Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1877-03-22
Thursday, March 22. 1877
Color Line. North.


President Hayes has shown a DISPOSE
ton to teach our Northern friends, the
great good to be derived from the aboli-
ton of the color line, and as an evil
dence of the good things in store for
the colored people of the North, has ap-
pointed Fred Douglass U. S. Marshall
for the District of Columbia, an office
worth from ten to twelve thousand dol
lars per annum. The radicals objected.
but their objections were overruled.
They then plead that Douglass lacked
the necessary qualifications for the pro-
per discharge of his official duties but
this objection came with little weight
from party who had for years consider
ed the qualifications of Southern corn
field negro sufficient for the discharge
of the duties Of the most important
offices in the Southern States. Mr..
Hayes seems disposed to teach these
friends Of the colored man the beauties
of their creed. The colored man was
good enough to share the offices of the
South with the carpet-baggers, but
when the practice is brought home they
begin to vince.
Mr.. Hayes is really the most indepen-
dent president we have ever had. He
Is under obligation to neither of the
political parties of the country. The
democrats, who were in the majority,
voted against him, and the republicans
were in the minority, and Of course,
could not elect a president. He owes
his place to the Returning Board of
Louisiana, to the majority of the Re-
turning Board Of Florida, and to Joe
Bradley who CLOSED over the fraud and
made it law He can easily provide
for these pets and to the balance he
can say Il owe you nothing" He is
decidedly independent of party obliga-
lions. He can afford to snub the Radi-
cal and the Democrat. The colored
man is the instrument with which he
proposes to break the solid South. and
when the thaw begins and solidity has
been destroyed, how easy 1t will be to
cement these floating fragments into
one harmonious whole. composed of
regenerated republicans, white washed
democrats, honest returning boards,
untainted electoral commissioners and
colored brethren. Then shall we see
the fruits of the new departure and even
the most radical Of Northern journals
will strike the bloody shirt and throw to
the breeze their largest flags upon
which shall be inscribed in letters of
pure white ''Our Southern Brethren"
1t is indeed grand scheme, and Mr..
Hayes will be faithless to his pledges,
if he should not place some Of the most
important offices in the North and
especially in the state of Ohio, in the
hands Of the colored man. He is under
especial obligation to do so, from the
fact that he snubbed the entire race
when he formed his cabinet; for there
almost every shade is represented ex-
cept the colored brother. The blacklist
Of radicals find a representative in Sher-
man, the liberal republicans have
Evarts, the German interest has
Schurz, the old line wings have Thomp.
son, and even the democrats and
rebels have their representative at the
head Of the Post Office department.
Is it not due this great race, exercis-
ing so much weight in political matters,
that their rights should be recognized
by fair distribution of Offices through
out the Northern states? In the South
they have had their share of offices and
there are now few to spare, but in the
North they have been most unjustly
treated. President Hayes is under
greater obligation to the negro race
for his position than to all the
republicans of the Northern states,
for when the North was helpless
and the Office was about falling into the
hands of one elected by the people, the
two negroes of the Louisiana Returning
Board raised their voice in his behalfand
by their treachery, secured for him the
coveted Office. Ingratitade should find
no place in the bosom Of the Nations
Executive. Let him reward these to
whom he is endebted for his place, and
he will receive the plaudits Of an ad-
miring party. His reputation should be
national and it is only when the color
line, North of Mason's and Dixon's
line is washed out by the distribution OF
fat offices, that the new Executive can
take pride in the accomplishment Of his
great work.