The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-07-01
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
MH. KEY, GEORGE SHERIDAN AND THE
DULA-CHAPMAN CASE.
The Present Independent Position of the
Enfranchised south.

lOpeCiti correspondence ~. W. DelHOcIHI.l
WASHINGTON, June 26, 1877.
A New Orleans dispatch to the Associated
Press this morning says that George Sheri-
dan has concluded his investigation Of tho
postoffice case in the Feleianas and will re-
commend the removal of Dula and Chapman
on the ground of incompetency. This affords
me an opportunity of
RISING TO EXPLAIN.
Some time ago wrote and you printed q
letter setting forth what Sherdan's action
would be, and the reasons why he was Sc
lected for that mission, in pretty plain terms
You must give Mr. Key credit for the best
and most patriotic intentions in regard not
only to this, but to all similar affairs in the
South. His work Of wedding out the corrupt,
ignorant or imbecile postmasters, white and
black, whom the Grant regime fastened upon
the South is al, enormous one and beset with
difficulties which must be experienced in or
der to be appreciated; no mere description of
them will suffice. Had Tyner been left to
manage this particular affair, he would have
sent II disciple of
THE BLOODY SHIRT GOSPEL
to investigate those cases and the result
might have been unhappy for all parties con-
cerned. Mr.. Key, as soon as his personal
attention was directed to the matter, dscov-
cred from the responsibility of the sources Of
his information, that the situation was grave,
and he at once resolved to make tests of these
two cases of repeated outrage He selected
our friend Sheridan for two reasons; first,
because he knew that George enjoyed the con-
fidence of the people Of Louisiana to a greater
extent than perhaps any other Republican,
unless Jack Wharton might be excepted, and
second, because he knew that George had
gained q reputation North, through his SER
vices as O campaign
SPEAKER FOR HAYES,
which would give conclusive weight to any
report he might make.
1t was doubtless Of great importance to Mr..
Blaine that cases of outrage, intimidation,
bulldozing and oil that sort Of thing should
be made out of these two affairs. But to the
Administration it was important that such
action should be taken as would best sub
serve the public interests, and it was equally
important that the facts upon which sucf ac-
tion might be based should be ascertained
and reported by an officer i'm whose report the
Northern public would repose confidence
All these things have been accomplished. Mr..
Blaine and Ben Butler are doubtless griev-
Ously disappointed, but the people Of Louisl-
ana will be satisfied, and the public at large will
be gratified to learn that we have an Admin
istration which is capable of strict attention
to reform i'm even so small q matter as two
VILLAGE POsToFFICEs.
MBut this Is not exactly what l set out to
Me- ~ II
nature of the mission of my friend Sheridan
fell into the hands of one of our Democratic
Congressman from the North, who happened
to be in this city last week, and he was
alarmed.
Great God" he said, "that will never do.
You should not have published those facts.
Don't you see the Radical press will raise
howl? Don't you know they will take this
portion OF your letter referring to my state
ment that George was sent down to ascer-
tain what the Postmaster General was al
ready well aware Of, to wit, etc") don't you
know they will take that as text for saying
that it was all
PUT UP JOB
to get the two negro postmasters out Of the
way and thus surrender to the bulldozers p
"Well, said l, {" it's true, isn't it? And in
my judgment the time has come when the
South can talk out the same as the rest of the
country"
My Democratic friend from the North had
been 50 long accustomed to exhort the South
to take back seat and keep it's mouth shut,
that he failed to recognize the great fact that
things have taken new turn lately.
" But" said he, "these things will be made
the basis of anew outrage campaign in Ohio,
and the Radicals on the Western Reserve will
be whooped up and we shall
LOOSE THE STATE y
My dear friend" 1 replied, "that was good
logic year ago, when the Southern people |
were looking to the Northern Democracy for
salvation; but you should bear in mind that |
the Southern people are not dependent on the |
Northern Democracy as much as they WERE |
The last Southern State is now out of the |
woods, and, whatever may happen to politi- |
cal parties and party organizations, you can
oet your bottom dollar that the intelligent |
white people of the South will rule and that |
negro and carpet-bag legislatures, courts
md executives have conclusively receded
INTO THE DIM PAST.
"This being the state of the case, and the
southern people being abundantly able to
maintain the situation as it stands, don't
zee any harm in letting the world-even the
Radicals on the Western Reserve of Ohio
nto the secret
'But," reioined my friend, ''these things
the success of the Democratic par
Y in the North
''How?" | inquired.
''Why, you know how as well as l do.
haven't we had to carry the South as dead
Weight in every campaign in the Northern
tates since the WARP
Precisely" said l. 'and why? Because
ou have said to the South, Let us of the
forth make the tickets and platforms; let us
RUN THE MACHINE;
ou keep quiet and lie low; when election
ay comes pile up your majorities for our
cket. In that way we will smuggle you
ack into powerp This is the policy you have
cted upon for ten years. And at the last
loment when we had elected a President for