New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-09-09

case where it became necessary for him
to suffer loss to save the infiction of an
injury upon another, or even the shade Of
an injury, he would shoulder the loss. This
is really matter of religion with him, and
yet it is the easiest thing in the world
in this city to raise the hue and cry Of
ignorant prejudice against this fine speci-
men of American character, this truly no.
BILE nature, by merely pointing him out in
the streets or publishing him in Demo
cratic newspaper as "carpet-bagger y
Nothing else is required. Any drunken
loafer can do the one; any hired reporter
the other.
Let US review his life briefly, and see
what sort of man it is whom it has been
fashionable because heretofore safe to hold
up to ridicule by men dacious scribblers.
As we remarked above, Souer came here
with considerable means in ready cash,
and as much credit on business orders in
New York as he was likely to require
He had not been here long before he
formed the acquaintance of some of 'tour
best first citizens" who succeeded in bor-
rowing the most Of his money from him
on no better collaterals than "the word
and honor of a gentleman" If he had
been business man, instead of warm
hearted, trusting, noble boy-if, in a
word, he had known the market price of
the "word and honor of some of our
self-styled ''gentlem en-" he would have
demanded better security, something
more solid than he got. 1t would have
been prudent, to say the least, to believe
in the virtues of portable property quite
as firmly as in the character of such
"broad-minded, chivalrous gentlemen
as yesterday surrounded him with re-
volvers in hand, and who were only pre-
vented from shooting at him by the error
of supposing him dead already.
But the man to whom Souer loaned his
money failed, as did another who has
since become shining light in Demo-
cratic councils, who got about $4,000 out
Of the trusting young man. One of these
bankrupts was in some manner interested
in lot of velocipe des which had been
shipped here for sale. 1t was at time
when these toys were just coming into
fashion. He offered to let young Souer
have few on account, and as it was that
or nothing they were accepted. Subse-
quently Souer tried to utilize his strange
purchase by teaching the use of the We
locipede. He became proficient, but
soon found there was no money in it, and
gave up the whole debt as a dead loss,
which it was. Certain witty reporters
have since endeayored to make plenty of
fun out of this affair Of the velocipedes,
which, however, never did any harm, and
therefore passed unnoticed.
Shortly after the adoption of the con-
stitution of 1868, Mr. Souer was sent to
Avoyelles parish as supervisor of regis
tration. He thereby acquired legal
residence, and having won the confidence
of the Republican voters, was elected a
member of the House Of Representatives.
He has been twice reelected, and has
been nominated for the same trust in the
pending campaign. He has, therefore,
been the chosen representative of an i'm
portant parish for six consecutive years,
and has gained the good will and personal
esteem of many of the Democratic citi-
zens of the parish with whom he is on
friendly terms.
We file then, in behalf of gentleman
who has been stigmatized as a carpet
Dagger, the record Of an honorable life;
residence of more than fourteen years, six
of which have been spent in the public SER
vice; character for unsullied honor and
honesty; scrupulous discharge Of every
obligation. His associates, both here and
in his own parish, are gentlemen; he is
man descended from good family, and
has never disgraced his name. Against
all this, his enemies can only reiterate the
stale, unmeaning accusation of being a
For this he is to be shut
from the pale Of society and the protec-
ion of the law. He may be shot at
~ highwaymen and ridiculed for the
hanger he incurred. Nay, more. Be-
ore he had given any statement of
he affair at all, further than to
lllude to it in a modest way to !
some private friends, two of our journals |
made haste to contradict what they sup
posed he would or ought to say, and to |
make light Of damning outrage, simply
because it was directed against man
ghom the reporters thought it would be
witty, fashionable and safe to ridicule.
Md when his feelings were thus outraged
he additional insult of an attempt to as
ault him with cowhide was offered, and
e struck. The gentlemanly bystanders
rofessed surprise and indignation that he
hould have shown any feeling in the
natter at all. The fact is, the young
ladiator thinks he has been patient un-
er contumeIy about long enough, and
as resolved to put stop to the unmanly
ersecutions which his alleged character
s caSpet-bagger has seemingly invited.
A spectator of the Souer-Smith rencon-
e informs US that as many as dozen
: more Of the 'large-minded, chivalrous
entlemen" among the bystanders had
leir revolvers out ready to shoot Souer in
Ill L