New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-09-10
THE BEST FRIENDS OF THE C0L0RED
PEOPLE.

OF winning their confidence and affection
On one side of Democratic newspape
we read an invitation to the colored PEG
pie to unite with and vote for the De
mocracy. Colored speakers are ever
sandwiched between white speakers be
fore the people. A party which will no
allow its members to listen to compare
tive discussion of Republican and Demo
: cratic principles hopes that the coloree
people will listen to both sides. Will
these professions of regard for the coloret
voter, these best friends rejoice in every
opportunity to make individuals of tina
race decpisable. In the same paper will
these professions of esteem for thu
colored race, we find the following unjust
contradictory notice of colored man
who has struggled up from bondage tt
a position which has given him the at
tendance and the attention of auditors
perhaps equal to those of New Orleans, in
intelligence, culture or courtesy.
AS specimen Of the ''policy of concil.
iation" impressed by the Democratic
journal in one column, we give the polit.
ical amenities, as illustrated in another:
On the twenty fifth of last month Pinch.
back drew the sum Of $l6,O66 80 from the
United States treasury, as the reward OF
his perseverance in knocking at the door Of
| the United States Senate.
That the payment of this money is an
act Of deliberate robbery there can be no
| question.
It now appears that the payment of his
claim was the bride offered on condition
that he would stump Indiana.
1t has been SO long and so uniformly
the practice of legislative bodies to allow
compensation to contestants who appear
to have been innocent victims of the
formal errors, or political corruption of
others, that We would not single out any
| one of these victims who had honestly
done his duty as the atonement for those
who have not. 1t may be readily seen
that Congress should exercise sound
discretion in all such applications. If q
candidate who received ten votes was en-
titled to demand the same pay as the
member elect there would be many more
contests than there have been. If can
didate nominated by the people, poor him
self, aid not sustained by the wealth of
others, should occupy, at his own ex-
perse. years in presenting his own
claims-but those of his constituents,
before the body in which they were
entitled to representation, it is plain
that such constituency might be
80 overborne by the rich and the fraudu.
lent as that they might be excluded from
their rights with impunity. Hon. Mr..
Pinchback has made this fight for his
constituents. Congress has exercised this
discretion in making him compensation
for his expenditures in behalf of his con-
stituents.
The REPUBLICAN was very careful, at the
time that Mr.. Pinchback was denied his
seat, to analyze the reasons which infu-
enced even Republican Senators to cast
the few votes which defeated his applica-
ton. There ,oas no objection to his per-
sonal competency as Senator. Neither on
account of character nor color was one Of
the decisive votes cast against his creden-
tials. The election Of 1872 was declared
null for corruption and informality by
both Senator Bayard, Democrat, and Sem
ator Edmunds, Republican. If, then, the
constituents of Hon. Mr.. Pinchback were
deprived Of their rights by informality or
wrong; if he is excluded, not for personal
fault, but through null election, should
the Senate be censured because it has
protected the rights of the constituents in
indemnifying even in part the expendi-
lures of their representative?
We know that even a temporary De-
may be pleaded in bar to
any political censure, but we can
not see how the Democratic press
permitted the receipt of two years
pay by General Sheridan, elected as
rs one of the Democratic Representatives
to the last Congress, to pass without GEN.
sure, when it seems capital offense for |
a nominee, recognized as the opponent of |
the Democratic candidate, to receive COM
pensation upon similar claim.
The charge that this compensation was
granted on condition that Mr.. Pinchback
would stump Indiana, is specimen Of
hat style of logic which has recently
grown into use among us. It is to as
sumo supposition as fact, and reason
lpon it as if it were fact. We would in
er from the charge that Mr.. Pinchback
lad been hired with his own money to ad-
'ocate the Republican cause-that he
would not voluntarily have done so. Yet,
We find in the same paper that he is pre-
Jared to advocate that cause in Louisiana:
Pinchback is preparing to shake his CORY
The tattler of the Times contradicts
his sanguinary schedule. It says of MIR.
'inchoack:
From the manner in which he expresses
himself he is not at all enthusiastic about
he campaign in this State, and one might
nfer from his conversation that he doesn't
are much whether his party wins or loses
q the coming contest.
The colored people comprehend very
veil the insincerity of this conduct.
they find that the Democracy have put
lp Mr.. Tilden as candidate who re-
arded the war Of emancipation as
allure. We have even seen a colored
nan appealing to the Democratic candi-