New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1877-02-07
AN EXPLODED CLAIM
The COlOred People and Demo
cratic Influence.
HOW THEY VOTE WHEN LEFT TO
THEMSELVES.
MONROE, OUAcHITA PARISH La,
Tunraarrr IN 1877

MONROE, OUAcHITA PARISH La,
January 30, 1877.
EDITOR REPUBLICAN:
For years the Democrats of this State
and particularly Of this tOuachita) parish
have, after each and every election held
therein, raised the pitiful cry that their
minority was owing to the "evil influence
exercised by the Radicals over the cOlored
voters" and ''if the celored voters could
be freed from this influence they would,
with great unanimity, vote for and with
the Democrats" Even Archbishop Perche
echoes these sentiments; and very lately
he, whose religion should teach him
''charity toward all men," has SO far for
gotten his dignity and and the secredness
that should surround a representative of
Him "whO died for all mankind" as to
step aside from the path of his Master and
dabble in the cesspoOls of politics, thereby
blurring and blOtting the sacred robes
thrown round him by our holy church,
whose purity and sanctity all Catholics
love so dearly. But l digress. The fore
going, say, has been longtime plea with
them for their every defeat. They have at
last given themselves an opportunity to
test it.
On the twenty-seventh ul,imo a Demo
cratic election ~ was held here, under
Democratic auspices, to fill pretended va
eancy in pretended Senate, ordered by q
pretended Governor.
A candidate, and the only one for this
pretended honor, was Frank P. Stubbs,
Esq, of this parish.
Before the Returning Board, before the
Senate and House investigating commit
tees, and before the world. the Democrats
have testified that during the late campaign
all their speakers made conciliatOry
speeches and thereby gained for them the
majority of cOlOred votes, which they
claim and which alone could give Mr..
Nichols his seat. Foremost among these
speakers was Mr.. Stubbs. His testimony,
and that of many others, was that his eff
forts produced great and good results, and
that many colored men were shown the
'error of their way" by his arguments and
were rejuvenated into the Democratic par
ty. That, they swear, is their opinion. And
we are willing to cOnoede this opinion to
them. But let us see how true their opin-
ion is. And if after have finished, i have
not succeeded in showing to the public that
eonclliatory speeches or measures by the
Democrats did not prompt or influence the
cOlored man TO vote the Democratic ticket
in November, 1876, / will have succeeded
in showing that there has been q terrible
falling off," since then, in the boasted
unanimity and desire OF the colOred man to
support the DemocIatic ticket: and that all
the "deep impressions" made by Mr.. Stubbs'
arguments have "grown small by degrees
and beautifully less" in remarkably short
period of time. These "conciliatOry meas
ures" either did, or did not exert an iDflu-
ence upon the cclcred voters in the Novem-
Der, 1876, election. If they did, the i'm.
preston remains; if they did not, the i'm
pressions have vanished with the disap-
pearance of these 'conciliatory measures"
The voting done on the twenty-seventh of
January, 1877, is good criterion by which
to Judge of the effect of these impressions.
Mr.. Stnbbs is outwardly conservative
man, and very well known throughout the
parish. And if colored people were dis
posed to trust a Democrat he would be
most likely to receive that support Let us
see whether or not he did receive that sup
port or any part of it. The figures below
show the vote, as given by the Ouachita
Telegraph, Democratic paper in this place,
from Democratic standpoint for Senator
at the election in November, 1876.