincinnati nominations will sweep the
south cause surprise to the people of Louisiana.
| Whatever may be the result in other states,
there is no such prospect here. The negro
party, for the blacks of this state are organized
into party, will vote soldly for Grant. They
are entirely under the control of their leaders,
and those leaders are thoroughly committed 10
the administration. Nor is there any danger
that this control will be lost, for the rank and
file of this party are grossly ignorant and
slavishly obedient, and can be welded like
machine. 1t is quiet party, and possibly I'M
derrated because not heard from. "The mob
of gentlemen who write with ease" are not
members of it; it does not express itself in let
tiers to the press, nor give its opinions through
influential citizens" at this season of the year
it is usefuly engaged in chopping grass ont of
the cotton rows and in tilling the broadeayed
sugar cane; it swells the chorus on the decks of
the river steamers, tumbles the cotton bales, Or
| slumbers open-mouthed in the corners when the
sun is hottest but when called to the polls the
colored brother will be there and will vote as he
| is instructed.
The chief OF the negro party is Lieut.. Gov.
| Pinchback; he is the successor in Office of Os-
car Dunn. Dunn was a superior negro. Blacks
are not always honest, but it is firm southern
belief, founded on long experience, that honest
negroes are always black that is, ofpure negro
blood; Dunn was black. Like many slaves to
French creoles, he was well educated, and had
considerable property At the close of the war
he took rank as the chief man of his race, and
enjoyed the honorable distinction of being the
only honest man in the state government of
Louisiana. The atmosphere of carpet-bagging
was fatal. Dunn suddenly died and was sue
ceeded, through the managementof Yarmouth,
| by Pinchback, a bad mulatto, but clever polit-
cal manager "Pnch." got his education as
waiter or usher in gambling house, and before
his elevation to his present position he was one of
the most VIGOROUSLY corrupt and profigate men,
bers of the several legislatures that have robbed
unfortunate Louisiana to the brink of bankrupt
cy. But "Pinch." is the head of the negro party
and the administration owns him. The negroes of
Louisiana never heard of Horace Greeley, and
if they had they would care nothing about him,
talk of his influence on the "colored vote"
The white citizens of Louisiana of the old
school, are badly discouraged; since the close
of the war, they have seen the property of the
state confscated by carpet-bag rule, and revel
of villainous corruption, not only unchecked,
but unheeded at Washington, and they unques
tionably want a change. They looked to Gin
cinnati as offering a prospect of relief, and in
the possible nomination of Adams, they saw
return of the golden age of American statesman
| ship, but their hopes are all overthrow in the
nomination of Greeley and they are bitterly
| disappointed. They do not like Grant, for he
has abandoned, or neglected them, while they
have been bound and plundered, but they can
not support Greeley. Many OF them are dem
ocrats and know Greeley as the vtriolic oppo-
nent of the whole political system and ground
work of their faith. He is a rabid protectionist,
unmatched except in the policy of China or
Mexico; he is rash and timid by turns, violent
and sheepish, without dignity or discretion; he
is VIGOROUSLY credulous, and has been the will
ling tool Of the meanest politicians all his life;
he offers nothing to the white men of the south
that they want in president 1t is said he
favors amnesty, but the question of amnesty
has long been out of the hands of the president.
| 1t may be said on the other side that he was
a clamorous advocate of the detestable kukux
| legislation and has done more than any man
except Sumner to keep the south under military
despotsm. IL is urged in his favor that he went
bail for jeff Davis. So he did. 1t was an act
of silly enthusiasm entirely characteristic of
L. I,... =, N
Grant paroled the army of Virginia and refused
TO take the sword Of Lee. In the bitter hour of
southern humiliation and ruin he was a gallant
opponent and sympathizng friend. 1t is said
that Greeley is honest. No doubt he is honest,
and simple too, or he would not suffer the con.
troll of Senator Fenton. Fenton never had edu-
cation, trade, or profession; he sprang from
what is called in the south, "Whte trash, he
has always held small paid political offices, and
he is VIGOROUSLY rich and spends the income of
a millionaire. No one but an utterly blind and
fatuous person like Greeley ever suspected Fen
ton Of honesty, yet this fellow is VIGOROUSLY
Greeley's manager and ruler. If we vote for
Greeley we vote for a tribe of advisers akin to
Reuben L. Fenton, class of adventurers, who,
commencing life without a name to respect or
last place Of residence, become plunderers by
natural instinct. The south has had enough of
this class in the swarm of carpet-baggers.
The men among us who want Greeley are
those who rally about the fortunes of Gov. War
mouth. When Senator Kellogg stated in the
senate that the delegation that Yarmouth
headed at Cincinnati was composed of adven-
turers and scoundrels, he was perfectly correct.
| The larger part of that motley collection were
| just what he described. The citizens of Louisi-
ana sent them because Yarmouth and his gang
are power in the state, they have accumulated
enormous wealth, and they have lately attempt
ed respectability and promised reform. They
went to Cincinnati pledged to Adams, but by
the law of affinity, the moment the miserable
| bargain by which Greeley and Brown were
| foiSted upon the convention was sprung, War
mouth led his banditt over, and they are to-day
| the heart and soul of the Greeley party in
Louisiana. The New Orleans Times and the
Picayune support Greeley because they pledged
themselves to the convention, but it is sorely
against their will. If the democrats nominate
at Baltimore there will be scattering in this
state among the white men, but as things look
now, Louisiana with the negro front unbroken
and the white men demoraized is sure to vote
for Gen. Grant. LEICESTER.
L