The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1877-03-23
PINCH INTERVIEWED.
Pinchback on Packard's Record and
Powers for Good and Evil.
IN. Y. Herald.l

IN. Y. Herald.l
Mr.. p. b. S. Pinchbacll, who is here
and has had an interview lately with
the President, WAS asked to-day concern
ing a sscard" which Mr.. Packard re-
Gently published i'll New Orleans about
him, in which he said that he attached
no importance to Mr.. Pinchback'S atti-
tude towards him.
81 see," said the Herald reporter,
"that Mr.. Packard is very severe on
you"
Mr.. Observation-Disclosures statement
is gratuitously false, as he knows.
Neither nor the gentlemen named in
connection with me have abandoned
the Republican party. We have sim
ply declined to be partners to the fraud
by which Packard has attempted to
fOist himself into executive position.
RepOrter-Was it through Packard's
influence, as he insinuates, that Messrs.
Hunt, williamson and other native
Louisianians were brought into CO.
operation with the Republican party ::
Mr.. Pinchback-Messrs. Hunt, Viii
Hanson and others are respectable citi-
zens. They came into the Republican
party not through Mr.. Packard's
agency or solicitation, but in accordance
with the policy have been advocating
intelligent resident white men should
be put into prominent Offices. This
policy would heve been much more
fully developed had it not been for the
opposition of Mr.. Packard and his fol-
lowers, who aimed to 'nonopolize the
offices for themselves. Not Mr.. Pack
ards suggestion or preference, but the
confluence and voice of the colored citi-
zens gave these men their positions ana
and secured their political co-Oper;t-
ton.
Reporter-What is Mr.. Packard's
history in your State politics?
Mr.. Pinchback-EIe made his advent
in Louisiana as Il bounty broker and
claim agent for colored soldiers, and
his conduct in this connection has been
both suspected and criticised. in theCon-
stitutional Convention of 1868 he is re
corded as voting against the civil rights
clause. Before the first reconstructed
Legislature he appeared as Il Lobbyists;
for the Nicholson Pavement Company,
and initiated the corrupt system Of leg
islative jObbery that subsequently, dis
:,raced the State. Finally, as chairman
of the Republican State Com nittec and
United States Marshal, exercising the
double functions of a Feperal official
and Il political partisan, whether man
ipulating ward club or a State conveu
ton, whether controlling delegates by
money or Office, he has exhibited the
same selfish uuScrupuiOusneSS and the
same political imbecility which have
lost him the confidence and support Of
the intelligentRepublica of Louisiana,
and he Stands to-day before the people
political and incompetent Inarplot.
With no considerable following of the
respectable and Intelligent classes of our
citizens, he is, with or without Ma tiOnal
recognition, powerless for good and
potent only for evil. BY the reckless
misuse of his official position as United
States Marshal he forced his leadership
on the party-a leadership never yet
the marked by the seccesstul conduct OF
a campaign. He has never been able to
keep the party together,and has manag
ed to drive out Of it almost all of its res
pectable members.
Reporter-Do you think Packard
could maintain himself if the Federal
troops were Withdrawn to their bar
racks, and acted in Louisiana as they
do in New York?
Mr.. Pinchback-It is positive fact,
which not even he himself would deny,
that if the Federal troops were with
drawn to their barracks, and had orders
not to interfere, his organization would
tumble to pieces like a house of cards.
Reporter What would be the effect
upon the security and prosperity of the
colored people, whose interests you
have at heart and represent, Of an i'm
mediate recognition of the Nichols
government; would they be secure. l.:
their lives, property and rights undo,
Governor Nichols?
Mr.. Pincnbact1--I believe that in
such a cas-. the number OF cOloreu Office
holders will be much less than now, but
the State would secure Il government
competent to execute and enforce the
laws, and thus preserve the peace and
protect all classes of citizens in their
rights and their party. Whatever in
fiuence l may exercise in the final de-
termination Ofthe Louisiana difficulties,
events will demonstrate that justice to
all the people of the State, no less than
mercy to the colored people, forbids the
recognition of Mr.. Packard as Governor
OF Louisiana, whatever may be said by
anybody to the contrary notWithstand-
ing.
Col. McCranie, editor of the OUACHI-
ia TELEGRAPH, hauls the Democratic
town Council of Monroe over the Goals
for giving the Radical paper in that
town an undue advantage over the
Nv, Of .1i. Il