New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-06-19
An OPEN LETTER TO THE NEW YORK
HERALD.


HERALUs
Charles NordhoR on Negro Oemagos sues.
To the Editor Of the New York Herald:
SIH--In your issue of May 81, 1875, there
appears one OF your correspondence
Charles Nordhof1l characteristic letters on
Louisiana. under the caption of "louisi-
apa." In this letter occurs the following
paragraph. to wit:
"IMPERIALISM SPREADING.
''ft is grave misfortune for Louisiana
that in her crisis she has 80 weak q Govern
or. believe that Governor Kellogg has a
sincere wish to do right; but he has no force
of character; he has no influence over those
who rule with him; he lacks the iron grip
which is needed to bring reform. Only the
other day l was told that the State Super
intendent of Public instruction Ia cOlored
mani had appointed two notoriously corrupt
men to be president and treasurer of the
school board of parish. / asked the Gov.
ernor how he came to permit such wicked.
ness. He replied: The colored Senator de-
manded it; Brown. the Superintendent
One listens with contempt to such an ex-
cuse, which no man would make who really
commanded his administration"
The object OF your correspondent is to
demonstrate beyond a doubt the criminal
weakness of Governor Kellogg: and in or.
der to accomplish his purpose he has
brought as witness the State Superintend.
eDs of Education, colored man, and a
colored State Senator. whom your COY
respondent has made to appear decidedly
worse than the Governor himself. do
not deem it necessary to write in defense OF
Governor Kellogg, as the arguments pro.
duced in my article are sufficient to wipe
out the charge of weakness on his part, as
made by your correspondent.
A colored man myself, and warm per.
eonal friend of the State Superintendent Of
Education. have concluded to take up my
pen in his defense, for the purpose of con-
vincing you, Sir, and your readers, that
Charles Nordhoff really understands but
little OF the subject he treats on relative to
the negro in Louisiana, taking his present
letter as a criterion to go by.
Allow me to call your attention to the
subjoiped section of act No. 8, passed by
the General Assembly of 1871 and entitled
''an act to amend an act entitled an act 20
regulate public education in the State of
Louisiana and city of New Orleans, and to
raise a revenue for that purpose: approved
March l6, 1870"
"SECTION !. Be it enacted by the Senate
and House of Representatives, of the State
of Louisiana in General Assembly convened,
That the State Board of EducstiOn shall,
immediately upon the passage OF this act,
.isting Of at least five members, for each
parish of this State, excepting the parish of
Orleans. to be composed when practicable
Of persons residing in different parts of the
parish. who shall hold their office two years
from April /. 1871, or until their successors
shall be duly appointed and qualified. And
said parish boards shall perform all the
duties, possess all the rights and privileges,
and assume all the obligations of the ward
boards of school directors, and the school
boards OF all cities and towns in the State
having a population Of less than one thou
sand persons. The treasurer of said parish
board shall perform the duties of secretary.
and be entitled to such compensation as the
parish board may allow, out OF local or par.
ish school funds, the same not to exceed one
hundred dollars per year.
meetings on the first Monday in January,
April. July and October Of each year: they
shall convene at their first regular meeting
On the call Of any two OF the appointed
members or OF The division superintendent.
and no such meeting shall be held to be
legal unless every member has been duly
notified thereof. Special meetings may bs
held in the same manner. They shall. at
their first meeting, organize by electing
from their own number president and a
treasurer. who shall be secretary of the
board, and they shall perform all the duties
now required of officers and not inconslst.
ent with the provisions of this act"
You will perceive by this section that
First-The Governor has in no way nor
manner thing to do with the appointment
or even selection of q single member Of the
parish school boards, consequently, how
ever much he might desire TO influence Su.
perintendent Brown, he could not, on ac.
count of this act participate in such selec-
ton.
Second-That the real and only appoint
ing power lies with the State Board of Edu-
cation, consisting of the division euperin-
tendents of education, and of which MIR.
Brown, the State Superintendent OF Educa-
ton, is ex cficio chairman.
Third-That the officers (president aud
treasurer) of the parish school boards are
net appointed by Superintendent Brown, as
alleged By your correspondent. but are
elected from among themselves, and by
themselves, after their appointment by the
State Board.
A further defense Of either Governor
Kellogg on the score of weakness or Su-
perintendent Brown on the score of ap-
pointing incompetent and corrupt members
on our parish school boards is unnecessary.
have merely quoted the law bearing on
the case, and 1t is all that is necessary to
refute Mr.. NOrdhoff-s indiscriminate and
unjust charges against our State officials,
white and colored, as we'll as to inform
your readers how very little indeed Charles
Nordhotf knows about the country of which
he writes or the laws governing the same.
Your correspondent may be correct in
stating that unworthy men may secure
these responsible positions, but such cor
rectness is neither an evidence of Governor
Kellogg's "lacking the iron grip which is
needed to bring REFORM" nor Superintend
ent Browns "weakness" in appointing
"notoriously corrupt men" TO important and
responsible positions on the parish school
boards. ;nasmuch as it is clearly proven by
the provisions of the act governing the edu-
cational system of this State, and quoted in
this article, that neither Governor Kellogg
nor Superintendent Brown have anything
whatever to do with either their appoint |
ment or selection. As to the charge alleged
against "the colored Senator" it has every
evidence Of desire on the part of your |
correspondent to stigmatize and misrepre- |
sent one particular class of men in this
State. AS he heads this letter with several
highly sensational head lines, prominent
among them is the one on NEGRO Dema- I
eogues Coming to the Front" it was essen
tally necessary that some prominent COL |
ored official should be brought into play,
and consequently the Superintendent OF
Education (colored) and ''colored State |
Senator" furnish the material for that por-
tion of the letter under the caption OF |
"Negro Demagogues."
The State Of Louisiana is divided into |
twenty y.fOur senatorial districts. These
twenty four districts are represented by |
thirty-six Senators, out of which fourteen |
are colored and the rest white Republicans !
and Democrats; consequently the ''colored |
Senator" does not control the appoint |
ments of school directors in every parish of |
this State, and as your correspondent seeks
to disparage the whole school system of |
the State, he should, at least, to appear con- |
I'D Mt in roiOninO aUainst ona |