The weekly Louisianian., 1874-04-25
GOHERNOR PINCHBACK AND
HIS CLAIMS.

GOHERNOR PINC.HBACK AM
| HIS CLAIMS. -;
From the Grand Era.]
Hon. 2. B. S. Pinchback, Sena'
tor elect from the State Of Louisiana
to the United States Senate, afte1
repeated absences at the Capitol o.
fthe Nation, awaiting a decision in
his case, is once moro among his
! constituents and friends.
With that indomitable energy
| characteristic of the man, and
which has successfully carried him
from the common walks of hith-
erto oppressed people to the sue
cessive official positions of a State
Senator, Lieutenant Governor, Act
ing Governor, and finally, a United
States Senator, he has. since his
last promotion been almost unin-
terruptedly at the National Capitol,
engaged-not only in efforts to
secure his own seat-but to secure
the recognition by Congress Of the
present State government Of Lou
isiana.
Looking back to the dark days
of 1872, just after the election,
when the fate of the Republican
party Of this State trembled in the
balance, when the vindictive enc
mics of Republicanism, aided by
false and treacherous ex-Republ-
cans, were plotting to defraud us
Of our ballots, when the chief exec
tive of this State, losing faith in the
combined forces OF Fusionists, Gree
leyites and fraud, felt it necessary
to make an effort to save his totter-
ing throne, he looked toward his
Lieut. Governor -Pinchback-and
in the silent hour of midnight, just
upon the eve of the assembling of
the new Legislature, he approached
Governor Pinchback with ON appeal
70 save him and his horde Of false
Republicans, Fusionists aud Gree
leyitee, and back his appeal with
golden argument.
Forgetting the friendship and in
timacy existing between them, for
getful Of SELF, sacrificing and sur
rendering personal aggrandizement
to characteristics OF q more emo
bling nature, and with only the
cause and right of the Republican
party of this State before him, and
its success and triumph his only
reward, Governor Pinchback spurn-
ed the temptation, and the State
was saved to the Republican party.
And his reward canae, when from
the National Capitol, flashed the fiat
of President Grant, recognizing
Acting Governor Pinchback as the
legal Governor of Louisiana, and
the government over which he so
ably presided, the legitimate gov
ernment of this State; then we know
that the honest hearts Of thousands
of colored men all over the State,
united in awarding him more sim
cere and lasting reward, than the
golden one offered him to betray
the Republican party.
A little later and the great Sena-
torial struggle came on. Governor
Pinchback although aware of the
immense benefit rendered by him
to the Republican party in her
great hour of need, and in the face
of an intention on the part Of his
friends to advance him still further,
yielded to a desire, in his opinion
to still further secure the fruits of a
victory, and to strength
en- the party for its approaching
struggle before the National Con-
gress, gave way to one, whose SER
vices to the party, was not even q
moiety, to his self-sacrifcing and
faithful efforts to keep it intact.
The result is we'll known. Up|
10 the very last moment Governor
Pinehback steadfastly refused to be
put in nomination for the long
term Senatorship, but contented
with the more humble posi-
tion-the short term. His friends