Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-07-06

Amid the thunders OF hussian cann'n '''N
the steady tramp of Russian columns across
the bridged Danube and while "enerai
Grant sleeps at Windsor Castle, 1.-The guest
of the Queen OF Great Britain and the En-
press of the Indies" loaded with honors by
the English speaking races because oil ms
generous treatment of the yarqulshed South
and his lust conduct towards the iormer
slave, there comes to us Ivy 1.-The Associateu
Press Reports information that browns
the thunders of Russian guns, and that over
shadows the horors done to Grant anu
the American people through hun IL
comes from New Orleans and consists oil
the report and conclusions OF General "eorse
A. Sheridan. in n certain postotiice matter
This Sheridan must not be mlstaS-
on for Little Phil" who was quite
an important rider OF speedy
horse once upon 4 time This Is
Sheridan wEo rides horse OF a very diher-
ent color, L very pale horse, regular
full.blooded death white" hoIse, with no
name or tail to speak of. This horse, the
brave George Augustus Sheridan (generai
by breyet, and now special agent OF the
postoftice DEPARTMENT. has ridden squarely
up to "the color line
The facts OF the case were As follows
colored postmaster had left his post-not Tor
the reasons that send so many OF our New
England postmasters abroad-for pleasure or
nroft-. but for the absurd reason that his
white fellow townsmen had acquired
carelessness in handling guns and drawing
knives and letting OFT reyolvers, that shocked
the nerves of the colored men generally, and
colored postmasters in particular. This
postmaster, one Chapman by name. took
it into his added brain that the
salary of postmaster of Clinton, La, L. ) A.
was not sufficiently remunerative to eompen-
| safe h i'm for the discomfort OF bowie IN
his bowels. or a few ounces of lead. more or
less, inside MS Uranium, so be left the place,
and the United States mail bags in charge OF
a white deputy, and took himself to places
more remote from the heightened white
liners" of Clinton than was consistent with
his duties as a postmaster,
This state of affairs was duly reported to
Postmaster. General Key, first, by the white
deputy Of Clinton postofhce, who wanted to
he first in command; and secondly by numer-
Gus white liners of the LEGAL rifle clubs.
These latter gentlemen pinned for look at
the absent Chapman S face. Rachel mourning
for her children and refusing to be comfort
Cd could not shake stick at the griei oil
these rilemen over the absence of the over
cautious Chapman. They said ii he would
only come home they would give hin a
warm reception that, in fact, there was
nothing in the heavens above or in the earth
beneath or in the depths of the sea, that
they would not give him'at point blank
range, if he only would put in an appear
ance.
But with the distrust characteristic OF the
| African race, and with malicious desire to
thwart the kind wishes of his white neigh
bors who loved him 50 much and longed so
to get hold of him, he staid away. 1t Is
true that some Of his own race had told him
| of numerous threats-Such as Let Us once
get sight of that niger and he won't
handle any more mailbags in this world -;
but he might have known this was only
way of iokinc they Lave in the South, when
speaking Of the loved and absent officials OF
the colored persuasion.
At any rate, this postmaster kept away
from Clinton and that refined place had to
put up with deputy. But socn, Sheridan
came and discovered that among all
| the places he had ever visited the
mildest and most cOngcnial and healthiul
was this same Clinton. There was no trou-
bic about the absent Chapman. lie was free
| to return and to live there, Providence per-
hitting, a. long as the world stands. To
show that this was SO, ''George Augustus
handed the much longed for Chapman
of the sable skin, "a paT"r signed
BY several white men of Clinton saying he
could return there with safety" Then the
natural obstinacy of the colored race broke
out afresh, and Chapman declared there was
not responsible, or a respectable, name on
the paper
This showed that we cannot make any
thing buta niger ont Of niger any
more than you can make a whole army sad
die out of a pigs ear. What right had he to
SANDER dozen white men who had with
great pains, written their names under the
pledge of 'safe return" II the we'll
known Leaders Of the rifle clubs had
not signed the "reassuring document, that
might be due to the well-known modesty of
such leaders, who never like to be unneces-
sarily put before the public or it might
argue lack of expertness in pennanship.-
for many Southern gentleman who can
bring down Il possum or a niger ut six
hundred yards, can not aiiI his sign manual
to do cument with any degree of certainty.
At any rate they did not sign, and Chapman
took the nOn-signing as a bad sign, and said
that though he might return in safety yet
he would be anything but safe alter his re-
turn.
Then came into view the real object OF the
gallant Sheridan's ride on his white horse.
Chapman, citizen Of the nited States Color
ed) was informed that he was safer under
Nichols than he could be under Packard
but that he must not hold office, or NEEDLE
with politics And he was asked to resign.
When an official, sent direct from the Post
Office Department, tells postmaster who is
absent from his post that he must resign
because colored men will not he permitted
to hold office in Louisiana, and then adds
that colored men will not be allowed to med
die with politics, it looks as if a new policy,
not according to Grant or Hayes, had been
nauguated for the South.
Suppose President Hayes, in his trip to
New England, had been accompanied by the
Postma, ter General, and had reached here in
time to hear the Grafton of Mr. Henderson
(colored) who led TIE graduating class, in
scholarship. at the late Commencement in
this city and had heard him addressed by
special agent Of the Portoihco Department a.
follows
AGO South young man your colored
brethren need you You are safe there a.
are all citizens Of tins Great Republic every
where bm two things you must remember
you tan not hold Office. and Won shall not
NEEDLE with politics
L.. l. l.. u, Al