New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-12-26
Especial Correspondence Of the Republican
THE NEGRO POWER IN POLITICS.
WASHINGTON. December 20. 1875

L NUN Ihu ~ iSI eti rlipAU ~ O'Vi-ySA Va
trea. with contempt. The sentiment is
the indignant protest of race aCains: fur
Their outrage and wrong, and holding the
nation morally responsible tor this outrage
aud wrong. Tae purpose" is, on TIE par!
Of this race, 20 take its own safety AID
rights into IT'S own hands. The 'conss-
Q0euce" is the saving of free institutions on
this continent, or me beginning OF the END
Of he republic.
There are Northern men residing in New
Orleans who read tie New Orleans REFUB.
LICAS. These nen love the Union. They
desire 10 see il perpetUated. 10 these men
now address this correspondence. They
have their correspondents, business and
social, all over the North. They can thus
teach the Northern mind and help arouse L
20 a sense of the danger which now threa.
els tae Union. ] wish these Northern
Uniou:sts resident in Louis ana 20 weigh
carefully the facts which Will now be lce-
sented 20 them. In doing this l maze with.
out bravato or excitement the statement
that the negro question has ceased 20 he
exclusively either sectional or race ques.
tor. Il has tbecome supremely na.i1na
aad American question. The negro vote
IN PENNSYLVANIA and New York can give
these STATES to the Confederates. !. il OF
vastly more Importance, therefore, 70 the
Northern Cnion.st than j. is 10 The negro or
10 the native born white Republican OF the
South. The negro has a certain and mag
n.fcen. future outside OF this Union. The
native white Republicans OF the South can
share n that future. Blu. the American
Union has no future outside OF the cause
ami principles which the negro represents.
Il these Northern merchants residing in
Louisiana will divert their attention for a
few moments from the ailabsorbing pursuit
OF moaey-makiIg, they Will md the follow
ing facts OF interest TO tEeLn-aH interest
second Only 20 the acquisition Of wealth
itself:
F!rst-Independentiy of the negro power
and The ant!-slavery sentiment which tins
power" represents, the controlling political
force IN American affairs to-day is repre-
scented in the Confederate Catholic alliance.
The Protestant North alone can not resist
this alliance successfully. This alliance
eIL braces two positive forces. in union with
several negative forces. The positive
forces are represented in the unalteIable
purpose Of the Confederate, ami in the
una.terable purpose OF the Roman heir
a-chy. | do not propose TO discuss the
merits Of either OF these purposes. The
Contederates may be right or they may he
wrong. Monarchy, after AL, lay bs the
true form of government. RepublicanisH,
after AL may have no foundation, even NJ
SAND, 20 rest upon in resisting the winds
and storms which always rise higher and
higher with increase Of population and
wealth, and which, beat with ever.
increasing violence up the political ed.tce
with which human sagacity AID s3.j1.tgQe
seeks 10 protect society. Protes.an.!s! N,
alsC, may have an equally sandy :cELGa.
ton. Great may be is tall also, wien The
storms and tempests OF society and sOc!g.
selfshness arise and beat upon i. Be these
things as they may; be the cause Of social
order on tie side OF "subordina.eu' classes
4 -
IL orallty on the side OF tie Catholic idea u
not, one thing is plain, the Confederate
power and The Roman hierarchy are one on
every essential Issue, political or ednca
tiUnal, which now ag!tate5 tie pubic IA!nd
in the New World. These positive" forces
are Just as positive and unconpromisir- as
- the Force represented II the Puritan con
vict!on OF New England. In & word,
Bishop Haven was correct when he Gecla red
recently in Boston that the issue in The
next presidential election involved IDEAS
and that the New England Puritan stood
for one set of these and the Southern cava,
ier Cor the other. In this conflict OF IDEAS
tie Northern Protestau. is the only ally Of
the New England Puritan, wL!.e tbs
Catholic and the Southern white Protestant
alike are the allies OF the Southern lava
her These are the positive .OEces
arrsyed against each other,
The other, or LESS positive" forces, are
represented by men who have neither Terv
strong political TOT religious convictions.
These are represented by the ''racioral.sts
in religion and the ".nditereA.s' u poll
tics. There ale thousands OF wel.-'O-Go
Northern people to-day who care very .:tle
fer the form OF government under which
they live, provided they can acquire wealth,
have that wealth guaranteed and enjoy
society. Then there is very large ana in
-Nr, al - Ta,t- I. ..4l
native born and foreign, with whom devo-
ton 20 the American Union is not supreme
affection. This was proven in the la:e war,
when the Southern Jews took sides with the
South, while their Northern brethren con-
Quoted nearly al the trading operations
with the Confederates. Then there ls large
class in every Northern State known as the
floating sentiment OF the country, and
his class will Cravitate to any SIDE CT poll
ties according as personal interest may al.
feet il. These negative forces are so many
make weights in the side Of the COateder-
ate Catholic power.
The second fact of interest 10 the North
in this affair is found in the rise ard de-
velopement of the negro power. THIS negro
power holds such close and vital relations
20 the Confederate power that i must, IN
the nature of things, either increase rha.
power, or finally overthrow il or hecoice a
pHIL OI IL. vi one Thing L.lb >Nkl ~ .A-ay
rest perfectly assured, i, IS that the Con
federate leaders will never. never permit
this negro power TO thus weaken the Con
iederate power within the Union, never.
Nor will the Confederate acknowledge the
negro power within the Union. The Con
federate will WELD this negro power within
the Union under serfdoin and wage'slavery
lust as he welded il formerly under clat.ei-
slavery, and he will WELD it with rem
will 1ny,V n +Na
is the friend OF the Union.
The third fact of interest in this political
complication is found in the established and
mutually dependent relations Of the South
ern negro and the Confederate. The negro
begins TO understand this, and to under
stand also that the chief cause OF the hate
which the Confederate bears him is due
very much TO the fac: tina. lie tthe negro
stands in the South as the ally OF the men
whom the Confederate does hate most cor.
dially-whom he not only hates bat dis
pi.es-and that this mingled hate and con.
tempt entertained by the southern cavalier
toward the Northern Republican has been
intensified by defeat on the battlefield and
can never be satisfied short OF another trial
of military prowess. The negro asks him
self how long he can 60 receiving on his IN
protected head, and the heads OF his child
rem, the blows which tbs hate produces!
he reads the sentiment, 'I2 war, enemies;
in peace, friends" and wonders il this sen
timent applies TO the Confederate, as well
as to other political animosities.n The
negro begins to ask himself whether be had
not better follow the example OF his North
ern friends, and court this Confederate
power.
And this brings us 10 the last and most
imporsant fact of all; it is, that the Conted-
crate hates the Northern Republican more
than he hates the civil or social aspirations
of tha ueuro and that the negro loves his