The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-05-02
THE CENTENNIAI-HOW 1T SHOULD
BE CELEBRATED.

The Farmville (Va.) Mercury has racy
article on the proposed Centennial Celebra
ton. The editor strongly opposes the claims
Of Philadelphia and Washington, either one
being totally unfit to be the scene Of thai
great celebration. He believes that Boston
should by all means have that distinguished
honor, that city possessing the leading char
acteristics of the social and political condi-
ton Of the Republic at the present time
The writer proceeds as follows to give his
views as to what the Centennial should rep
resent:
1t should be the main feature of the Cen
teDnial to show to the world the present
social, moral and political condition of the
country.
In order to do this no better plan can be
adopted than the following: In a large
apartment decorated with pictures of races,
dog fights, horses and dogs, on throne
erected at one end with portrait of Wash
ington suspended just above it, should be
seated the present honored President,
smoking cigar and putting himself occa-
sionally outside OF some anti-woman- crusa-
der drink.
In another apartment the Butler of the
country should be placed on exhibition. He
should be surrounded with silver spoons,
and he should be standing upon number
of newspapers, which he should labor to
the Brave oman-Insulter-A Good
Sample of the High Moral Politician"
Howard should be placed in another room
with a number of safes and philanthrOpists,
and should 60 through them in his inimita-
BILE style. It would attract great deal of
attention, and would be a decided hit.
Pinchback should be exhibited in COM
pany with few of his compatriots as sue
cessOrs of some Of the old fashioned states
men Of past and less enlightened age.
Sumner, Morton, Carpenter, Pomeroy, and
in one large room, and every hour during
the day shower of greenbacks might be
made to descend upon them. This would
afford much amusement, as their instincts
would lead them to fight and cuss each other
energetically as they crammed the filthy lucre
into their pockets.
Beecher should have room to himself and
be supplied with billiard table and bowl
ing alley.
The carpet Dagger should be represented
by some fifteen or twenty good specimens
selected from the Southern States. A gal
lows should be painted in the rear of the
They rob me of my Dues
South Carolina and Louisiana should be
represented in tableau Upon raised plat
form with a background of ruined and de-
serted schoOl-houses and colleges should be
seated number of tashionably dressed,
coarse-looking, brutal, repulsive negroes.
They should be surrounded with porcelain
spittoons, elegant mirrors, costly clocks,
splendid chandeliers, toilet sets and all the
l, oil 81
should be lounging, smoking, drinking and
enjoying themselves generally, while below
and i'm front of the platform, bound hand
and foot should be seen number of white
gentlemen, guarded by United States troops.
The whole scene should be labelled, "The
results of Radical craftsmanship"
These are only few specimens of the
thousands that should be exhibited at the
Centennial to show the social, moral and
political peculiarities Of the country at the
present time; to show tie great difference
between the Republic as it is and tie Re-
public as it WAS III the times of Washington,
Adams and Jefferson.
Prisoners in a penitentiary can manufac-
ture many things as we'll as honest men.
Slaves can make machinery, can do elegant
work, and can till the earth as well as free |
men; and an exhibition of agricultural pro-
ducts, of machinery of skillful and scientific |
work and the like, would fail to indicate any
social, moral, or political advantages of the
Republic. The aim of the Centennial should
be to show to the world what the condition
Of the Republic is at the age of one hundred
years; to show the sort of statesmen it pro-
duces, the sort of government that obtains,
the condition of the people socially, morally,
and politically.
We know that Americans are different
from other people in these respects, and
with feelings of pride we should collect all
the leading Republican phenomena and ex-
and to excite the envy of all the unfortunate
people of other countries.
Such an exhibition could not fail to do our
people good, to increase their happiness and
content to arouse an enthusiastic patriotism,
and to fill them with pride and satisfaction.
The following "good thing" we clip from