The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1874-07-18
To Our Colored Citizens.

We desire to address y few words
to our colored fcllow-citizens, which
we wish them to carefully read and
weigh, and if our reasoning and ad-
vice are correct, they will be but do
ing their duty to the country and pos
terity, to pay heed to, and act upon
them.
You have been now six years COIL
nected with the great Republican par
ty, the party to whom You thought
you owed allegiance, from the fact
that they had been instrumental in
achieving your freedom. We will
not stop to argue the pros aud cons
of that question, sntfice it to say that
the Republican party was in power at
tho time the issue was raised of the
right of q State to secedc, and as Il
material Of war, you were used to in
sure SUCCESS to those who argued
against State rights, with the same
intents and feelings with which the
northern Democrat, the Foreigner or
in fact, the very horses and mules
drawing their guns and trains were.
It is with the same motive that drown
ing men grasp at straws, that in hours
of great trials a government uses all
the material it can command. Such,
and such only, was the reason you
were used, and for that use, tue boon
of freedom was given you; nor will
wo say ought Of this, tho usefulness
you might be put to, to save the
Union, as they termed tho issue of the
war, was certainly offering upon your
part, a good and sufficient remunera-
ton for your freedom.
You may not understand it, but to
be citizens you should, that govern
ments are for the mutual good and
the mutual protection of individuals,
Il simple compact for such good and
protection, and when such govern
ments fail or neglect to afford the
requirements agreed upon, it natu-
rally lapses into community Of citi-
zens withouta special head. Such
state or condition of the people is
termed chaotic.
The Republican party has taught
you an entirely different idea. The
first step was to give You q lesson to-
tally inconsistent with liberty in the
abstract, and which tended and is
used simply to promote either revo-
luton or the private ends Of political
leaders; and that lesson was, Secret
and oath bound clubs, which has tend
ed to completely demoralize you.
You are its true, ignorant, and being
so, are easily imposed upon. You
are more to be led by appeals to your
passion, than to reason, from our
knowledge your character we know
you to be, and We say it without eth
er the intention to compliment or
cajole you, but simply to give our
honest opinion, as a race, docile and
desiring to do and be good if you
knew how, a life Of slavery has taught
You to believe that liberty means Ia
illness. But you have among you
many bad, very bad colored men, and
we are sorry to say that their infu-
ence over you for any end, is great.
These men are bitter and uncompro-
missing, and the smattering Of knowl-
edge they have obtained in their in
tercouse with worse white men, of
whom We will speak further, has only
tended to destroy what little common
sense they at first possessed, and to
make them brutal, domineering and
reckless, that they have impaired this
spirit to the mass of colored men is
apparent, by the swagger and inso.
lence adopted by many, the street
threats and armed parades we have
seen here in our city; and in the for
bearance and quiet submission of the
white people, you have been led to
believe they were in fear Of your
power. The "gang" Of white men
who have been your acknowledged
leaders, are as you know yourself,
without character or responsibility
men without ideas, except that of
gain, and to use you for that purpose
they have pandered to all the weak
points of your nature-fed your pas