The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1873-05-24
INCONSISTENCY.


I MIN blN, In, May 1900.
| E1IOJ:s Shreveport Times:
would like to call attention through,
your columns to \ marked Inconsistency
in our people. l refer to the treatment
! of the scalawags among us; those per-
sons in the different parishes who PROV
ing recreant to all the nobler attributes
| of manhood and honor, have aided in
| fixing the present damnable tyranny
on us. In the forum, through the press,
these men are denounced as the incar-
nation of all that is base and dishonor-
able; they are depicted as men who,
for the sake Of some temporary pecuni-
ary benefit have betrayed the best
interests of their country who for the
sake ofsome paltry Office continue to
pander to the ignorance and prejudice
of the negroes, and by every means in
their power continue to feed the flame
ofjcalcusy that exists in the breasts of
those dcluCled creatures against their
former owners. / say this is the man.
ncr in which these men are depicted in
public. Now 1 ask hequcstion do our
private relations with these mon justify
us in thus portraying them: DO we
treat them III a manner indicating that
we believe the charges publicly brought
against him? l am afraid not. / am
afraid that in social life We give them
reason to believe all Our public outcrN
is nero rhodOnl ontadc. For instance,
u mass meeting will be held in some
parish, strong resolutions adopted de-
nouncing in unmcasurcu terms the
usurpation and usurpcrs. All seem
determined and harmonious. The
meeting aujOurns, the crowd diSpcrscS,
you seek out some one who addressed
the meeting, and in glowing terms por-
f1,.,f
hang over us threatening to crush out
every vc.tigc Of liberty and posterity.
You go up to such Il one, shake him by
the hand, congratulate him on his
manly cloqucncc, arm him and stroll
down the street. Directly you meet
one ofthc usurpcrs, II parish judge, Il
representative CD, 4 sheriff, who Is e!S-
crcising the functions of an Office as a
candidate for which he was beaten
several hundred votes. You pass along
taking no notice Of him, expecting
your orator to do the same but "2iIWbite
dictu! he stops short, cordially grccts
him, passes the compliments OF the
day, and directly says, "Well, Bill,
let's so and take something to drink,'
and off to the nearest grocery they go,
aru-in-arm, leaving you alone in your
glory, wondering over the strange in
cOnSiStancc5 of life.
Is this not true: Have | not drawn
an unvarnishcd picture: Now, l ask,
in tho name Of common ucccncy and
common sense, is this not an abnormal
state of affairs: We must remember
that politics in Louisiana are not what
they once were, in the days Of dcmoc-
racy and whiggcry. Then, when only
an honest difference of opinion divided
the parties, 'twou!u have been folly
indeed to have carried partisan feelings
into private social life; but now 'frn'-
para ,uiiuNiIfi, riN'I,'/HhI' mes a.! WiS.'
ON the one hand is arr:yCd u party
cnAp:.VorinG 10 stay the tide Of corrup-
ton that is sweeping over the country,
and is threatening to cnGulf our prop
rrty, our lives, our liberty in one com
mon destruction. On thc other hand
stands Il party using every means in
its power to hasten our destruction. Is
it proper, then, that We should meet
these mon anlicib!y, socially, cordially,
or should they not rather hc Stunned
as pariahs, whose touch is pollution,
whose presence is contamination?
CONSISTENCY.