New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-09-24
THE CASE FAIRLY STATED
The Limited Rights of the COlOred
Race.
To Be Protected as Citizens, But
Driven from Office.

passed between Mr.. Clark, recol der of Eas'
Feliciana parish, and Mr.. Hardee, vel
known lawyer of Clinton. We think Mr.
statement of the position now occupied by
the White Liners
| EDITOR REPUBLICAN,:
| Allow me to say through your columns
| that have been constantly asked why
did not return back TO my office as recorder
After due de liberation, the following are
| the reasons why:
| left in fear of my life being taken. Or
| Monday, July &c, 1875, The whites assembled
under arms, as they had said they intendel Il
| tp Kill the last negro Office holder, though
| did not believe L had any whits enemies
| until l left the parish. / returned back
| home in few days atterward, and | was
| waited upon and told 10 leave the parish
| Finding myself overpowered, did SO.
| then wrote to ID. G. Hardee, wh,t1 man,
and an attorney at law, whom have loukeu
| upon as being my. friend. l ssked him
would it be safe for me to come home and
take charge of my office, and that the
charge against me was not true: that had
those white fellows not gone TO my house
IN search for me l would not have lie the
ialrs existed in the parish, but knew moth
ing OF colored men assembling under arms.
His --ei:lT ,s &c fcllc"s.
CLINTON, La, August 80, 1875.
T. NJ. J. Clark Baton Rouge, Louisiana:
SIR-Your letter of the date the twenty
seventh instant is just received and |
hasten to reply. Personally as you we'll
know l have nothing against you or any
other col0red man living. | was born and
raised among the cplored race. | never
was insulted by colored man in my life
before or since the war. They have ALWAYS
treated me with Difference and respect, I
stand ready as tar as in me lies to protect
them in their rights as citizens. Here my
friendship stops. / am not their friend
when it comes to official lie. The colored
man has just been redeemed from slavery
and in his new character he is unfit
for office. 1t is an Insult and an out.
rage to place him over the white people
as an Office holder. Two wrongs don't make
| one right. If you answer and say that it
was wrong for you to have been held in
slavery, anewer and say that | grart it.
But that don't prove tha5 you should be
taken from slavery and put into office to
run the government before your people
have learned anything sbont the laws or
the government. ! Say, then, that here
even friendship stops. II you, or any one
OF your color who were worthy of it, were
10 ak of me kindness, it would give
me pleasure to grant it. 1t you
ask me to put you in office and to
make you rule over me. then YOU insult me
and offend my dignity. In your letter TO me
you say that you wish to be friendly with the
white people. Don't you know that this is
impossible9 Don't you know that the white
people will hate yor as long as you hold
office over tneml Don't you know that
every day and every hour that you hsunt
your official robes in their faces that YOU OF
tend their dignity! Don't you know that
Kellogg nor no other Radical could hold an
office twenty-four hours in Louisiana but
for Grants bayonets' Don't you know that
those bayonets will soon be withdrawn,
and that the white people of Louisiana will
clear the State of the last Radical office
holder These things, however, as bad as
they are, are not the things that keep YOU
away from East Feliciana at present
Others are here who are as Objectionable
as yourself politicallJ, and are not dis
turbed. The charge against You at present
is that you were in some way connected
with the recent taking up of arms by the
cOlored people. This community sincerely
believe that you were in s.me way idenU-
fed with it, They are induced to believe
this because your deputy was seen on the
day of taking up of arms, and the day pre-
vious, on John Gair's horse, riding as a
courier from place to place. They believe
1t because on Sunday fifteen or more col
ored women were at your house at the time
HopgoOd brought the news into town of the
colored people being under arms, and these
women stated that they knew that the col.
ored people were coming into town under
arms.
Now, if you knew all of these things.
and sad nothing about them. how could
you be friendly to the white people9 II you
can convince the white people here that
you had no knowledge of the colored peo-
pie being under arms until Hopgood
brought the news, and that you had no
knowledge that your deputy was acting as
courier on John Gair's horse, and that YOU
we're not in concert with Ray and Gair on
Saturday night concerning these matters,
then and in that case. am sure that the
white people will not disturb you. am
sure that if you can clear up all OF these
points that you will not need my influence
or that of any other white man to protect
you. At present the white people believe
these things of you. And until some steps
are taken to clear them up, it will be use
less for me or any one else to try to get YOU
back in safety. They believe that you and
Ray and Gair did the work. DeGray has
exonerated himself completely from having
any knowledge whatever of any intention
on the part or the colored people to take
up arms, or to come to town armed. He
has satisfied the white people here that he
is on their side, in anything of hostile
nature.
We're to attempt to bring you back here
with the present state of feelings against
you it would bring down upon me the
Odium OF almost the entire people, At
present there is great hostility against
yourself, Ray and Gair.