The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1876-05-13
An Open Letter.
BATON ROUGE, April 18th, 1876.
uoo Ham,; nnro),

Hon. J. Henri Burch:
DEAR SIR-Having severed my cou.
nection with the Republican party
and as you have long been con slider
ed a Representative man among oul
race, and a Republican "of the first
water" in Louisiana politics, l feel
that l have a perfect right to
address you this an open letter and
give some of the reasons why have
felt it my duty to sever my conuec.
ton with you and those who for the
last twelve years have labored pc.
litically, for what then thought ia
he the best interest of my people.
Immediately after the Reconstruction
Acts of Congress, passed by Repub-
llcan Congress, for the sole purpose Of
securing the Southern States the right
Of suffrage was vested in our race
before, however,, this was given, and
Immediately after the sl,ackles OF
slavery had been stricken from our
limbs, by tho results Of the war, we
were recognized as the nations wards,
or more properly the Republican par
ty's wards. Emissaries we're sent
among us, as agents Of the Freed
mans Bureau, bad aud wicked men,
who, under the galb of charity, be.
gan Systematically to poison the
minds Of the colored people against
the old white citizens, ignorant and
illitcrate they knew nothing Of the
relative merits Of the two great po-
litical parties, their prejudices were
stimulated, their suspicious excited
and their cupidity worked upon.
When the right to vote arrived, they
were readily arrayed against their
former masters. They never stop.
ped to consider or inquire into the
antecedcnts of a man, where he came
from, whether he was capable of fill
ing the office or whether his moral
character was good Or bad his de-
claration that he was Republican
and an endorsement by you and other
leaders was all that was necessary.
You we'll remember your predecessor
the notorious Geo. w. Regain twice
elected to the Legislative branch OF
the State, a prominent candidate for
Congress and the recognized leader of
the Republican party in this parish
for a number Of years, caught with
stolen property in his possession and
publicly exposed on the streets Of our
city, an adept in the string game By
which he frequently victimized color.
cd men, during the war, and a white
man, who deserted his white wife in
his Northern home, and lived here in
open concubinage with a we'll known
lewd colored woman and dying while
a senator in the city Of New Orleans,
from mania pUtu in a low brothel.
When you were nominated by the
Republican party to fiji the place of
Regain, l was Q member of the State
Central Committee, l urged your nom.
ination and worked faithfully for your
election, you were then poor school
teacher and had the entire confidence
of our race, l rejoiced at your cleo
ton, for / felt that a worthy colored
man would gil the place left vacant
by the infamous Regain, having been
educated yourself, l believed you
could appreciate the necessity Of cdu-
eating our race, for by education alone
must they expect to be elevated to a
standard of responsibility, aud as the
majority of US were without the
means of educating our children, our
only hope was in the public schools.
Have our hopes been realized ! Let
the children running wild through the
streets answer! let the unpaid teach.
ers answer. The old law which, in
better days made the public school
81 stem of Louisiana the pride Of her
citizens has been abolished, and the
substitute presented by the Republi-
can party, Is nothing bnt a magnifi.
cent humbug, intricate, cumbersome,
and with some few Honorable excep-
tions, managed by a band of political
bummers, by whom the poor children
Of the State are deprived Of an edu-
cation and the property holders are
annually robbed. You have had
yourself elected keeper of the school
funds, have moved the books, papers
and money, if any, to the city Of New
Orleans, aud when the Taxpayers, in
convention assembled, attempted to
institute an investigation of your Of
fetal management Of the school funds,
you though 40 humble citizen and
only the servant Of the people, pre-