New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-09-12
General Francis T. Nichols, file this
special plea:

General FRANCIS i. NICHOLS, ME THIS
special plea:
To the negroes General Nichols said that
be was their friend. ! wish that you we're
near the parish where l live and could
ask the colored people there about me-
For man must BIZ judged more by his
acts than his words. One of the most DO
tent levers of the Radicals to influence
your votes has been the assertion that the
again-or, at least. to enact laws which
will bring you back into condition anala-
gous to slavery. l tell You that such as
sertions are false, absurd and senseless.
Another thing: After the brave Northern
men who really fought for the Union and
your rights, among whom large number
were and are Democrats, had laid down
their arms and gone home, there remained
in the South certain commissary ser
Of low morals and desperate for
tunes, who sought office by appealing to
your passions and ignorance. They have
deceived you as to the real object and char
acter of government. They have told you
that the men in power at the North hate
the white people of The South and will help
you to opuress and plunder them. l tell
you that the men who run the government
are rot the government The North does
not hate the South. If you wish to do an
act of friendship and gratitude to the pee
pie of the North you must vote the Demo
cratic ticket, for great majority OF the
Of the Northern people are to-day Demo.
Gratis, as shown by the vote in 1874, when
we would have elected Democratic Presi-
dent by the greatest majority ever known.
l believe that the cOlOred people do not
naturally hate the while people, and if left
to your own impulse, you would be our
best friends. We tried you fully during the
war and always found you faithful in the
darkest hour.
There are several slight deviations from
what we understand to be the historical
facts in the above statement. Some of
them may appear unimportant; but
good pleader regards everything import
ant.
In the first place, We do not understand
that 'the brave Northern men, who really
fought for the Union" laid down their
arms before going home. Figuratively
speaking, they generally returned, not only
each with his own shield, but that of
captive also. There were, doubtless, a
few Democrats in the army, like McClel-
Ian, Slocumb, and, perhaps, dozen or
two more. There were, also, some in
Congress, who tried for a while to serve
their Southern brethren by stopping ap-
Vallandigham took the
stump against the war, in Ohio, and was
buried under majority of more than
q hundred thousand votes Jesse D.
Bright was expelled from the Senate,
while the Northern Democratic papers
conducted vigorous warfare against the
policy Of the government as long as they
could borrow money enough to keep alive.
If all the brave Democrats, North and
South, were really in favor of the Union
and the rights of the colored people, there
would have been no war, and General
Nichols would probably have been by
his time colonel in the regular army.
Naturally, negro with vote is a more
attractive object to Democrat in pursuit
If Office than one without, and he is we'll
calculated to develop any latent friend
ship which may exist even in the heart |
# man who has devoted some of the
pest years of his life to a jealous
'ffort to rivet the chains of slavery
still stronger on the limbs of a
ace whose gratitude he now so bold |
y challenges. We hope the distinguished |
.dvocate has experienced decided change
# heart, and that all his clients are with |
lin. Yet, in the very nature Of things,
hey are SO very new at the business, such |
ecent proselytes, that We fear it would be |
Unsafe to trust them with supreme power
or few years yet to come. The colored |
'eople have found satisfactory friends |
lmong those whom General Nichols con-
calls ''sergeants, camp fol- |
overs and men of low morals" to assist
hem in the new duties of citizenship.
t may turn out that some Of these ser
eants are fit to be at least brigadier gen.
rails, and that not all the camp followers
'ere Democratic pork and mule con-
FACTORS. At all events, they have never
ttacked the right of the colored man to
ote; never slandered his title deed to
ufrage, and are not required to come
D the front on the eve Of every election
, boast Of a slowly formed friendship
weakly and uncertain growth. This
riendship, be it remarked, which is now
ffered as peace emblem to the negroes
as not been permitted to 60 beyond
oliciting their votes to ratify nomina-
ons they had no hand in making, and
Importing ticket upon which not one of
leir race has found place. 1t will be
Zen, therefore, that the tree of Demo-
attic friendship for the colored race is
i'll Of blossoms, but bears no fruit. 1t
therefore not fit for use.
rpPONpOTJC NJ AcCTpTrArION