New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-08-13


condition of affairs no objection could be
made by any real British statesman.
| IT MUST BE FEAR.
When we hear of the colored hundreds
who report to the White Line headquar-
tiers, we are compelled to believe that they
have been driven in by the bulldozers to
take protection tickets. Our reasoning is,
we admit, purely negative 1t is based on
the total absence of any political convic-
ton or social attraction whatever.
There is no colored man SO illiterate as
not to know that his safety of person,
compensation Of labor and political rights
are dependent upon the result of the
pending election. There has not been
shown these people the recognition of a
Democratic nomination for any Office.
There has been no guarantee offered them,
except on condition of unqualified surren-
der, and suffrage for Democrat. While
the White League organs triumphantly
announce the apocryphal accession of
thousands, no opportunity is omitted
to represent the negro as q vio-
lent, vicious and ridiculous member of
society, whose feelings are as little en-
titled to respect as his rights are to recog-
milton. In many cases where white men
have been implicated in the disreputable
acts, their names have been suppressed.
| When Democrats have been convicted of
grand and of public larceny, their claims
on charitable and political associations
are pleaded in mitigation of public GEN.
sure. When they have been committed
to the State prison upon conviction, their
letters home are published as though they
were students at college Of industry. It
is thus of all Democratic deeds which re-
quire suppression or palliation to protect
the feelings of respectable friends. When,
however, we come to the crimes or follies
of the negro, they become an open theme
of condemnation and ridicule. We take
occasion to say that those crimes and
follies Of the blacks are treated as such
crimes and follies should be, no matter
by whom perpetrated. Our objection is
that this ex parts condemnation of the
colored population leaves the world to in
fer that the crimes and follies of our So
ciety are confined to these people.
We know of no journal that rejoices
more in the vice and violence of the ne
groes than does the P;cay1tne The death
Of J. Sslla Martin is spoken of as chat of
''the notorious colored politician, j. Sella
Martin
We have published the short history of
this young man. His life had been one
struggle with wrong and adversity. With
trial and temptation he had been unfcr-
tunate, hut no one charged him with hav-
ing been dishonest. Now it has SO hap.
pened that prominent citizens have upon
several occasions committed suicide by
the razor, the pistol, by poison or by
precipitating themselves into the river
from the deck of steamer. Have these
ever been published as notorious bank.
rupts, fraudulent debtors or notorious
politicians" These allegations might |
have been true Of some of them, but ten
derness to their families, sorrow for hu-
man frailty and for human misfortune,
has thrown the mantle of oblivion over
their names and their deeds. A poor devil |
of a negro gets into police scrape |
and is pilloried in the newspapers.
A young blood commits similar offense,
and his name is kept out of the newspapers.
Bush, negro, is embarrassed with an
illegal seraglio. His various helpmates
hold convention to determine their rela.
tive claims upon his affections and his |
wages. Bush receives an elaborate cpl. |
thalamium from two anti.Republican |
papers. Had similar conflict of juris-
diction, attended with even more violent |
demonstrations, have occurred among our |
own white people, an item so scandalous |
and SO deplorable had been very properly |
withheld from public view. These no.
tees, if impartial, would have certain |
effect in depressing the tendency to
wrong, which may be checked by public |
opinion. When limited to the colored |
race, it impresses the public with the be- |
lief that the political and legal rights con-
ferred upon them have been imprudently |
and improperly awarded them, and that |
as consequence those rights should be |
Cancelled by law or nulIded in practice. |
These, however, are side comments.
Our intention is to show that when the
colored voter has been denied any politi-
cal recognition by the Democracy, while |
his seat is at the second or scrap table of |
political organization, he is made the |
peculiar victim of obloquy, ridicule, and |
is held up to the world as little better |
than an ape in his grotesque imitation of |
civilization. The tendency of all this is |
to neutralize or nullify the negro as an |
elector, and reduce him to a condition of |
social and political serfdom. If this rea-
soning be correct, it must result that as |
no conviction of reason is admitted, as no |
Cancellation of kindness is apparent the |
apocryphal accession of colored hum
dreds to the Democratic party can only
have been occasioned by fear.